Gonorrhoea

Gonorrhoea is also one of the most common STIs and again it’s on the rise, particularly in men. Just like Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea victims often present with no symptoms, but the infection can still be passed on through vaginal, oral and anal sex.

Gonorrhoea can have serious health implications for both men and women if left untreated. In women, it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which can have severe and painful symptoms, and lead to long-term complications, including, in rare cases, infertility. Gentlemen, you don’t get off lightly either, untreated Gonorrhoea can result in an unpleasant (at best) and painful condition called epididymitis in the tubes attached to the testicles. Without terrifying you too much more it’s important to note that Gonorrhoea can spread to the blood or joints resulting in a potentially life-threatening situation. Some symptoms to keep an eye out for, guys and girls, again pain when urinating is not a good sign. Ladies if you experience unusual vaginal discharge or pain during intercourse it’s a smart idea to get checked, it might not be Gonorrhoea, but better to be safe. Gentlemen any unusual discharge from the urethra or anus, get checked.

Continuing its common threads with Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea is also effectively tested via a simple urine test and some fancy workings in a lab. Easy. Again, if you think you may have contracted Gonorrhoea from oral or anal sex our Pathology Referral will allow you to be checked for this as well. You will just need to ask the Pathology Centre staff for swabs of the area in question to be taken.