Gonorrhea is an infection caused by bacteria (a type of germ). It is a sexually transmitted disease (STD), which means it spreads through sex (vaginal, oral, or anal).

Someone with gonorrhea may have no symptoms at all or may have pain in the belly or back, fever, discharge from the vagina, penis, or anus, or pain when peeing.

The infection is treated with antibiotics. Even if there are no symptoms, treatment is still needed. Without treatment, your teen will continue to have symptoms (if they have them), will still spread gonorrhea through sexual activity, and may develop long-lasting medical problems.

• Help your teen take all antibiotics exactly as their healthcare provider prescribed. Explain that if they don't finish all the treatment, their symptoms will continue, they will spread gonorrhea to others through sex, and they may develop long-lasting problems.
• If your teen was given the antibiotic shot and the area is sore, they can:
  • Put a cool, wet washcloth on the area.
  • Take acetaminophen (Tylenol® or a store brand) or ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®, or a store brand). They should follow the package directions for how much to take and how often.
• Your teen should tell all sexual partners from the past 2 months to get treatment, too, even if they don't have signs of gonorrhea. If your teen hasn't had sex for more than 2 months, they should tell their most recent partner to get treatment.
• Your teen should not have sex until:
  • Treatment is finished and there are no more signs of an STD. This is usually at least 1 week after treatment starts.
  • Their partner(s) have been treated and have no symptoms.
• Take your teen for follow-up STD testing as recommended by their healthcare provider.
• Be sure your teen gets all doses of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (shot). HPV is an STD that can lead to some kinds of cancer and genital warts.
• Help your teen get birth control to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Encourage your teen to talk to their healthcare provider about what kind of birth control is best for them.

Your teen:

• Isn't taking the antibiotics as directed
• Isn't getting better after a few days on the antibiotics
• Gets new or worsening symptoms, such as fever, belly pain, discharge from the vagina or penis, or pain when peeing
• Starts to have joint pain

Your teen:

• Seems very sick
• Has severe belly pain
• Has swelling or pain in the testicles (for males)

What happens if gonorrhea is not treated? If it's not treated, gonorrhea can lead to:

• Permanent damage to a female's reproductive system, making it hard or impossible for them to get pregnant later on
• Swelling in a male's testicles and tubes at the back of the testicles, possibly preventing them from fathering kids later on
• Trouble peeing
• Problems in the joints

Can my teen get gonorrhea again? Yes. People can get gonorrhea again if their partners aren't treated with antibiotics or if they have sex with someone else who has gonorrhea.

How can my teen avoid getting another STD? The only way to completely avoid an STD (also called a sexually transmitted infection, or STI) is not to have sex (vaginal, oral, or anal). Your teen can help prevent STDs by:

• Using a condom every time they have sex (vaginal, oral, or anal).
• Having only one partner, who has been tested and does not have an STD. That partner should not have sex with other people.