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Whittall Street Clinic is featured in Channel 4's new programme ‘The Sex Clinic’, starts 10pm Thursday 11th April.
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New Rapid HIV Testing clinic at St Martin’s in the Bullring
Now open every Tuesday 11.00am - 3.15pm - no appointment needed.
The clinic is located upstairs in the St Martin’s Centre for Health & Healing next to the Church in the Bullring. Entrance to the clinic is via St Martin’s church shop.
Gonorrhoea
Gonorrhoea is a sexually transmitted infection that can affect the penis, vagina, rectum and throat. Gonorrhoea is the second most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the UK. It can be easily diagnosed and treated. If left untreated however it can cause serious complications.
Gonorrhoea can sometimes show no symptoms, especially in women. Gonorrhoea can be treated easily. If you have ever had unprotected sex (sex without a condom) it is important to be tested for gonorrhoea.
Untreated gonorrhoea can cause:
- Pelvic inflammatory disease in women
- Infertility – women’s inability to have a baby
- Ectopic pregnancy - pregnancy in the wrong part of the body that leads to miscarriage and can be life threatening for the woman.
- Inflammation of the testicles / balls in men
- Pain and swelling of the joints
How is it passed on?
Gonorrhoea can be passed from one person to another by:
- Having unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex with someone who has gonorrhoea
- Rimming (where someone uses their tongue on or around someone’s anus)
- Sharing sex toys
- Inserting fingers into an infected area then touching their own vagina, anus or mouth without washing hands in between
- From mother to baby at birth
Symptoms of gonorrhoea
It’s possible to have gonorrhoea without any symptoms, so if you have sex without a condom it’s important to come and get checked out. Some services (such as those offered in chlamydia screening programme, or some of the family planning clinics) only check for chlamydia. GUM clinics are the best place to be tested for gonorrhoea.
The symptoms of gonorrhoea include:
Women
- A change in vaginal discharge - it can increase, change to yellow or green, or have a strong smell
- Pain when passing urine
- Itching or discharge from the anus
- Lower stomach pain
Men
- A yellow or white discharge (liquid) from the penis
- Pain or tingling when passing urine
- Inflammation of the testicles / balls
- Discharge or discomfort in the anus
- Gonorrhoea in the eyes can cause redness and irritation
How is gonorrhoea diagnosed?
In our clinics, we use the most advanced tests for diagnosis of gonorrhoea. We can test men’s urine, women’s self collected vaginal swabs, or specimens collected from swabs obtained by the doctors.
What is the treatment for gonorrhoea?
Single dose of ceftriaxone will eradicate gonorrhoea. You can obtain gonorrhoea treatment from our clinics for free.
Once gonorrhoea has been treated it will not re-occur unless you have unprotected sex with someone with untreated gonorrhoea. This is why it is important to treat your partner(s) for gonorrhoea as well. This will help you avoid being re-infected.
What are the complications of untreated gonorrhoea?
Untreated gonorrhoea can cause pelvic inflammatory disease in women and epididymo-orchitis in men. A small number of patients may develop reactive arthritis (inflammation and painful swelling of the joints). In a small number of infected patients, gonorrhoea can spread to blood, skin and joints. This is called “disseminated gonococcal infection” and can be a life threatening condition. Untreated gonorrhoea can lead to premature delivery. Gonorrohea can be transmitted from mothers to their babies causing eye infection. Gonorrhoea increases the risk of acquiring HIV infection if sexually exposed.
Protect yourself from gonorrhoea by using condoms every time you have vaginal, anal or oral sex.
- Watch our video here if you are unsure of how to use condoms
- Click here to see how many cases of gonorrhoea we have diagnosed
