What
activities can put me at risk for both STDs and HIV?
Having anal,
vaginal, or oral sex without a condom;
Having
multiple sex partners;
Having
anonymous sex partners;
Having sex
while under the influence of drugs or alcohol can lower inhibitions and result
in greater sexual risk-taking.
Gonorrhea
affects each person differently due to a mixture of different factors. These
include the strength of their immune system or whether or not the gonorrhea
strain is resistant to antibiotic. Therefore, the incubation period of
gonorrhea in each patient is different.
Gonorrhea in Males
The average
incubation period for male gonorrhea is around two to six days. In some cases,
though, it may take as much as 30 days. What makes this situation worse is that
your infection may be asymptomatic. During those 30 days, you may have
intercourse with your partner and infect them with gonorrhea as well.
As gonorrhea
begins to spread, you may experience complications such as epididymitis, where
your epididymis (the gland where sperm travel) becomes inflamed. You may also
develop prostatitis, an inflammation of your prostate gland. Both conditions
may affect your ability to bear children, so it's important to seek treatment
immediately to avoid these long-term effects of gonorrhea.
Gonorrhea in Females
Similarly,
gonorrhea in women acts fast. Upon infection, it may take just a few days for
symptoms to appear. However, in some women it may take as much as 30 days
before symptoms manifest. The early symptoms are usually mistaken for another
condition, such as a bladder infection. You may begin to experience symptoms
such as:
Frequent
urination
Itching in
the anal or vaginal region
Fever and
fatigue
Painful
sexual intercourse
Slight
bleeding between periods
Gonorrhea in Newborns
Under
certain circumstances, newborn children unfortunately get gonorrhea. Should the
mother have vaginal gonorrhea during childbirth, some of the bacteria may
transfer to the infant's eyes, which can most likely cause pink eye.
The
incubation period for this condition typically lasts a few days. As symptoms
appear, you may notice that your infant's eyes will become watery and produce a
discharge. The duration of the disease varies, but it usually takes a few weeks
to heal. However, once treatment is administered, your child is no longer
contagious after 24 hours, and will be well on the road to recovery.
How Long Does It Take to Cure
Gonorrhea?
Treating
Gonorrhea entirely depends on the time of diagnosis and the severity of
symptoms. If you think you have contracted gonorrhea and want to undergo STD
testing, it's recommended that you visit a doctor two to six days after your
last sexual intercourse. Since the bacteria are still incubating during this period,
it's possible the test results might show up negative for gonorrhea, so you
should repeat the testing two weeks later.
Once you've
received treatment, it usually takes a few days before you notice an
improvement, such as the pain and discharge subsiding. After you've been cured,
you should be tested again after two weeks to confirm that you no longer have
the bacteria in your system.
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