What symptoms do they cause?

Gonorrhoea

An infection of the urethra, testicles, prostate, and anus in men and the vagina, cervix, womb, and anus in women results in gonorrhea, which is brought on by the gonococcus, a small, spherical bacteria. During unprotected sex, it is transferred from one individual to another.

What is causes when not treated

Men: It results in a "drip" of pus from the penis and severe pain when peeing.

Women: can be less evident, but symptoms can include painful urination and a watery, green, yellow, or occasionally bloody vaginal discharge.

Pelvic inflammatory illness results from the infection spreading to the ovaries and womb. Fever and stomach ache are among the symptoms. Although pelvic inflammatory disease is curable, it can have long-term effects, such as reproductive issues and a higher risk of ectopic pregnancies, even after the infection has passed.

Antibiotics used to be an effective treatment for gonorrhea. But in the past ten years, a number of types that are incredibly drug resistant have been found everywhere.

making some infections challenging to heal. Drug-resistant strains can develop if an illness is only partially treated with the inappropriate antibiotic or if treatment is discontinued before the infection has entirely subsided.

This is why, if you have any symptoms, you must be correctly diagnosed and treated. Currently, the only antibiotic administered via injection is followed closely to make sure the infection has been eradicated.

Syphilis 

Despite being far less frequent than Gonorrhea, Syphilis can be significantly more harmful.

A tiny spiral bacterium known as Treponema pallidum is the source of the infection. If left untreated, this bacterium can remain in the body for up to 20 years and lead to issues.

It can also spread from mother to baby while still in the womb, which increases the risk of miscarriage or congenital syphilis. This indicates that the child is infected with syphilis before birth and may experience the unpleasant side effects of the infection while still a child.

Syphilis causes three stages of disease.

• A lump or ulcer on the the genitals or other infected location that causes no pain is the initial stage. This usually ends in a few weeks.

• A full-body rash and occasionally a sore throat and swollen lymph nodes characterize the second stage. Despite the fact that the person is still infected and infectious, these symptoms might also go away without treatment.

The disease now moves into a latent stage, where it continues to exist in the body without causing any symptoms. It can still be transmitted through sexual contact or from expectant mothers to their unborn children.

The disease can come back in around a third of infected patients who go untreated after a period of years. 

• the final phase of secondary syphilis. This results in a variety of symptoms, including 

1. Skin and Bone Disfigurements, 

2. Nerve Discomfort, 

3. Heart Issues, 

4. Blindness, 

5. Dementia 

and other neurological symptoms including incontinence and difficulties walking, which were feared in the years before to effective treatment.

The good news is that syphilis can still be effectively treated with penicillin or other medicines. As you might anticipate, once a case is diagnosed, significant efforts are undertaken to find and screen sexual partners, going back many years if required, as well as to treat the infected person.

What can I do to protect myself?

Before beginning a new relationship, be tested for gonorrhoea or syphilis, and wear condoms when having sex with people you don't know well or frequently.

Get it checked if you're concerned about a symptom. In some places, you may purchase gonorrhoea and syphilis self-test kits online, though if you'd like, you can visit a sexual health clinic.

Attend a clinic to get screened and treated if necessary if a partner or clinic alerts you that you have come into touch with someone who has been diagnosed with one of these infections.

We are fortunate because once diagnosed, syphilis and gonorrhea are both still curable diseases. However, it's crucial to be aware of them, get checked out, and receive treatment right away.