It is estimated that only about 35 percent of men exposed through unprotected intercourse will actually become infected. If the infection is not treated, the symptoms may persist for several weeks, and then go away. About 10 percent of untreated, infected men will continue to have gonococci in the urethra with no symptoms, and these asymptomatic men constitute a dangerous reservoir of infection for their sexual partners. In the days before antibiotic treatment, about 10 percent of infected men developed epididymitis , an infection of the epididymis on the back of the testicle, with pain and swelling. With modern treatment this complication is now uncommon, and is more usually now the result of chlamydial infection.
Women often have fewer symptoms initially than men when infected with gonorrhea.
Pain is not prominent early on, although a yellow discharge is fairly frequent. Pain and bleeding on intercourse may occur since the infection is right at the opening of the cervix. Woman may also get the same urethritis that men get, with burning on urination. This extension usually causes pain, and can result in scarring of the Fallopian tubes or their blockage. Chlamydia infection can also produce this complication.