America is home to
baseball, apple pie…and gonorrhea. There really seems to be a problem with STDs
and our overall behavior in this country. To be honest it is not really our behavior—we do nothing in
this country that is not done in abundance in other countries (except for,
probably, buying air conditioners)— it is the lack of testing that is the
problem. Anyone engaging in sexual activity should visit a certified STD clinic and ask for a screening. It
is only through testing that we will become a healthier nation. (That, and more
missiles…)
Sexually transmitted
diseases are so easy to catch—and boy, do we catch ‘em! How many Americans have
an STD? Well it’s higher than one in four people. Heck, one in four people have
the herpes virus. It’s one in three in
big cities like New York. These are crazy numbers. But they won’t get any lower
if people don’t go for that screening. There may be worse STDs to catch than
gonorrhea, but (understatingly) any
sexual disease is a bummer.
Gonorrhea is one of
those diseases that has been around since our grandfathers were catting around
on shore leave during Dubya Dubya Two. And it still remains an awful illness.
In fact, believe it or not gonorrhea is the second most common STD in America.
There are approximately a half million new cases reported every year, but
experts approximate that the real number is probably more than twice that. With statistics this high
who could argue with receiving a simple, easy, and affordable screening?
What exactly is gonorrhea?
This is where this article gets a little nauseating. If you are prone to the
dry heaves do not go any further. Gonorrhea
is an unfortunately very common STD caused by the bacterium gonococcus. This
particular gnarly bacterium can grow and multiply in many of the warm moist
areas of your body—such as inside the penis and rectum. Ahhh, gonorrhea grows
in the rectum as well as the penis—and also the throat, cervix and urethra.
When a screening is administered and treatment begins it can stop the
progression of the bacteria.
What are the symptoms of
gonorrhea? The symptoms of gonorrhea include a yellow or green discharge from the penis or vagina. Symptoms also include
painful urination. This feeling has been called “peeing razor blades.” It would
be difficult to think of a more…uhm, colorful
metaphor than that. Some infected individuals will show no symptoms at all!
This is another key reason why receiving a screening is so important to each
and every person who engages in sexual activity. (That, and the green
discharge…)
What will happen if you become
infected with gonorrhea? Nothing, if you receive that screening and treatment
is started—but if left untreated
gonorrhea can cause blindness if it spreads to the eyes, infect unborn children
in the womb, and cause painful ejaculations. (Painful ejaculations? Where’s the
screening sign-up sheet?) Problems arise when individuals suffer through
symptoms and do nothing.
It’s just human nature;
sometimes it’s easier to just ignore something until it goes away. It is then
that many people forget about the previous pain entirely, figuring whatever the
problem was is gone—and progress with their regular lives. The big problem is
that the disease does not go away when the symptoms do. The disease remains
alive and continues to damage the body.
What can be done for a gonorrhea
infection? It’s all about the screening. Receive a screening to determine if
you are positive or negative. If positive, treatment can commence. The most
common treatment is antibiotics prescribed by a certified STD doctor. The screening is an analysis of the blood taken during
a routine blood screening. We’ve all had blood screenings, it’s a simple pin
prick and does not cause pain. It’s well worth the very slight discomfort to
know if you have gonorrhea.
If you live in NYC and
would like to get gonorrhea screening in NYC by a board certified STD clinic for any
reason at all, log onto STD screening in NYC for more information. STD Clinic of New York is located just blocks
from Grand Central Station and is therefore easily accessible by all means of
public transportation. To ask any questions, or to book a convenient
appointment, simply call 1-212-696-5900 to speak to a staff member.
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