Complications

Complication
Timeframe
Likelihood
short term
medium

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) complicating gonorrhoea infection may develop in up to one third of women with gonorrhoea.[44][45] The most common sequelae of PID are chronic pelvic pain (40%), tubal infertility (10.8%), and ectopic pregnancy (9.1%).[46][47]

long term
medium

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) complicating gonorrhoea infection may develop in up to one third of women with gonorrhoea.[44][45] The most common sequelae of PID are chronic pelvic pain (40%), tubal infertility (10.8%), and ectopic pregnancy (9.1%).[46][47]

Infertility in women

long term
low

Rarely epididymitis, complicating gonorrhoea infection, can lead to infertility or chronic inflammation.

Male factor infertility

long term
low

May be a complication of ophthalmia neonatorum.

variable
high

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) complicating gonorrhoea infection may develop in up to one third of women with gonorrhoea.[44][45] The most common sequelae of PID are chronic pelvic pain (40%), tubal infertility (10.8%), and ectopic pregnancy (9.1%).[46][47]

variable
low

Gonococci may spread up towards the liver causing perihepatitis, which mimics acute cholecystitis in its presentation. It resolves with antibiotic therapy.

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