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As of April 12, 2007, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has changed its recommendation for the treatment of gonorrhea. The CDC recommends the use of cephalosporins like Rocephin to treat gonorrhea. This recommendation comes because the incidence of fluoroquinolone resistant gonorrhea has risen. Treatment with an antibiotic that doesn't kill the bacteria would be the same as leaving the gonorrhea untreated.

If treated, gonorrhea causes no long term problems. However, the consequences of leaving the gonorrhea infection untreated can be severe. Both sexes experience complications in other parts of the body which would include: fever, sepsis, meningitis, infection of the heart, and joint inflammation. Sepsis is the wide spread infection in the blood stream. Once the body is septic, the infection can reach other parts of the body. The heart valves and chamber of the heart can become infected-endocarditis. The joints of the body especially the knees and wrists can be infected. The inflammation causes swelling which leads to joint pain similar to arthritis. Finally, gonorrhea can infect the spinal fluid and brain causing meningitis. Men and women suffer different reproductive complications to this infection.

In men, gonorrhea first infected the male reproductive system. The infection resides in the tightly coiled tubes behind the testes (epidiymitis). The prostate be affected. The urethra can become infected. If left untreated, a man can become sterile.

In women, untreated gonorrhea affects the reproductive system by being a cause of pelvic inflammatory disease. Additionally, an abscess could form in the ovaries, inflammation of the Bartholin glands, infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain. If the women is pregnant and develops gonorrhea, the complications could lead to a miscarriage, premature rupture of the membranes, and an infection of the uterus. If the baby is born prematurely, the baby has the risk of additionally health problems. Untreated gonorrhea can be passed to the infant during passage through birth canal.

Women run higher risks of developing serious complications because they may not experience the symptoms until the latter stages. They are more likely to have the infection in other parts of the body. Simultaneous treatment of sexual partners is important to prevent reoccurring infections.

Learn more about this author, Mary Paliescheskey.
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