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Gonorrhea Testing and Information
Dear STD Advice,
Where can people get information,
testing, and treatments for Gonorrhea? ~
Gonorrhea Inquiry
Dear Gonorrhea Inquiry,
Testing for any STD is widely available. You can be tested for an STD at most
physician offices, health departments, and specialized STD centers. Simply
call them in advance and tell them you'd like to schedule an STD test. If you
would like a specific recommendation and more information, then call the toll-free,
safe, and confidential National STD Hotline at 800-227-8922.
You can also visit our Gonorrhea information section
by clicking
here.
In addition, it's important to know what can happen
if Gonorrhea goes untreated. According to the National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases:
"In untreated gonorrhea infections, the bacteria can
spread up into the reproductive tract, or more rarely,
can spread through the blood stream and infect the
joints, heart valves, or the brain.
The most common result of untreated gonorrhea is PID,
a serious infection of the female reproductive tract.
Gonococcal PID often appears immediately after the
menstrual period. PID causes scar tissue to form in
the fallopian tubes. If the tube is partially scarred,
the fertilized egg may not be able to pass into the
uterus. If this happens, the embryo may implant in
the tube causing a tubal (ectopic) pregnancy. This
serious complication may result in a miscarriage and
can cause death of the mother.
Rarely, untreated gonorrhea can spread through the
blood to the joints. This can cause an inflammation
of the joints which is very serious.
If you are infected with gonorrhea, your risk of getting
HIV infection increases (HIV, human immunodeficiency
virus, causes AIDS). Therefore, it is extremely important
for you to either prevent yourself from getting gonorrhea
or get treated early if you already are infected with
it."
Remember, Gonorrhea is curable, but you do need to
visit a physician, health center, or STD clinic to
get tested and prescribed a treatment.
If you have a question for the STD Advice column, simply put your question in the anonymous form below and click Submit. Once you click Submit, your question will be anonymously emailed to us. While we can't answer or publish all questions, we do try to questions within a one week period of submission. Check back to see if yours is answered.
Only a physician can properly diagnose whether or
not you have an STD. Thus it is important that you
get an STD test done if you have a concern. None of the
advice given in this column is a substitute for physician
advice.
If you think you may have a sexually transmitted
disease, you should see a physician immediately to
be properly diagnosed and treated. You should not try
to diagnose or treat symptoms on your own.
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