There are often no symptoms in women. About 10 percent of men are asymptomatic. The only way to know whether you are infected for sure is to be tested. Many women wrongly assume that they are routinely checked for gonorrhea, as well as other sexually transmitted diseases, during their annual pap smears, when in fact, you almost always need to specifically request testing. Previously, being tested for gonorrhea required taking cultures with a Q-tip for both men and women.
Gonorrhea is transmitted through vaginal, oral and anal intercourse.
According to Felicia Stewart, Director of the Reproductive Health Program at the Kaiser Family Foundation, in order to effectively prevent gonorrhea, you need to use condoms consistently and correctly every time you have sex. Very few people worry that they are at risk for sexually transmitted diseases, but rates have risen to epidemic levels. This new information suggests a trend toward lower rates of consistent condom use and leaves Americans at a higher risk for all sexually transmitted diseases. Gonorrhea can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, an infection of the woman's reproductive organs, especially the uterus and tubes, which can lead to infertility if left untreated. It can also cause tubal pregnancy and increased risk of HIV infection.