You can have gonorrhea without having any obvious symptoms. In fact, women often fail to have any initial symptoms and must rely on their sexual partners to inform them of the possibility of infection. When symptoms do exist, they usually appear within 2 to 10 days after infection. Many disorders and sexually transmitted diseases can cause symptoms similar to gonorrhea. To confirm that you have gonorrhea, your health care provider tests a sample of discharge from the urethra of the penis or from the cervix.
Gonorrhea is treated with antibiotic drugs, given either by mouth or as a shot.
If you are allergic to penicillin, tell your health care provider. If the bacteria get into the bloodstream, multiply, and spread, gonorrhea can lead to arthritis, fever, meningitis, and death. Make sure you return for a follow-up exam in 1 to 2 weeks so your health care provider can make sure that all of the gonorrhea bacteria are gone. Stop having sexual relations until your provider tells you that all evidence of the disease is gone. Not share towels or intimate personal items that might carry bacteria.