Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by a
bacterium called Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It can also be
transmitted from pregnant mothers to their babies at birth.
Gonorrhea most commonly affects teens and young adults. Experts
believe that hundreds of thousands of cases go undetected and
untreated because the infection does not always have noticeable
symptoms. Many people who have gonorrhea also have another
common STD, chlamydia. So when doctors diagnose or suspect a
case of gonorrhea, they often screen for and treat other STDs
too. Gonorrhea is preventable — and treatable — so anyone having
sex (oral, anal, or vaginal) should take precautions against
STDs and get screened for them regularly. Many times gonorrhea
does not produce any symptoms. When there are symptoms, the
infection can cause painful urination and a cloudy discharge
from the penis or vagina. This discharge may be thick and may
have a greenish-yellow color. Males may have swelling or pain of
their testicles. Females may have lowe