Men tend to experience the symptoms of gonorrhea more readily than women, notably as a watery discharge ("drip") from the penis, the first sign of urethritis. Some men infected with gonorrhea may have no symptoms at all. Other men have signs and symptoms that appear 2-5 days after infection. But symptoms can take as long as 30 days to appear. Besides a watery discharge, symptoms in men may include itching or burning at the urethral opening and pain when urinating. If untreated, the disease soon produces other symptoms, such as thick yellow or greenish discharge, increasing discomfort or pain with urination, and painful or swollen testicles.

The following steps help reduce the likelihood of contracting sexually transmitted diseases:
• Practice abstinence.
• Practice sexual exclusivity.
• Reduce risk during sexual intimacy.
• Select partners carefully.
• Avoid multiple partners.
• Avoid injection and other drugs.
• Protect babies.
• Be a good communicator.
• Recognize STI symptoms.
• Seek treatment.
• Get partners to treatment.