Gonorrhea Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gonorrhea - Essay Example of this that women are the ones that tend to suffer most in the long run when diagnosed with gonorrhea; when they ignore the symptoms, the infection spreads, causing severe complications within the reproductive organs. In males, it can take anywhere from two days to a month before there are obvious signs of gonorrhea after the infection has formed. In females, it is hard to pinpoint how long it can take for symptoms to appear in regards to the onset of the infection, as many women do not even show signs of the disease (Michaud, 2006). Only a small percentage of males do not show any signs to having the infection, as opposed to a larger percentage of females. The signs and symptoms in males include a yellow-hued discharge from the penis, as well as frequent and painful urination. The signs and symptoms in females are vaginal discharge, pain in the lower abdomen, and irritation of the genital region, which can also lead to painful urination and possible bleeding between menstrual cycles. Due to the period-esq symptoms of gonorrhea in females, many females ignore their symptoms until the infection worsens, strengthening the pain and the intensity of the symptoms. Other signs and symptoms, in both males and females, include fever and vomiting, as well as sterility and infertility. The longer the symptoms go unnoticed or untreated, the more parts of the reproductive systems get infected. The worse it becomes in females, the greater the chance is that they pass it on to their child if they are pregnant or become pregnant around the time of developing the disease. Within women, the infection can also cause damage to more than just the reproductive system, such as arthritis or blindness (Kolesnikow, 2007). In diagnosing gonorrhea, there are two methods that health care workers resort to. The first test, a staining sample, is the least accurate of the two. A staining sample involves taking a dab sample of the discharge from the infected area, dyeing it, and examining