To date, gonorrhea is considered one of the most common diseases. The disease is different in that, even when a person is treated, there is no guarantee that he will not be able to get sick again. The causative agents of this rather dangerous disease are diplococci. Bacteria resemble coffee beans, which are divided in two and have a rounded shape. Consider in detail how to recognize and treat gonorrhea. The fact that this disease is treated is not so simple and requires great patience and a desire to maintain their health.
Ways of spread of infection
Gonorrhea can be transmitted through sexual contact, and any person can be its carrier, regardless of gender. It is worth noting that women are most often infected, approximately 70% of the incidence is due to the weaker sex. Men are infected much less often, in percentage terms these data make up 25%. How exactly the infection will be transmitted is not so important, infection can occur from regular classical sex, or from oral and anal. There are a large number of people who believe that you can get infected by using common things or just doing in the pool. It should be noted that bacteria die in the external environment after two hours and lose their ability to reproduce.
But do not exclude cases of infection if gonococci were transmitted through bedding or a toothbrush. For example, when the biomaterial is completely fresh, a healthy person can be infected in this way. It also happens that a small child becomes infected with a disease from his mother in her womb. How to treat gonorrhea, everyone should know, because statistics indicate that this disease is not considered a disease of dysfunctional people. At risk may be young people who are already 15 years old.
Symptoms of the disease in women with various forms
It is worth noting that the symptoms of the disease in women and men are significantly different. There is also a place for the localization of gonococcus, which plays an important role. Consider the option: with gonorrhea in women, the symptoms may be as follows:
- If gonorrhea is localized in the lower genitourinary system, a woman may not feel absolutely any symptoms for a long time. Vaginal discharge can easily be confused with thrush. Gradually, the disease can become chronic and vaginal discharge can be quite scarce. Later, the temperature can rise to 39 degrees, and the lower abdomen will begin to disturb the woman.
- They also distinguish in medicine such a species as an ascending gonococcal infection. The infection got its name because it is much higher than the cervical canal. The disease spreads to the uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries. The causes of this disease may be abortion and curettage. A woman will acutely feel all the symptoms, there will be very severe pains in the lower abdomen, the temperature will rise, there will be urges to vomit, bleeding with bright blood will open in the period between menstruation, and urination will be frequent and painful. It will be possible to detect the disease during an ultrasound scan, as the fallopian tubes and ovaries will be enlarged.
- The chronic form of the disease is considered the most dangerous, since it can be asymptomatic and subsequently result in serious complications. If chronic gonorrhea develops in women, the symptoms may be as follows: the menstrual cycle is disrupted, adhesions occur in the lower pelvis, a woman cannot become pregnant, or miscarriages constantly occur. An ectopic pregnancy may also develop; all this will periodically be accompanied by very severe pains in the small pelvis.
- Cases when gonorrhea occurs during pregnancy are considered frequent. It happens that up to 4 months the disease is confused with salpingitis. If the period is early, then a miscarriage may simply occur. At a later date, the child may become infected by gonococcus from the mother.
If the first suspicions of infection arise, then women should immediately consult a gynecologist, otherwise you can permanently lose the opportunity to have children.
Symptoms of various forms of gonorrhea in men
Men can notice problems with their health on the third day after sexual contact with a sick person. How quickly it will be possible to judge the incidence rate depends on the person’s age and immune system. If gonorrhea is diagnosed, symptoms in men can be as follows:
- Acute epididymitis is quite common in men. The infection can spread very quickly from the urethra to the ducts. A man may notice that there was swelling of the testicles and pain in the scrotum appeared, this makes it difficult to move freely. Further, acute pain begins to slowly spread to the lateral abdomen and groin. In just a few hours, a man will be able to notice that the testicles have increased 3 times, and when urinating, blood is visible. As a rule, body temperature rises. As a result of such changes in the body, a man can even become infertile.
- Prostatitis caused by gonococcus is no less dangerous. Gonococci can freely enter the prostate. If such gonorrhea is manifested, the symptoms in men are more like pinched spinal nerves. Over time, it will be possible to notice streaks of blood in the urine, and then adhesions that cannot be treated can begin to appear in the ducts, and this will lead to infertility.
In any of the above cases, attention should be paid to purulent discharge from the genitals, which will have an unpleasant odor. At the first such manifestations, you should consult a doctor, since the consequences of gonorrhea in men can be much sadder than in women. With this disease, almost 80% of men remain infertile, and 75% become impotent.
How is an infection diagnosed?
If there are unpleasant symptoms, in any case, you should seek help from a doctor. All diagnostics may consist of the following steps:
- First of all, the doctor will conduct a survey and find out all the details that are important for the appointment of the correct tests.
- The next step will be an examination by a gynecologist or urologist. If women have an acute form of gonorrhea, the gynecologist will be able to see fluid pus that will be secreted from the cervical canal. Men will also have purulent discharge from the genitals. On examination, a smear for gonorrhea will be taken.
- After taking the material for research on gonorrhea, the cultural method is used. It makes it possible not only to make an accurate diagnosis, but also to identify antibiotics that will not help in the treatment, since the infection has resistance to them.
- Also an effective way to detect gonorrhea is smear microscopy. The material obtained from the genitals is placed on sterile glass and stained and examined under a microscope using a special preparation. Pathogens become visible, they have a purple color.
- In any case, the attending physician will prescribe a blood test and check the polymerase chain reaction.
An ultrasound scan will be appropriate after treatment to draw conclusions about which organs are most affected by the disease. Among all diagnostic methods, the most accurate so far is precisely a smear for gonorrhea.
What are the consequences?
If the form of the disease is started, men can subsequently notice a violation of sperm excretion, frequent inflammation of the genitals, orchitis, prostatitis occur. Women can become infertile as adhesions begin to form in the fallopian tubes. Such negative consequences can be avoided if timely prophylaxis is carried out and as much as possible refuse random sexual relations without using a condom. By clearly following such simple rules, you don’t have to worry about how to treat gonorrhea.
Gonorrhea treatment
Do not expect treatment to be quick. First of all, it should be noted that for a quality treatment, the cultural method should be used. During the period of treatment, alcohol is not allowed, and especially sexual contact. As soon as the doctor determines what kind of infection a person has, he prescribes antibiotics. It is important to consider that taking drugs is necessarily accompanied by drugs such as Karsil to improve liver function, as well as Linex for digestion. The treatment regimen for gonorrhea is clearly prescribed by the doctor, taking medications on your own can lead to the body getting used to some, and in the end they will be ineffective. It happens that an antibiotic is not suitable for a person, and in this case, the disease becomes chronic. If gonorrhea is observed in a mild form, then doctors can prescribe this treatment regimen:
- "Azithromycin" and "Ciprofloxacin" are prescribed.
- Effective are not only antibiotics for gonorrhea, but also intramuscular doses of vitamins.
As soon as the doctor can notice an improvement in the condition of his patients, for example, the temperature normalizes, the discharge decreases significantly and the pain is no longer noticeable, then the patient is slightly reduced in the dosage of antibiotics, but they are not completely excluded. Often in the initial stages, both men and women are prescribed the drug "Metronidazole". It will facilitate quick healing. Also, the medicine itself is aimed at not only combating gonorrhea, but also removing trichomoniasis. "Metronidazole" for gonorrhea is prescribed almost without fail, and experts have already proved that the treatment regimen with this drug gives positive results and the disease can be cured the first time.
How are pregnant women treated for gonorrhea?
Oddly enough this sounds, but even during pregnancy, sick women are prescribed antibiotics. Typically, this is Ceftriaxone or Spectinomycin. If a pregnant woman worsens noticeably, she is urgently hospitalized and Ampicillin is prescribed. It is very important for pregnant women to remember that taking immunomodulators will work at the local level without harming the unborn baby.
Treatment monitoring is ongoing. In addition to women, husband and children who are in the family are treated necessarily. After a woman has undergone treatment for gonorrhea, she will have to be examined for some time by the doctor throughout the pregnancy (and even after it), at least once every three months. In the case when infection is not detected in the smears for a long time, it can be considered that the disease was completely cured.
Additional treatments for infection
If we divide the entire treatment into several parts, then we can distinguish additional methods that will also have a positive effect:
- First of all, we must remember the local impact. You can prepare a solution of silver nitrate and boil chamomile, all this is done by douching. For a decoction, it will be enough to take only one spoon of chamomile and pour it with a glass of boiling water.
- If a diagnosis of gonorrhea has been established, treatment methods may include physiotherapy. Of course, this method can only be used if there is no acute inflammatory process. A doctor can use electromagnetic fields, a laser, and ultraviolet rays for treatment.
- Actively used immunotherapy. The main goal of this method is to strengthen the immune system so that it can repel gonococcal infection. For this, special preparations are taken for gonorrhea, for example, Pyrogenal.
In addition, it will be possible to support your body with home recipes, but the main treatment should be carried out exclusively under the supervision of a doctor. An infected person must follow a special diet. In addition, there are folk remedies that can also help. Do not rule out genital baths and gargling. If necessary, you can use diuretic decoctions of herbs.
How is acute infection treated?
The acute course of gonorrhea is carried out only in a hospital under the constant supervision of doctors. As a rule, a doctor is consulted when they feel severe pain in the lower abdomen. In this case, women and men are applied to a sore spot with a heating pad or lotion with ice. If this does not help, then the pain is removed medically by injecting with an anesthetic. A large number of drugs are administered intravenously, so a hospital patient is given droppers with a solution of glucose, novocaine and other drugs that are needed for treatment.
At first, doctors are trying to choose a conservative treatment, but if it does not help, then the only way to improve the patient's condition is surgical intervention. The doctor will conduct a drainage operation to remove all accumulated pus. If this also turns out to be ineffective, then the diseased organ is removed. This naturally leads to infertility. In particularly complex forms, peritonitis can occur, and then active drainage is made in the abdominal cavity. In total, everything will depend on the general condition of the patient. If the person’s immunity is good enough, then the treatment can be effective and quickly end.
When wondering if gonorrhea is completely treated, it is important to remember one simple thing: the sooner a person visits a specialist, the more chances he has for a full recovery and the opportunity to lead a full life in the future. Also, do not expect that you will be able to recover quickly. Treatment is very slow, even a simple test can take a lot of time, for example, the cultural method allows you to determine the disease only on the tenth day. No expert will be able to say exactly how long gonorrhea is treated, because it depends solely on the personality of the patient's body.
Gonorrhea Prevention
The main objective of prevention is to prevent the penetration and spread of gonococci into the human body. If there is no confidence in the partner, then special protective equipment should be used for this, which contain miramitan. There is a misconception that ordinary soap and water can cope with the infection. In this case, the soap solution is ineffective. It is worth taking care of safe sexual relationships. For example, you can hardly get infected if you use massage, a dry kiss with an infected person, the use of special toys, as well as masturbation.
If you carefully pay attention to your health, you won’t have to decide how to treat gonorrhea. Most often, the disease is detected during an examination, which should be all at least once a year, or when a pregnant woman comes in order to be registered. With an acute course of the disease, the first symptoms may appear within a month. If the disease proceeds secretly, it can take about two months. If someone from the family developed symptoms and the diagnosis was confirmed during the diagnosis, then all other family members are examined, since the disease can be dangerous for them.
It is important to remember that the health of each person is in his own hands, so the more a person is choosy in their sexual relations, the more chances he has to stay healthy.