Gonorrhea is one of the most commonly sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), also among adolescents. It is caused by a bacterium, the gonococcus (Neisseria gonorrhoeae), which has the typical coffee bean shape and grows well in wet areas. This is why it nests in the mucous membranes. It can be transmitted during childbirth and through unprotected sex. Ejaculation is not necessary for contagion, which can also result from simple contact with the skin or with infected linens. Gonorrhea is often associated with other STDs, such as Chlamydia.

It can be asymptomatic in both girls and adult women, or it may cause: abdominal pain and during sexual intercourse, infections of the urethra and fallopian tubes, pus-filled and foul-smelling discharge, sometimes even bloody discharge between menstruation and burning during urination.

In males it can cause discharge with pus from the genitals ('drainage'), burning, pain and difficulty with urination, swelling and itching in the genitals. In the case of oral or anal sex, an infection in the throat or anus is not always symptomatic.

A diagnosis can only be made after careful medical examination. To prevent gonorrhea, always use a condom, avoid occasional unprotected sex, limit the number of partners and avoid the use of drugs and alcohol because it reduces the reactive capacity of the immune system.

Therapy involves antibiotic treatment, which must be followed by all partners at the same time. Due to the antibiotic resistance that this bacterium is demonstrating, older and less expensive antibiotics have lost their effectiveness in treating the infection, which is becoming more difficult to get rid of.

If treatment is done right away and adequately followed by all partners, healing is generally quick. If the infection is not treated, serious complications can occur, and not only in the genital areas.