What causes gonorrhea and chlamydia
Rachel Hunter
Published Apr 29, 2026
Chlamydia and gonorrhea are both sexually transmitted infections (STIs) caused by bacteria. They can be contracted through oral, genital, or anal sex.
What is the main cause of chlamydia?
The main ways people get chlamydia are from having vaginal sex and anal sex, but it can also be spread through oral sex. Rarely, you can get chlamydia by touching your eye if you have infected fluids on your hand. Chlamydia can also be spread to a baby during birth if the mother has it.
Where does chlamydia and gonorrhea come from?
Two infections that you can get from having sex with another person are called chlamydia and gonorrhea. They are caused by bacteria that are passed from your sexual partner to you. It is common to have chlamydia and gonorrhea at the same time.
What can be caused by chlamydia or gonorrhea?
If chlamydia and gonorrhea are not treated, serious health complications can develop. Untreated chlamydia and gonococcal infections in women can spread to the uterus and fallopian tubes. When untreated bacteria spread to these areas of the body, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) can result.What causes gonorrhea in the first place?
Gonorrhea is spread when semen (cum), pre-cum, and vaginal fluids get on or inside your genitals, anus, or mouth. Gonorrhea can be passed even if the penis doesn’t go all the way in the vagina or anus. The main ways people get gonorrhea are from having vaginal sex, anal sex, or oral sex.
How did I get chlamydia if my partner didn't cheat?
Apart from being infected at birth you can not catch chlamydia without performing some form of sexual act. However, you don’t have to have penetrative sex to get infected, it is enough if your genitals come in contact with an infected person’s sexual fluids (for example if your genitals touch).
How can you tell if a girl has chlamydia?
- pain or burning while peeing.
- pain during sex.
- lower belly pain.
- abnormal vaginal discharge (may be yellowish and have a strong smell)
- bleeding between periods.
- pus or a watery/milky discharge from the penis.
- swollen or tender testicles.
Whats worse chlamydia or gonorrhea?
Some complications of these STIs can happen to anyone. Others are unique to each sex due to differences in sexual anatomy. Gonorrhea has more severe possible complications and is more likely to cause long-term problems like infertility.Does gonorrhea have a smell?
Gonorrhea discharge can have an unpleasant, foul smell.
How long can you have gonorrhea before it causes damage?The incubation period, the time from exposure to the bacteria until symptoms develop, is usually 2 to 5 days. But sometimes symptoms may not develop for up to 30 days. Gonorrhea may not cause symptoms until the infection has spread to other areas of the body.
Article first time published onWhat does gonorrhea do to males?
In men, gonorrhea can cause a painful condition in the tubes attached to the testicles. In rare cases, this may cause a man to be sterile, or prevent him from being able to father a child. Rarely, untreated gonorrhea can also spread to your blood or joints. This condition can be life-threatening.
What male gonorrhea smells like?
And the women said about 50 percent of men who had gonorrhea had sweat that smelled “putrid,” whereas only 32 percent of the healthy men were described as putrid. And while 26 percent of the healthy men smelled “floral,” just 10 percent of those with gonorrhea were described that way.
Does chlamydia have a smell?
You can get chlamydia in the cervix (opening to the womb), rectum, or throat. You may not notice any symptoms. But if you do have symptoms, you might notice: • An unusual discharge, with a strong smell, from your vagina.
How did I get gonorrhea if my partner doesn't have it?
Gonorrhea is almost always transmitted during sex and it is highly unlikely that you catch it without having sex. However, you can catch it without penetration, for example if your genitals touch those of an infected partner.
What are four signs symptoms of gonorrhea?
- greater frequency or urgency of urination.
- a pus-like discharge (or drip) from the penis (white, yellow, beige, or greenish)
- swelling or redness at the opening of the penis.
- swelling or pain in the testicles.
- a persistent sore throat.
Can gonorrhea go away on its own?
How is Gonorrhea Treated? Even though gonorrhea is highly treatable, it will not go away without medication. Gonorrhea cannot be cured without medication. Someone who has gonorrhea will be prescribed antibiotic medication.
How long can you carry chlamydia?
And even if you do have symptoms, they may not show up for anywhere from 1 week to 3 or more months after the infection’s been transmitted to you through sexual intercourse.
Can chlamydia go away by itself?
Chlamydia can sometimes go away on its own In about 20% of people who have no symptoms, chlamydia may resolve spontaneously without treatment. It means that under certain circumstances host immune responses can control chlamydia naturally. Untreated chlamydia can go on without any symptoms for a long period of time.
What happens if you get gonorrhea?
Untreated gonorrhea can cause serious and permanent health problems in both women and men. In women, gonorrhea can spread into the uterus or fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). The symptoms may be quite mild or can be very severe and can include abdominal pain and fever 13.
Can a UTI turn into chlamydia?
UTIs, while uncomfortable, are easily treated with antibiotics. If a UTI is left untreated, it can turn into a kidney infection – which is much more serious and difficult to treat. But no, UTIs will not cause chlamydia or any other STD.
Can you get chlamydia from the toilet?
Chlamydia cannot be passed on through casual contact, such as kissing and hugging, or from sharing baths, towels, swimming pools, toilet seats or cutlery.
Does gonorrhea make you pee a lot?
Both chlamydia and gonorrhea are STDs that most commonly cause frequent urination. These are among the most common STDs diagnosed in the United States.
Does gonorrhea make you smell fishy?
Bacterial vaginosis — an overgrowth of normally occurring vaginal bacteria — is the most common vaginal infection that causes a vaginal odor. Trichomoniasis — a sexually transmitted infection — also can lead to vaginal odor. Chlamydia and gonorrhea infections usually don’t cause vaginal odors.
What's the worst STD you can have?
The most dangerous viral STD is human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which leads to AIDS. Other incurable viral STDs include human papilloma virus (HPV), hepatitis B and genital herpes.
Why is chlamydia called clap?
There are many theories as to why the sexually-transmitted disease, gonorrhea, is often referred to as the clap. The name is believed to have derived from French or English language terms, or from the painful treatment that was once used to treat the disease.
Does gonorrhea smell male?
The authors explained that adult males with gonorrhea had a putrid smell, as far as many adult females were concerned. As background information, the authors explained that animal research had demonstrated that rats and mice pick up on chemical signals to avoid sexual contact with infected potential mates.
What happens if you have gonorrhea for too long?
Untreated gonorrhea can cause infections of the fallopian tubes, cervix, uterus, and abdomen. This is called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). It can permanently damage the reproductive system and make you infertile (not able to have children).
What causes gonorrhea in female?
Gonorrhea is caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The gonorrhea bacteria are most often passed from one person to another during sexual contact, including oral, anal or vaginal intercourse.
Does gonorrhea make you tired?
In the later stages of Gonorrhea and Chlamydia, people often complain about being extremely tired. Along with these infections, fatigue can also be caused by Hepatitis A, B, or C.
How do you know if you've got clap?
- pain when urinating.
- white, cloudy or watery discharge from the tip of the penis.
- burning or itching in the urethra (the tube that carries urine out of the body)
- pain in the testicles.
Does an STD smell?
There could be an odd smell, too. These are all signs of an STD discharge. These changes can cause orange vaginal discharge, chunky yellow discharge, and other abnormal discharges. A change in how your discharge smells—such as having a foul odor—is another sign your abnormal discharge might be due to an STD.