Symptoms of gonorrhoea usually show up within one week of being infected. But sometimes symptoms may not appear until many months later, or until the infection has spread to other parts of your body.
About one in 10 infected men and half of infected women will not experience any obvious symptoms after contracting gonorrhoea, which means it can go untreated for some time.
Women
In women, symptoms of gonorrhoea can include:
- an unusual discharge from the vagina, which may be thick and green or yellow in colour
- pain when passing urine
- pain or tenderness in the lower abdominal area (this is less common)
- bleeding between periods or heavier periods (this is less common)
Men
Nine out of 10 men who contract gonorrhoea experience symptoms after they are infected, which can include:
- an unusual discharge from the tip of the penis, which may be white, yellow or green
- pain or a burning sensation when urinating
- inflammation (swelling) of the foreskin
- pain or tenderness in the testicles or prostate gland (this is rare)
Men and women
Both men and women can also catch gonorrhoea at other sites of the body. These include infection in the:
- rectum, which may cause pain, discomfort or discharge
- throat, which does not usually have any symptoms
- eyes, which can cause pain, swelling, irritation and discharge (conjunctivitis)
Babies
Gonorrhoea can be passed from a mother to her baby during childbirth. Newborn babies normally show symptoms in their eyes during the first two weeks. The eyes become red and swollen, and have a thick pus-like discharge (conjunctivitis).
Gonorrhoea can be treated with antibiotics when you are pregnant or when you are breastfeeding. The antibiotics will not harm your baby.
