In 2023, the US reported 601,319 gonorrhea cases, a national rate of 179.5 per 100,000 CDC AtlasPlus, 2023. Rates vary enormously by place — Washington, DC tops the country at 853.3 per 100,000, follo
Antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea — often called "super gonorrhea" — is infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains that no longer respond to drugs once used to cure it. In the US, gonorrhea is still cu
Disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI) happens when untreated Neisseria gonorrhoeae spreads from the genitals, throat, or rectum into the bloodstream. It typically causes a triad of fever, joint pain
Gonorrhea in the eye is conjunctivitis caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae reaching the eye — usually when a person touches genital fluids and then their eye (autoinoculation), or when a new
No — gonorrhea does not reliably go away on its own, and waiting it out is a gamble that can cost you your fertility. The infection is curable, but only with the right antibiotic. Symptoms often fade
Gonorrhea symptoms usually appear within about two weeks of exposure, when they appear at all. In people with a penis, burning urination and discharge often show up within days. Many infections—especi
Yes — untreated gonorrhea can cause infertility in both women and men. In women, the bacteria can climb into the uterus and fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease, scarring the tubes. I
Gonorrhea is a common bacterial sexually transmitted infection caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae , which can infect the genitals, rectum, and throat. It spreads through vaginal, anal, and oral sex. Many
To prevent gonorrhea, use condoms correctly every time you have vaginal, anal, or oral sex, limit your number of partners or stay mutually monogamous, and get screened regularly at every site you've e
Rectal gonorrhea is an infection of the anus and rectum caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae , usually picked up through receptive anal sex. It often causes no symptoms at all; when it does,
A gonorrhea test of cure is a repeat NAAT done after treatment to confirm the infection is actually gone. The CDC recommends it only for throat (pharyngeal) gonorrhea , tested 7–14 days after treatmen
To get tested for gonorrhea, give a first-catch urine sample (or a vaginal swab) plus a throat or rectal swab if you've had oral or anal sex, then run a NAAT — the same lab method used by clinics and
Gonorrhea spreads through vaginal, anal, and oral sex with someone who carries the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae . It passes when infected genital, rectal, or throat fluids and mucous membranes make
In December 2025, the FDA approved two new oral antibiotics for uncomplicated gonorrhea: zoliflodacin (Nuzolvence) and gepotidacin (Blujepa) FDA, Dec 2025. They're the first new antibiotic classes for
Gonorrhea is cured with a single injection of ceftriaxone given in a clinic — 500 mg into the muscle for most adults, or 1 g for people weighing 150 kg or more. If chlamydia hasn't been ruled out, a s
The standard treatment for uncomplicated gonorrhea is a single intramuscular injection of ceftriaxone, given in the clinic. Oral-only regimens have been dropped because the bacteria became resistant t
Gonorrhea and chlamydia are both bacterial STIs that infect the genitals, rectum, and throat, and their symptoms overlap so heavily that you can't reliably tell them apart by feel. The differences tha
Yes. You can get gonorrhea from oral sex — giving or receiving — because Neisseria gonorrhoeae readily infects the throat, genitals, and rectum. Kissing was long thought to be safe, but newer evidence
Throat gonorrhea (pharyngeal gonorrhea) is an infection of the throat with the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae , usually picked up through oral sex. Most throat infections cause no symptoms at all, wh
A gonorrhea test uses a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), which detects the bacterium's DNA in a sample. The standard sample is first-catch urine or a vaginal swab, plus throat and rectal swabs
Most women with gonorrhea have no symptoms at all. When symptoms do show up, the classic trio is painful or burning urination, a change in vaginal discharge, and bleeding between periods. Because thes
Gonorrhea symptoms in men usually show up as a thick white, yellow, or green discharge from the penis and a burning sensation when you urinate, sometimes with swollen or painful testicles. Symptoms te
Gonorrhea symptoms, when they show up, include burning during urination and an abnormal genital discharge — in men a white, yellow, or green penile discharge; in women painful urination, more vaginal
Gonorrhea reinfection means catching gonorrhea again after you were already cured — not the same infection coming back. The leading cause is sex with an untreated partner, because successful treatment
Gonorrhea in pregnancy is a treatable bacterial infection that needs prompt attention because it can pass to the baby during vaginal birth and cause a serious eye infection. A single ceftriaxone injec
Yes, gonorrhea is curable. The right antibiotic — a single ceftriaxone injection given in a clinic — clears almost every infection of the genitals, rectum, or throat CDC STI guidelines. The catch: med
Untreated gonorrhea doesn't just linger — it spreads. Left alone, this bacterial infection can climb into the reproductive tract and cause pelvic inflammatory disease, scarring, and infertility, and i