STDs
 Sexually
Transmitted Diseases
Sexually Transmitted Diseases are also
called STDs for short. Or, you may have heard them called "STIs" short
for Sexually Transmitted Infections.
Some Important Points about STDs:
- Many of them have symptoms that look
the same. BUT most STDs need their own test and treatment.
- You can have more than one STD at
the same time. Each one needs its own treatment.
- You can get the same infection over and over again.
- Many women and men don't see or feel
any early symptoms when they first get infected with an STD. But
they can still give their infection to a sex partner.
- People of any age can be tested and
treated for STDs. Minors do not have to have their parents'
permission to get tested and treated.
Some Common STDs:
Bacterial Infections:
Viruses:
Other:
Bacteria Infections:
Chlamydia
This is the most common bacterial STD today.
It is caused by a bacterium called Chlamydia Trachomatis.
How it is spread:
Having vaginal, anal, or oral sexual intercourse with an infected partner. Babies get it from their mothers during birth.
Signs of
infection:
Most women do not have any symptoms.
Symptoms include:
- Discharge from the penis or vagina.
- Pain or burning while urinating;
frequent urination.
- Painful intercourse for women.
- Inflammation of the rectum.
- Swelling or pain in the testicles.
- For women, pain in the lower abdomen, which can be a sign of a disease called PID, as her infection gets worse.
Diagnosis:
Tests can be done on samples from a person's infected area, like a
woman's cervix, a man's penis, or from urine.
Treatment:
Antibiotic pills
Gonorrhea
This is also known as "GC", "Clap", "Drip", "Dose", etc. It is caused
by a bacterium known as Neisseria Gonorrhoeae.
How it is
spread:
Having vaginal, anal, or oral sexual intercourse with an infected partner. Babies get it during birth.
Signs of infection:
A man usually has a discharge or drip from his penis, or a sore throat or sore bowel opening. A woman can have a discharge from her vagina. She has a bad pain in her lower abdomen (below her navel), which is a sign of a disease called PID, as her infection gets worse. She may also have a sore throat if infection passed through oral sex.
Diagnosis:
Tests can be done on samples from a person's infected area, like a woman's cervix, a man's penis, or from urine.
Treatment:
Antibiotic pills or a shot.
NGU
It means an infection of the tube through which a man or woman urinates that is not caused by gonorrhea. There are many germs that can cause this.
This stands for “Non-gonococcal urethritis.”
How it is
spread:
Having vaginal, oral, or anal sex with a person who is infected. Babies catch it during birth.
Signs of infection:
Most women have no early signs. Many men see signs in 1 to 3 weeks.
Men and women can have burning when they urinate. A man may have a drip from his penis. A woman may have a discharge or burning in her vagina.
Diagnosis:
The liquid from a man’s penis or a woman’s vagina can be checked for infection. Results may not be given right away. You should also be tested for Chlamydia.
Treatment:
Antibiotic pills. A person should go back for more treatment if the first medicine does not work. or a shot.
Syphilis
Also known as Syph, the pox, bad blood, etc.
This is a bacterial infection caused by a spirochete called Treponema
pallidum.
How it is spread:
Having vaginal, anal, or oral sexual intercourse with an infected partner. Babies get it from their mothers at birth.
Symptoms may appear in 10 to 90 days for the first stage, 6 weeks to 6 months later for the second stage, many years later for the third stage. Because men and women may not notice early symptoms, if you think someone might have infected you, go right away to a doctor or clinic to be tested.
Signs of infection:
In the first stage there is a single, painless sore where the germ entered the person’s body. May people do not notice this sore. In the second stage there is a rash that often shows on hands and feet, and symptoms like the flu. In the late stage the germ can affect the brain, heart, eyes or other parts of a person’s body. Babies can be still-born, have birth defects or damaged hearts, eyes, or brains.
Diagnosis:
There is a blood test. Also, liquid from the sores can be checked
under a microscope.
Treatment:
Antibiotics
Viruses:
(Virus infections can't be cured, but some of the symptoms can be treated)
Herpes
This is caused by the Herpes Simplex Virus
and like other viruses it stays in the body. There is no cure, but the
symptoms can be treated.
How it is spread:
Having vaginal, anal, or oral sexual intercourse with an infected partner. Babies get it during birth.
Signs of infection:
-
Small, painful sores or blisters on the part of the body that was
infected; they may disappear and come back
-
Burning or painful urination
Diagnosis:
A doctor or clinician may look at the sores or blisters, or test the
liquid from the sores.
Treatment:
There is no cure. There are pills and creams that can make the sores
hurt less and keep them from breaking out as often.
Warts
Warts on the sex organs or bowel opening are caused by specific types of HPV (Human
papilloma virus).
How it is spread:
Having vaginal, anal, or oral sex or skin contact with infected cells
shed by someone who has the virus.
Signs of infection:
- Warts on the genitals, in the urethra, in the anus and, rarely, in the
throat.
- Genital warts are soft to the touch, may look like miniature
cauliflower florets and often itch.
- Untreated genital warts can grow to block the openings of the vagina,
anus or throat and become quite uncomfortable.
- It usually takes from 2-3 weeks after infection for warts to develop.
In women, genital warts grow more rapidly during pregnancy or when
other vaginal infections are present.
Diagnosis:
The warts can sometimes be seen. Small flat warts, or those inside a
woman's vagina, can be seen better when they are treated with a weak
acid, like vinegar.
Treatment:
There is no cure for the virus. The warts can be removed by freezing
them or burning them off with a chemical. They can grow back.
Prevention:
A new vaccine to prevent some strains of HPV is now available for girls and women 9 to 26.
HIV/AIDS (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. Over time, most people infected with HIV become less able to fight off life-threatening infections and cancers. AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is the last stage of the HIV disease.
How it is spread:
- Having unprotected anal, oral, or vaginal sex with a person who has HIV or whose HIV status is unknown and
- Sharing injection drug needles or “works” with a person who has HIV or whose status is unknown.
Women with HIV infection can pass the virus to their babies during pregnancy, delivery, and through breast milk.
Signs of infection:
Some of the signs of AIDS include
- extreme tiredness
- fever
- loss of appetite and weight
- diarrhea
- night sweats or
- persistent dry cough
Symptoms of AIDS:
There are no early symptoms of HIV; however, once infected a person has the lifetime ability to infect others.
Diagnosis:
Blood test or oral fluid (not saliva) collected using a special device in the mouth.
Treatment:
There is no cure. There are drugs that can help fight the diseases that
infected people get because their immune system is not working.
Hepatitis B
This is a blood borne virus that can be spread sexually.
How it is
spread:
It is spread through vaginal, oral or anal intercourse, sharing
needles with infected blood, or through feces. Babies can catch it
from an infected mother before birth.
Signs of infection:
- Upset stomach
- Poor appetite
- Abdominal pain
- Dark urine
- Skin rash
- Yellow skin or eyes,
- Joint pain.
- Some people may not have early
symptoms.
Diagnosis:
Blood Test
Treatment:
There is no cure. Medication can be given to help with symptoms.
Prevention:
There is a vaccine that can prevent Hepatitis B. Vaccination can start at any time.
Other:
Pubic Lice / Scabies
There are two common kinds. There are pubic
lice, also know as crabs or cooties, and scabies. Scabies is caused by
an itch mite called Sarcoptes Scabiei.
How they
are spread:
By physical contact with a person who has them, or from infected
fabric like clothing, bedding or towels.
Signs of
infection:
Pubic lice live in the area between your legs, and cause itching in
your pubic area or around your bowel opening. You can see the lice and
their eggs, called nits, attached to your pubic hair. Scabies mites
burrow under your skin, perhaps on your thighs, underarms, between
your fingers and leave red spots that itch severely.
Diagnosis:
Pubic lice and their eggs can be seen. Scabies mites can be found by
scraping one of the red spots and looking at the material under a
microscope.
Treatment:
There are different medicines to use for Pubic Lice and for Scabies.
Some need a prescription.
Trich
This is caused by a tiny protozoan called Trichomonas vaginalis.
How it is spread:
Men and women get it by having vaginal, anal, or oral sexual
intercourse with an infected partner.
Signs of infection:
-
A woman will have discharge from her vagina that can be bubbly,
yellow, and smells bad;
-
A man can have a discharge from his penis though often they have no
symptoms at all.
-
Itching or burning around the vagina.
-
More frequent urination.
Diagnosis:
Liquid from the women's vagina or the man's penis can be checked under
a microscope.
Treatment:
Antibiotics for both partners.
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