How to fix a ‘leak’

By George N. True II

Is there a natural way to treat gonorrhea? If I leave it alone, will it go away after a few months or years? – Vayne Twitch.

If I were you, I’d see a doctor right away. Gonorrhea – also called “the clap” or “the drip” (“tulo” in Tagalog) – is a common sexually transmitted disease (STD) that can be cured easily with the right antibiotics. Ignoring it is a big mistake since the condition won’t disappear on its own. The Mayo Clinic said untreated gonorrhea can lead to serious and permanent complications. These include:

• Infertility in women. If gonorrhea spreads into the uterus and fallopian tubes, it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease that can scar the tubes, cause abdominal pain, and increase the risk of complications in pregnancy.
• Infertility in men. Gonorrhea can lead to the inflammation of the epididymis (the small, coiled tube in the rear portion of the testicles where the sperm ducts are) and cause infertility.
• Infection of the blood, joints, and other body parts. Gonorrhea can spread through the bloodstream and infect other parts of the body. This causes fever, rash, skin sores, as well as joint pain, swelling and stiffness.
• Increased risk of HIV/AIDS. Having gonorrhea makes you more susceptible to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that can lead to AIDS. People with gonorrhea and HIV can easily pass both diseases to their partners.
• Complications in babies. Babies who get gonorrhea from their mothers during birth become blind, have sores on the scalp, and suffer from infections.

Gonorrhea can cause painful urination, pain or swelling of one testicle, and pus-like discharge from the penis. However, most infected people have no symptoms. If you think you have gonorrhea, see a doctor immediately. The sooner you get rid of it, the better.

The right medication will stop the disease, although it’s becoming harder to treat in some cases because of the emergence of drug-resistant strains of gonorrhea. If symptoms persist in spite of treatment, tell your doctor before it’s too late. The Mayo Clinic said medicines will cure you, but it won’t undo the permanent damage caused by the disease if you continue to ignore it.

Suppose I have gonorrhea, can I spread the disease to my partner even if I don’t have sex with her?  What if I just kiss her? – Stephen Adrianne Pagcaliwagan

You won’t spread or get gonorrhea from casual contact, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This means it’s OK to share food or drinks, kiss, hold hands, cough, sneeze, or sit on toilet seats.

The only way to get this common STD is by being infected with the Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacterium that is spread mainly through vaginal, anal, or oral sex. The infection is found in semen, pre-cum, and vaginal fluids. It spreads to the penis, vagina, cervix, anus, urethra, throat, and, in rare cases, the eyes.

If you have infected fluids in your hand, you can get gonorrhea by touching your eyes. The worst part is that most infected people have no symptoms and don’t even know that they have the disease.

The best way to prevent gonorrhea is to avoid multiple sex partners and unprotected sex. Yearly gonorrhea screening is recommended if you and your partner are sexually active.

For questions, email georgenavatrue@yahoo,com.