Gonorrhea or urethritis is a common term nowadays. You may hear about these terms but you may be unsure what it really means. You also don’t know why doctors say that gonorrhea is different from chlamydia. People get confused between the two because the two conditions share similar symptoms including bad-smelling urethral discharge, burning sensation when you pee and painful urination. Doctors say that gonorrhea is the “true urethritis” while chlamydia means “non-gonococcal urethritis”. Many people including male and female often contract gonorrhea and chlamydia for years but never develop symptoms. After developing symptoms, you can hardly differentiate between gonorrhea and chlamydia.
Both conditions are categorized as sexually transmitted infections (STIs), usually caused by certain bacteria transmitted through oral, anal or genital sex. Without an accurate diagnosis, it is difficult to identify the one because their symptoms overlap. Gonorrhea is less common than chlamydia.
This article contains thorough information about gonorrhea and chlamydia. So, keep on reading to learn how they differ, what are their symptoms, diagnostic methods, available treatments and prevention methods. This information will give you a clear understanding of both conditions and you may learn what steps should be taken if you suspect any of the infection.
How the Symptoms of Gonorrhea and Chlamydia are Compared?
According to research, anyone can contract gonorrhea and chlamydia during their life span. But most of them never develop the symptoms.
When you talk about gonorrhea, females usually never experience any symptoms or may show mild symptoms while with chlamydia, symptoms appear after a few weeks of contraction of infection. But males usually develop more severe than symptoms early.
The most overlapped symptoms between the two conditions include:
- Abnormal discharge from the rectum.
- Abnormal, discolored discharge from penis or vagina.
- Bleeding from rectum.
- Burning when you pee.
- Pain in rectum.
People with male anatomy also experience abnormal swelling in their scrotum and testicles along with pain during ejaculation, with both gonorrhea and chlamydia. Sometimes, people also develop symptoms in their throat when they are involved in oral sex with a person who has one of these conditions.
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Symptoms of Chlamydia
Chlamydia causes more severe symptoms in females. When infection moves upward to the fallopian tubes and uterus, it causes pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
PID further leads to:
- Vaginal bleeding even without periods.
- Fever.
- Severe pain in the pelvic region.
- Feeling sick.
Having PID symptoms means you need emergency medical care.
Symptoms of Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is often identified due to its common symptoms such as pain during defecation, itching and soreness. Females also experience pain during sex and heavy bleeding during periods.
Causes of Both Conditions
An overgrowth of specific bacteria is the leading cause of both gonorrhea and chlamydias. Studies show that gonorrhea is caused by the overgrowth of Neisseria gonorrhoeae while chlamydia is cast by Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria.
Transmission of Conditions
Both conditions are STIs and are caused by bacterial overgrowth. They are usually transmitted from one to another person through unprotected sexual contact. This means when you do sex without sin, condom, dental dam or any other protective barrier during vaginal, oral or anal sex, you get infected by these conditions.
It sometimes also occurs even when you don’t have penetration. This is because when your genitals come in contact with the person who has contracted the infection, you surely develop the same condition.
Studies show you can develop the symptoms of both STIs even with protected sex. This means when you don’t use protection properly or when the barrier breaks, you get infected. Both STIs also can contract even if you’re not showing prominent symptoms. They also can be transmitted to a child at the time of birth if the mother has any of these conditions.
Who is More Likely to Develop these STIs?
The risk of developing these STIs increases when you:
- Have contracted an STI before.
- Have multiple sexual partners at one time.
- Use douches which irritate your vagina and kill the healthy vaginal bacteria.
- Not using protection properly including condoms, dental dams.
- Another great cause for increasing risk of both gonorrhea and chlamydia is sexual assault.
Therefore, it is suggested that you should visit your healthcare provider as soon as possible when you’re forced to have oral, genital or anal sex. You can also call the security departments for rape or abuse cases.
Diagnosis of Gonorrhea and Chlamydia
Similar diagnostic methods are applied to diagnose both conditions. One or more tears are usually performed to ensure the diagnosis is correct and that the right treatment is given to the infected person.
Common tests for this purpose include:
Physical Examination: This test helps confirm symptoms of STI and determine your overall health condition.
Urine Test: This test is performed to check for the bacteria in your urine that causes gonorrhea and chlamydia.
Blood Tests: These tests help find out the signs of bacterial infection.
Swab Culture Test: This test is effective for the chest for the signs of infection. Doctors take samples of penis or vaginal discharge to check the presence of the condition.
Which is More Dangerous: Gonorrhea or Chlamydia?
Gonorrhea and chlamydia both are sexually transmitted infections that can cause severe complications when you leave them untreated. Your overall health and site of infection decides what type of severity infection is causing. So, it is difficult to label any one of them as more dangerous. Because each of them carries specific risks and complications such as:
Gonorrhea:
- Causes chronic urethritis.
- Increases the risk of urethral structure.
- Leads to epididymitis in males.
Chlamydia:
- Increases the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease in women.
- Leads to inflammation of spermatic ducts and epididymis in men.
- Causes long-term infertility.
Treatment Options for Both Conditions
The good news is that both STIs are curable. You can treat these infections with antibiotics. But there are also risks of developing the infection again.
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Treatment for Chlamydia
A dose of azithromycin antibiotic is considered best for treating chlamydia. The medication should be taken over a period of week that is around 5 to 6 days.
Another drug named dioxycycline is an effective remedy for chlamydia. You should have the dose of medicine twice. The oral tablets should be taken for a week.
Your doctor can guide you better about the dosage. But taking full dosage according to prescription for the prescribed number of days can help you get rid of the condition. Antibiotics are the most effective treatment option to clear the infection. If you doubt complete the round of antibiotics, you may become resistant to that antibiotic. This may cause contraction of the infection again. But when you follow the whole prescription carefully, the symptoms of infection begin to fade a few days after you start a treatment.
The most important thing is avoiding sex until your doctor has confirmed that the infection is cleared. It sometimes takes more than three weeks for the infection to clear up and during this phase you can still transmit the infection. So be careful and avoid it during your treatment phase.
Gonorrhea Treatment
The most effective antibiotic for gonorrhea treatment is ceftriaxone that is given to the patient in the form of injecting the buttocks.
According to medications and drug departments, in previous years both the azithromycin and ceftriaxone were considered good for gonorrhea but the guidelines have changed now. This is because the bacteria causing goniogram have become fully resistant to azithromycin.
It is true taking both antibiotics is more effective than using only one of them but the matter is under discussion.
The most important thing is you can’t have sex during the treatment until the infection clears. Because of taking your completed use according to prescription.
Research has succeeded that gonorrhea becomes easily resistant to antibiotics. If you experience an infection with a resistant strain, you need alternative antibiotics for the treatment but just those that are recommended by your doctor.
Complications related to Both Conditions
Both infections cause complications left untreated. Anyone can be affected by the STU infections and their complications. But sexual anatomy is the factor that makes you most vulnerable to some complications.
However, gonorrhea has more severe complications that can cause long-term reproductive issues like infertility.
Complications Common in Male and Female:
These complications can affect anyone with any of the anatomy.
- Reactive Arthritis: This is only associated with chlamydia. An infection in your urinary tract including your urethra, ureters, bladder and kidneys can cause this condition. It is also known as Reiter’s syndrome and has symptoms like stiffness, swelling and pain in your joints and eyes along with a lot of other symptoms.
- Infertility: Both conditions can cause permanent damage to reproductive organs if male and female. It also increases the risk of damaging the semens and makes it impossible for the female to get pregnant.
- Others STI: Gonorrhea and chlamydia both make you more susceptible to other sexually transmitted infections such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Experiencing chlamydia symptoms increases the risk of gonorrhea.
For Males
- Prostate Gland Infection: Both infections can transmit pathogen bacteria to men’s prostate glands. It adds a certain type of fluid in the senen when the ejaculate makes the ejaculation and peeing painful. It also increases the risk of pain in the lower back and fever.
- Testicular Infection (Epididymitis): Gonorrhea and chlamydia bacteria spread to the tubes linked with the testicles leading to an infection causing inflammation in the testicles tissues. This makes the testicles swollen and painful.
For Females
- Infections in Newborns: Both infections can easily transmit to newborn babies from the vaginal tissues that contain infectious bacteria. This can cause eye infection and pneumonia in newborns.
- Ectopic Pregnancy: Both STIs cause damage to fertilized eggs. This leads to attachment of eggs to the tissues outside the uterus. This type of egg doesn’t develop into an embryo and pregnancy ends. This is also life-threatening for mothers and causes permanent infertility in future if left untreated.
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID): When bacteria cause infection in the uterus or fallopian tubes in flames, it causes PID. It can damage the female reproductive organs. Therefore, it requires immediate medical attention in order to prevent damage.
What Measures Can You Take to Prevent These Conditions?
Complete abstaining from sexual activity can confirm the prevention from all types of STIs including chlamydia and gonorrhea. This doesn’t mean that this is the only way to prevent these conditions. Here are some more ways that you can try to reduce the risk of contracting these diseases and infections, such as:
Using Protection: If you are concerned about your sexual health, try using condoms. Male and female both types of condoms are easily available in the market. These sexual tools help reduce risk of infections spread by bacterial invasion. Using protection for anal and oral sex is also essential to avoid these infections.
Avoid Using Products that Affect Your Vaginal Bacteria: Vaginal flora also known as healthy vaginal bacteria help fight off infections like chlamydia and gonorrhea. Using unhygienic sex products like douches or scented odor-reduction products can harm the balance of flora that make you more likely to get infections.
Limit Your Sexual Partners: Having more than one sexual partner increases the risk of STIs infections. As the STIs usually don’t show symptoms initially, you can show it to your partners silently.
Have Regular Checkups: Regular checkups for STIs can help you prevent the risk of sexual infections. Whether you have only one sex partner or enjoy it with more than one, you should go for a checkup regularly. This step will protect you from getting any infection from your partner and you also can ensure that you’re not re-transmitting any sexual infection to your sex partners.
Conclusion
Chlamydia and Gonorrhea both are sexually transmitted infections. But they can be treated easily by using antibiotics. You can also prevent them by taking some precautionary measures during sex such as using protection, having a limited number of sex partners and avoiding use of unsafe sexual products like douches.
You and your listeners should have regular checkups to prevent the risk of transmitting any STI. But if you suspect symptoms of an STI, stop all sexual activities immediately and get proper treatment as soon as possible.
