Gonorrhea treatment
- Treatment for gonorrhea is an antibiotic injection in your buttock.
- After gonorrhea treatment, wait at least a week before having sex.
- Without treatment, gonorrhea can cause harmful inflammation, for example in your fallopian tube or epididymis.
- Not sure if you have gonorrhea? Choose to be certain and get an STI test.
What is the treatment for gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is treated with antibiotics. The antibiotics are administered with a prick in your buttock. This way, the active substances are in your blood quickly and can target the gonorrhea bacteria. The gonorrhea treatment is the same for men and women. You get the injection against gonorrhea from your doctor or at the GGD. If you have a gonorrhea STI test done through Soapoli-online? Should you fail to arrange an injection; we will support you in getting treatment for gonorrhea.
How long no sex after gonorrhea treatment?
It is recommended that after gonorrhea treatment at least one week wait to have sex. This is because although the gonorrhea shot is quick, it takes a while for the antibiotics to kill all the bacteria in your body. During that time, you are still contagious and can therefore pass on gonorrhea to someone else. Even if your symptoms are already gone.
What else can you do besides treatment
It's good that you got tested for gonorrhea; with the right treatment, you'll soon be rid of it. There are more things you can do to protect your own sexual health as well as the health of others. Warn recent sex partners so they too can get tested and receive antibiotic treatment for gonorrhea, if necessary. In addition, it may be smart to get tested for other STIs. For example, women and heterosexual men with a gonorrhea diagnosis are advised to also test for HIV and syphilis.
The risk of gonorrhea without treatment
How long gonorrhea stays in your body without treatment varies from person to person. Sometimes gonorrhea goes away on its own, but in other cases it does not, and the STI can have unpleasant consequences for your health. This is because if the bacteria spreads further through your body, it can cause infections in other places. In women, it can cause a fallopian tube infection, which can make you infertile and make you more likely to have an ectopic pregnancy. Men can get epididymitis or inflammation of the prostate.
Knowing if gonorrhea treatment has worked
Gonorrhea treatment with antibiotics generally works well. A week after the shot, you should not have any gonorrhea symptoms should have more. In doubt? Then you can retesting for gonorrhea. This way you know for sure that you are cured and you prevent that your (future) sex partners are infected with gonorrhea. Re-testing is possible from 3 weeks after the gonorrhea treatment. Also remember: gonorrhea can come back after treatment. When you have unprotected sex, you can become infected again. You can prevent this by using a condom.
Why choose Soapoli-online?
With Soapoli-online, you always have clarity about your health, especially if you have doubts about an STI infection. Still doubting whether a gonorrhea test is the right one? Then do our free STI Testing Guide!
Resources
This page has been carefully compiled with information from official and independent health organizations: