Dealing With The Infection And A Sore Throat From STD

Humans are biologically hardwired to pursue sexual activity, and no one is suggesting that shouldn’t be the way it is. However, being prudent about your choices when it comes to sex is important, and you should be aware that the rampant extent of misconceptions about sexuality extend to STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) too. That STD symptoms are only seen in the groin area is one of them, and it is true that you can get a sore throat from an STD.

Let’s discuss oral gonorrhea further here today, as well as talking about the best ways to treat this STD that’s usually the one behind a sore throat with inflamed glands. We’ll then give a brief mention of the best ways to avoid contracting an STD. It’s advice definitely worth heeding, as not only are STDs very unpleasant, rather embarrassing, and all in all something you’d really rather not experience, but they’re also a more serious health risk than you might be aware.

Primary Culprit – ‘The Clap’

Gonorrhea is one of the most common STDs in North America, and it’s long had the nickname ‘The Clap’. The bacterial infection that is behind gonorrhea (Neisseria gonorrhoeae) can take up residence in a number of locations across the body, depending on where it’s introduced. That’s because it’s received all too readily by any of the many mucous membranes – moist, soft tissues not covered by the outer layer of skin.

The inside of your mouth and throat are covered with mucous membranes, and as such the reason you can get a sore throat from STD is because when semen or vaginal fluids from an individual carrying gonorrhea are introduced to the region. As you might imagine and without going into unnecessary detail, this most commonly occurs from engaging in oral sex. Once there, the bacteria are able to establish themselves and colonize quite quickly.

From there, the telltale signs of a sore throat from an STD will be hard to ignore. It will be painful to swallow because glands in your throat (lymph nodes) more specifically will become very swollen as a result of your immune system’s prompt response to the invaders. This is the primary symptom of gonorrhea in the throat, and the severity of it is very intense. For many people, it’s nearly unbearable.

This of course will lead them to seek a physician’s treatment as soon as possible, which is of course what you should be doing any time you suspect you have a sore throat from an STD. We’ll say as well that this goes for any self diagnosis of an STD, including oral gonorrhea; it is always necessary to not self-diagnose and always see a physician as soon as possible instead.

Other Symptoms

With an answer to the question ‘is it possible to get an STD from oral sex?’ firmly in place as well as an understanding that you can get a sore throat from at STD, we’ll now move to discussing the symptoms of gonorrhea in the throat in greater detail.

Other symptoms of oral gonorrhea:

• Conjunctivitis – this is a clinical term for the itchy, red eyes that come from a bacterial infection
• Sensitivity to light – it has yet to be determined how exactly a sore throat from STD can manifest itself as symptoms with the eyes as well, but many people with oral gonorrhea report this symptom too
• Pus – similarly, the eyes can have a light pus discharge as well and when seen with a painful throat it can be an indicator of having contracted the infection

Treating Gonorrhea

Fortunately, gonorrhea is entirely treatable and you can expect to get over your sore throat from STD fairly quickly provided you follow your physician’s instructions exactly. Expect him or her to prescribe you a course of strong antibiotics. Any one of doxycycline, cefixime, ceftriaxone, or azithromycin should do the trick. However, one important point to remember is that you MUST finish all of the medication prescribed to you. Don’t make the mistake of stopping taking your STD medication because you perceive yourself to be free of the symptoms of gonorrhea.

If you do, the infection may not be quite knocked out completely and it may re-establish itself. That will take you back to the very unpleasant square one, and naturally that’s not what you want at all.

Lastly, we should mention that the best way to prevent gonorrhea is to be more reserved in who you choose to be sexually active with. Next, always use a condom or other barrier form of protection when engaging in sexual intercourse, or a dental dam or something similar if choosing to have oral sex.

Learn more about Birth Control by browsing our other blog posts and options pages.