Gonorrhoea - Complications of gonorrhoea
- Introduction
- Symptoms of gonorrhoea
- Diagnosing gonorrhoea
- Treating gonorrhoea
- Complications of gonorrhoea
- Causes
- Prevention
If treated early, gonorrhoea is unlikely to lead to any complications or long-term problems. However, without treatment it can spread to other parts of your body and cause serious problems.
The more times you have gonorrhoea, the more likely you are to get complications.
In women, gonorrhoea can spread to the reproductive organs and cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which is estimated to occur in 10-20% cases of untreated gonorrhoea. PID can lead to long-term pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancy and infertility.
During pregnancy, gonorrhoea can cause miscarriage, premature labour and the baby being born with conjunctivitis (inflammation of the eye). If the baby is not treated with antibiotics promptly, there is a risk of progressive and permanent damage of their vision.
In men, gonorrhoea can cause painful infection in the testicles and prostate gland, which may lead to reduced fertility in a small number of cases.
In rare cases, when gonorrhoea has been left untreated it can spread through the bloodstream to cause infections in other parts of your body. In both men and women this can cause:
- inflammation and swelling of the joints and tendons
- skin irritation and redness
- inflammation around the brain and spinal cord (meningitis) or the heart, which can be life threatening
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