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Conditions

Gonorrhoea

A paraurethral abscess due to Gonorrhoea (Photo courtesy of CDC)

Gonorrhoea (otherwise known as ‘the clap’) is the second most common sexually transmitted infection in the UK, and commonly affects young men aged 20-24 years and women aged 16-19. The bacterium that causes the infection is found mainly in the semen and vaginal fluids of infected men and women, so it’s easily transmitted through unprotected sexual contact. Some of the symptoms – discharge from the penis or vagina, and a burning sensation when urinating – are particularly unpleasant. Furthermore, untreated gonorrhoea can cause serious health problems in later life, so it’s best to seek treatment from your GP or GUM clinic. Historically, sailors who displayed symptoms of gonorrhoea were subjected to an injection of mercury through the tip of the penis (which is enough to bring floods of tears to any man’s eyes!) Thankfully, however, treatment has moved on and now consists of a single dose of antibiotics, which is administered either by pill or injection (but not into the penis).

A free online Gonorrhoea postal test for people aged under-25 is available in some areas. Go to www.freetest.me. for more details.

What the Men in White Coats Say

Comments

The EB doctors have been looking at your comments and have answered some of the common questions below. Remember that it is always best to check with a health professional if you have any concerns about your health.

You can share your experiences and thoughts with other Embarrassing Bodies site-users below. Comments are reviewed before they are published.
Please note: Unfortunately Channel 4 cannot respond to individual inquiries. If you have any concerns, you can check out the Channel 4 Health site or NHS Choices, but ultimately it is always best to check with a health professional.

hi i noticed an irritation at the end of my penis, it is itching on the head and now has a lot of red spots, its only on the head could you advise me of what it might be colin

i have a red sore rash around my pubic area and my testicals and its sore to touch and it bleeds what is it?? its not on my penis just around it?

hi , i have a small red spot on the tip of my forskin , ive had a clymidia test and it came back negative . the small spot looks a bit like a cut , ive had it for about 4weeks now . am not sure what it is . could you give me some advice what i should do ?

i have reddness around my forskin and dont know wot is it could u tell me wot it is plz

hi im a bit concerned with lots of small spots i have. it statred off just on my ball sack and now it has spread to my penis. ive never spoke to anyone about it and i wonder if you could tell me what it is and how to treat it?

am getting a tingling feeling on the tip of my penis,all checks are ok,what could it be please ?

i had caught gonorrhoea, i got treated, then i caught it again from my same partner, got treated a next time but i had intercourse with a condom during the treatment, so i had to take a next dose of antibiotics which i finished. and now im trying for a baby im finding it very hard to concieve what do you think it could be?

hi wot can i do to stop discharge i have been geting an unplesent smell and i have been for a check up and i didnt have eneythink and i dont yous fragrence soap and i wash and change offten.?

hi, i had unprotected sex with a new boyfriend, i gave him oral sex, and he gave me anal, in the morning i had an ulcer like thing at the back of my mouth. and a few days later i started having anal discharge, and was really itchy, but stopped after a week, i still have a bit of discharge and have painful bowel movements all the time. std problem ? please help x

i have had spots on my ball sack they are alot off them now some are bigger than others and have started to spread to the shaft i have known about them from a few years thru hight school but have been so scared to tell anyone and alway keep covered up cos off this i have never had sex and never had a proper relasionship cos dont know what i have and dont want to give it to a parter now want to move on with this parter put scared to tell her so i need help how to tell what it is and if i can treat it




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The information provided on this website (including any NHS Choices medical information) is for use as information or for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical care by a qualified doctor or other qualified healthcare professional. We do not warrant that any information included within this site will meet your health or medical requirements. This Embarrassing Bodies site does not provide any medical or diagnostic services so you should always check with a health professional if you have any concerns about your health.


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