Left untreated, gonorrhea may spread to the joints, tendons or heart. It may also cause pelvic inflammatory disease in women. And, infants exposed to gonorrhea during childbirth can become blind. If you or your partner shows signs of these symptoms, call a doctor for an immediate appointment. You should both be tested, even if one partner shows no symptoms.
Treatment consists of antibiotics and pain relievers.
It's also important to abstain from sex until your doctor says it's safe. This sexually transmitted disease, or STD, is most contagious when symptoms are present. Symptoms Two to 10 days after being infected, the person may experience itching or burning pain in the genital area. The blisters or sores usually disappear within three weeks. Attacks that occur later, with the same symptoms, heal faster.