GONORRHEA TREATMENTS

The good news is that gonorrhoea can be fully cured. But both you and your partner do need to get treatment immediately, and learn how to avoid any further infections with STDs as well.

Your doctor will test you for gonorrhoea by taking a sample from the infected area (vagina, urethra, and rectum) and sending it to the lab for a culture or testing for the nucleic acid. (Since a chlamydia infection often coexists with gonorrhoea, you'll usually be screened for it at the same time.) If you have gonorrhoea, antibiotics will be prescribed to kill the bacteria, as well as analgesics to relieve any pain. You'll usually take the antibiotics in pill form, although some clinics administer a one-dose injection. (If you're allergic to penicillin or other drugs, let your doctor know.) Be sure to take all the antibiotics the doctor gives you, even if your symptoms disappear; if you don't, the disease may not go away. Your sexual partner or partners will also need to see a doctor and, if they're infected, get treatment. For that reason, be prepared to answer questions about your sexual history. Don't have sex until your doctor tells both you and your partner that your infections are gone. If symptoms persist or if new ones develop, make an appointment for a follow-up exam. Because it's very common for people with gonorrhoea to be infected with chlamydia as well, the doctor will often treat you for both infections simultaneously.