Gonorrhoea

Gonorrhoea, also known as Tripper or The Clap. Many people who have Gonorrhoea show symptoms within 2 weeks after contracting it. Sometimes it takes up to several months before symptoms show. However, 50% of women and 10% of men do not develop any obvious symptoms. Thus, many of them unknowingly infect their partners.

The most common symptom you experience? Very unpleasant bathroom breaks, because of pain with urinating and abnormal discharge.

If you have symptoms, these usually show 1-10 days after you contracted Gonorrhoea. Typical symptoms include:

In case you experience symptoms, we do recommend seeing a doctor.

Sources: NHS, Mayo Clinic

Women

10-20% of untreated cases of Gonorrhoea lead to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID). Together with Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea is the most common cause of PID. PID is an infection of the female reproductive organs. It may ultimately result in chronic pain or infertility. As the symptoms of PID can be mild, you may not be aware of having it until the damage is done.

Unborn child

If a you have a PID and it is not timely treated, it may cause the fertilized egg to nest outside of the womb (ectopic pregnancy). It can not survive there.

When you have a regular pregnancy, Gonorrhoea can cause a premature birth or even a miscarriage. Gonorrhoea may also be passed on to the baby, potentially leading to an eye infection. If untreated, such infection can cause permanent vision damage.

Men

Men are less susceptible to long term effects, but you remain contagious to your sex partners. The most common longer term effect is a painful infection in the testicles and prostate gland. In rare cases this may lead to reduced fertility.

Sources: NHS, Mayo Clinic

Trends

In 2019, there were 3.917 cases of Gonorrhoea in Switzerland. In other words: 46 of every 100'000 persons were diagnosed with Gonorrhoea last year. The highest risk group are non-heterosexual men, aged 25-44. Roughly 3'000 of every 100'000 are diagnosed with Gonorrhoea every year. In the past 3 years, the number of infections was booming 📈.

"Thanks" to the Corona lockdown, there seems to be a temporary drop in the numbers of the past few months. Likely this has 2 reasons:

1. We cut down on our social lives, so we probably ran less risks
2. During Corona, many people avoided the doctor for non-urgent matters

Now that almost everybody is picking up their social lives again, the expectation is that more sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) will be reported.

Risk groups

Gonorrhoea is most often diagnosed with non-heterosexual men, of all ages. In 1 out of 6 cases, the "victim" is female. Almost 1 out of 3 concerns heterosexual men. Gonorrhoea is more widely spread in cities and suburbs, than in the less populated countryside. Especially Kantons Zürich, Basel City and Geneva are risk areas.

Using a condom is reducing your risks of contracting Gonorrhoea by some 80%, so that is not a guarantee to stay clean.

Test advice

We have analysed the numbers of the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG). We have combined these data with research on the spreading of sexually transmitted diseases within Switzerland. With a few clicks we are able to give you a personalised test advice, based on your gender, age and sexual preference.

Are you at increased risk for Gonorrhoea? Find out with our free Test Advisor.

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Sources: Federal Office of Public Health (BAG), publicly available research

Can you get Gonorrhoea from oral or anal sex? Yes. Gonorrhoea can be transferred with oral or anal contact. So regardless of who is in the lead, if doggy style and 69 bear no secrets for you, you may have run more risks than you were aware of.

The mouth, throat and anus can't just transfer Gonorrhoea: you can also be infected there. And even in your eyes (!). In your mouth and throat you do not usually experience symptoms. Gonorrhoea in your anus can cause discomfort, pain and irregular discharge. In your eyes you can experience irritation, pain, swelling and discharge.

We offer not just vaginal & urine tests, but also Oral and Anal tests.

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Source: NHS

Diagnosis

The only way to diagnose Gonorrhoea, is by getting tested. A doctor may decide to prescribe you a treatment without even testing, if:

• You have been warned by an (ex-)partner, who was diagnosed with Gonorrhoea
• You show symptoms

This is a very pragmatic approach and it is at the discretion of a doctor to decide so. If you want to avoid the unnecessary intake of antibiotics, it is worth asking the doctor to test you as well.

If you do show symptoms, but you haven't yet been to a doctor, take action immediately and order a lab test. Usually our lab reports are available 3 working days after taking a test. In case of a positive test (this means: Gonorrhoea was found), discuss your lab report with a doctor. Our lab reports are written in 4 languages, so you can bring them to any Swiss doctor and many international doctors.

Choosing a doctor

If the test showed Gonorrhoea, it takes a doctor to confirm the diagnosis and to prescribe a treatment. Do you prefer to not involve your family doctor? If you are even registered with one in the first place? There are several alternatives:

• Chat doctor, e.g. MiSANTO
• Video doctor, e.g. EE Doctors
• The TelMed services offered by your healthcare insurer

Treatment

Gonorrhoea is typically treated with antibiotics: an injection in your thigh or buttocks, followed by a tablet. Which exact antibiotics you are given depends on factors like:

• Do you have allergies?
• Are you pregnant or breastfeeding?
• Do your symptoms indicate there might be complications?

No sex!

Don't have sex from the moment you were diagnosed until the end of your treatment, as you are putting your partner in danger. If your partner was infected as well, wait with sex till you are both clean. Some antibiotics require you to abstain until a week after taking them.

Inform sex partners

Gonorrhoea is transmitted primarily through sex. You got it from someone else, who may not be aware of having it. If you had sex with more than one person since your last test, you may have infected them as well. Inform everyone whom you had sex with since the last time you have tested.

Retest

It is recommended to confirm being clean with a retest, 2 weeks after you have finished the treatment. Obviously, if symptoms persist a retest is also recommended. If your initial test was with us, you qualify for a discount on your retest. Please contact our Support.

Source: NHS