What are the effects of gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is a disease caused by bacteria known as Neisseria gonorrheae. It is typically passed on through sexual intercourse, although a newborn baby can also catch the disease from its mother when it moves through the birth canal. The effects of gonorrhea in both men and women commonly include pain experienced while urinating and a genital discharge, although in some cases there are no symptoms and the disease may be transmitted to others unknowingly. In men, signs of gonorrhea may be seen in the testicles, which become swollen and painful, while women may have abdominal pain and heavy menstrual periods, together with other abnormal vaginal bleeding. Untreated gonorrhea can spread throughout the reproductive organs, causing infertility, and occasionally it travels further via the bloodstream, leading to meningitis or an infection of the heart or joints.
