Why gonorrhea is called the clap

The clapped slang was coined at the same time as the term for the disease itself. It is common to refer to an STD by a slang term due to the taboo and social stigma that surrounds discussing or talking about them. Sometimes people confuse chlamydia as the clap because the actual chlamydia nickname is very similar to the clap. The slangs or nicknames for the disease are usually based on the disease itself or a very prominent aspect that defines the disease. Gonorrhea may also spread or infect the anus causing discharge, bleeding, and rectal pain.

Gonorrhea can be diagnosed by several different laboratory tests. Doctors can either use a urine sample to test for the bacteria or a cotton swab from the infected area. The gonorrhea test most often uses a swab from the cervix for women and the urethra for men, but can also include a swab of the anus or other potentially infected areas. This swab is used for a culture or antigen for testing, both of which can identify if gonorrhea is present.

A doctor may also conduct a physical exam to examine symptoms and check for other STDs. Gonorrhea and chlamydia are very similar, so it is important to test for both to ensure you receive the right treatment. Getting tested for an STD can be scary and intimidating but remember, you are taking charge of your health and can get treatment if you are infected. Many people want to know how you can get rid of the infection. Since gonorrhea is caused by a bacterial infection, gonorrhea treatment is a regimen of oral antibiotics.

Each year in the U. Antibiotics typically clear a gonorrhea infection after one to two weeks. Keep in mind, you should not stop taking the antibiotics prescribed to you until the recommended course of treatment has completely finished.

Even if you are relieved of your symptoms, stopping your treatment earlier may allow for the resurgence of bacteria and their development of resistance to the antibiotics. In these instances, the medication will no longer be effective. Additionally, since antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria are already common, if your symptoms continue after a few days of taking antibiotics, consult your doctor.

They may switch you to a different strain of antibiotics. Yes, gonorrhea can be cured by taking the appropriate medication as directed. However, repeat infections of gonorrhea are common. You and your sexual partner s should always be tested in three months of completing antibiotic treatment, especially if you are unsure whether your partner s received treatment. You and your sexual partner s should not have sex until treatment is complete.

You also should wait at least one week after completing a prescribed single dose medication. In some cases, the infection may still be present after the course of antibiotics is complete, so make sure to wait until you and your partner s are certain the disease is no longer present.

Because gonorrhea may have no symptoms, some people go untreated. The next symptoms often include:. For those who show symptoms, they are likely to show up anywhere from two to seven days after contracting the disease, or in some cases, up to 30 days.

Gonorrhea is one of the most commonly transmitted STIs across the globe, with 0. Out of the almost million cases of curable STIs a year, over million of those will be gonorrhea, with the other million cases involving chlamydia , trichomoniasis, and syphilis.

The good news for those infected with gonorrhea is that it can be easily treated with antibiotics. This makes routine STI treatment even more important; if left untreated, gonorrhea can lead to other more serious health complications.

Some of the complications that untreated gonorrhea can result in include:. While gonorrhea can be contracted by anyone who has vaginal, anal, or oral sex without barrier-method protection, there are some groups of people who may find themselves at a higher risk.

They should have regular STI testing to catch a potential case of gonorrhea before it leads to complications.

Higher-risk groups include:. No matter what name you choose to call gonorrhea, it is important to realize that it is a highly transmittable but easily treatable infection that may or may not present any symptoms. Because of this, you can reduce your risk of developing complications from an untreated infection by having regular checkups and regular STI protection. The Treatment Theory When gonorrhea was first known as a disease, medical knowledge was limited, and treatment options with often painful, with little or no improvement.

The gonorrhea symptoms in men and women are explained below. In both men and women, there will be a sign of abnormal discharge from the vagina or penis that may be green, yellow, or white. Also, know as dysuria, this symptom is also common with other STDs and is an important sign to get tested.

Burning sensation in the throat is a common symptom of various other STDs transmitted via oral sex like Oral Chlamydia etc. Itching, redness, and general discomfort in the affected area.

When the clap bacterium has penetrated the bloodstream, both men and women can also encounter arthritis, heart valve damage, or inflammation of the lining of the brain or spinal cord. These conditions are rare but serious. Eventually, it can become life-threatening if left untreated. Yes, the clap, the gonorrhea STD is curable. But, the challenging task before curing is to recognize the infection in the first place.

Most of the time, the genital gonorrhea is tested by a urine sample or cotton swab. The cotton swab takes the sample of discharge and cells from the infected area either in the vagina, penis, anus, throat, or urethra. Men are usually asked for urine samples. The collected sample is then sent to the lab for analysis. As the clap STD is caused by a bacterial infection, it can be cured by oral antibiotics.

The best move is to test early and test often so that, you can have peace of mind knowing if you do or do not have an STD. Gonorrhea infection has historically proven that it has become resistant to antibiotic treatments.

In the s, Doctors used penicillin to disinfect gonorrhea until then they found out to be no longer effective, other antibiotics came in as medications. Today, the current recommended medications and treatments are said to cure Thus, a medical physician will decide on the best combination of antibiotics.

You should never stop taking medications until the prescribed course is completed, even if you feel better and think the infection has cured. If you do not finish the antibiotics, the infection can return and be resistant to the antibiotics you were taking. Other recommended antibiotics are cefixime and doxycycline.

Your doctor may ask you to do the follow-up test after two weeks to ensure you have completely got rid of the infection and you should wait seven days after finishing all the antibiotics before having sex. Any sexually active person can get infected through unprotected sex. The only way to prevent STDs is to not have vaginal, anal, or oral sex.