Signs and Symptoms:
Gonococcal infections are considered sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), though not every case of gonorrhea is transmitted by sex. The signs and symptoms associated with a gonoccocal infection generally involve the reproductive organs (sex organs or genitals). To a great degree, the signs of gonococcal (GC) infections depend on how the infection was transmitted. One vitally important thing to remember: many times a gonococcal infection does not show any signs, especially in females.

When there are symptoms, two of the most common ones are painful urination (more common in men) and a cloudy discharge from the penis or vagina. This discharge may be thick and may have a greenish-yellow color. Many males who have gonorrhea have few or no symptoms. Again, it is quite possible to have a gonococcal infection and have no pain or discharge.

In women, gonococcal infections may cause no symptoms at all. There may be pain or burning on urination. Less commonly, there may be lower abdominal pain, painful intercourse, and abnormal bleeding from the vagina.

In either sex, when a gonococcal infection affects the rectum, there can be rectal pain, especially during a bowel movement. When a gonococcal infection affects the throat, the throat may be sore.

In males, an untreated gonococcal infection can cause scars to form inside the urethra (tube inside the penis that carries urine and semen), and these scars can make urination difficult. In females, an untreated gonococcal infection can spread upward from the vaginal area to cause acute pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) - an infection of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and abdominal cavity. Abscesses of the fallopian tubes can also occur. In women, damage and scars left by untreated gonococcal infections also can cause infertility.

In either sex, an untreated gonococcal infection can spread through the blood to parts of the body that are far from the sex organs. Rarely, this can lead to gonococcal infections of the joints (leading to acute arthritis in a particular joint such as the knee), skin (with a sometimes painful rash), bones, tendons (with tenderness to touch and on movement), heart, or the area around the liver.