It is sore throat season here in Kansas. Oral sex is very easy to get (and give) so it is the form of sexual recreation I participate in most often. And the cases of gonorrhea in men is steadily increasing. So now my inquiring mind has begun to wonder how to tell the difference between an old-fashioned sore throat and good ol' gonorrhea.
I can find loads of descriptions of symptoms of other forms of gonorrhea, but minimal info on determining whether a sore throat is run-of-the-mill or a sign of an STD. I figure if I contract this STD genitally, I will know without a doubt what I am dealing with. But with the oral form, there doesn't seem to be a definitive symptom unique to gonorrhea.
So, when should you decide your sore throat needs medical attention? Should you automatically assume the worst and request a test for gonorrhea if you have given head to a guy lately or start with Strep and work from there? Does a gonorrhea sore throat "clear up" even if you are still infectuous?
I know that if I were to have a sore throat, I should not be kissing anyone. How risky is kissing to others, ie. Under the Mistletoe, if you have gonorrhea of the throat but are asymptomatic? I am not talking "tickle each other's tonsils" kisses, but the kind you'd give your aunt-with-the-ticklish-mustache kind of kisses.
I have a feeling most of the answers to these questions begin with "it varies" or "it depends", but since I a wondering I figure others might be wondering also.
|