| The signs of gonorrhea show up within two to five days after sexual contact with an infected person. In men, symptoms include pain at the tip of the penis, pain and burning during urination, and a thick, yellow, cloudy penile discharge that gradually increases. In women, symptoms include mild itching and burning around the vagina, a thick yellowish green vaginal discharge, burning on urination, and severe lower abdominal pain (within a week or so after their menstrual periods).
If ignored, gonorrhea can cause widespread infection and/or infertility. But gonorrhea can be cured with injections of penicillin. (If you've been infected with a type of gonorrhea that's resistant to penicillin, your doctor will have to use another antibiotic.)
To treat gonorrhea successfully, you should heed the following:
- Take prescribed medications.
- To avoid reinfection, be sure that your sexual partner is also treated.
- Have follow-up cultures to determine if the treatment was effective.
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