Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Prevention
By Mayo Clinic staffTake steps to reduce your risk of gonorrhea:
- Use a condom if you choose to have sex. Abstaining from sex is the surest way to prevent gonorrhea. But if you choose to have sex, use a condom during any type of sexual contact, including anal sex, oral sex or vaginal sex.
- Ask your partner to be tested for sexually transmitted infections. Find out whether your partner has been tested for sexually transmitted infections, including gonorrhea. If not, ask whether he or she would be willing to undergo testing.
- Don't have sex with someone who has any unusual symptoms. If your partner has signs or symptoms of a sexually transmitted infection, such as burning during urination or a genital rash or sore, don't have sex with that person.
- Consider regular gonorrhea screening if you have an increased risk. Talk to your doctor about regular gonorrhea screening if you have an increased risk of infection. You may be at increased risk of gonorrhea if you have had gonorrhea or other sexually transmitted infections in the past, if you have a new sex partner, or if you have multiple sex partners.
References
- Marrazzo JM, et al. Neisseria gonorrhoeae. In: Mandell JE, et al. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=aboutPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..X0001-X--TOP&isbn=978-0-443-06839-3&uniq=208746819. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
- CDC fact sheet: Gonorrhea. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/std/gonorrhea/gonorrhea-fact-sheet.pdf. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
- Del Rio C, et al. Update to CDC's "Sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines, 2006:" Fluoroquinolones no longer recommended for treatment of gonococcal infections. Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report. 2007;56:332.
- Swygard H, et al. Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections in women. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 23, 2010.
- Workowski KA, et al. Emerging antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae: Urgent need to strengthen prevention strategies. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2008;148:606.
- Holder NA. Gonococcal infections. Pediatrics in Review. 2008;29:228.
- Screening for gonorrhea: Recommendation statement. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf05/gonorrhea/gonrs.htm. Accessed Nov. 23, 2010.
- Swygard H, et al. Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections in men. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 23, 2010.
- CDC no longer recommends oral drug for gonorrhea treatment. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/2012/GCTx-Guidelines-PressRelease.html. Accessed Aug. 10, 2012.
Find Mayo Clinic on