About this topic
There are many germs that you can catch during sex. This means they are sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs). The germs easily pass from person to person. ‚
STDs often have few signs or none at all. You can pass an STD to others without knowing it. STDs can be can be spread by: ‚
- Sexual contact like vaginal, anal, or oral sex
- Sharing sex toys like vibrators
- Skin-to-skin contact or direct contact with the germs
- Sharing needles
- Passing it on to your baby
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What are the causes?
There are many kinds of STDs. They are caused by many kinds of germs. Some kinds of STDs are: ‚
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- Genital herpes
- Genital warts or human papillomavirus (HPV)
- Hepatitis B
- Chlamydia
- Gonorrhea
- Syphilis
- Pubic lice
- Crabs
- Trichomoniasis
What can make this more likely to happen?
You are more likely to have an STD if you: ‚
- Do not use a condom or use it the wrong way during sexual contact
- Have many sex partners
- Have a history of sexually-transmitted infections
- Abuse alcohol and drugs
- Use needles to inject drugs
What are the main signs?
You may have signs in many parts of your body. They may happen in your oral, anal, or genital areas. These may include: ‚
- Burning or itching
- Skin signs like sores, warts, small red bumps or blisters, rashes
- Lumps or swollen glands in the genital area
- Foul smell from genital area or foul-smelling discharge from your vagina
- Pain or burning when passing urine
- Pain in the legs, buttocks, or genital area
- Pain during sex
- Bleeding between periods or heavy bleeding during periods
- Lice or lice eggs
- Tiredness and flu-like signs often happen with hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV infection
How does the doctor diagnose this health problem?
Your doctor will take your history and do an exam. The doctor will ask about your sexual history. You may need to have blood or urine tests to learn more about the kind of infection you may have. ‚
- Women may need to have a pelvic exam. The doctor will swab the cervix and check for infections. Men may need to have the inside of the penis swabbed to check for infections.
- The doctor will check your genital area for:
- Crabs or pubic lice
- Skin lesions, sores, and warts
- Swelling and soreness of the genitals
- Skin rashes
- Any discharge
- The doctor will check your mouth for:
- Sores and ulcers
- Skin rashes
- The doctor will check your rectum for:
- Skin lesions and sores
- Skin rashes
- Any discharge
How does the doctor treat this health problem?
The doctor will treat you based on the kind of infection that you have. ‚
- Both partners should be tested and treated when an infection is suspected or has been found.
- You may need to take drugs for a short time or for the rest of your life.
- Lifestyle changes may also help treatment. These may also avoid reinfection and spread of STDs.
What lifestyle changes are needed?
- Avoid use of illegal drugs.
- Limit use of needles, syringes, or other materials that can raise your chance of having infections.
- Avoid douches. Using them can remove the good bacteria that protects your vagina. This can raise your chance of having STDs.
- Do not get tattoos or any body parts pierced.
- Make sure that you and your partner are completely free from infection before having sex again. Before having sex with a new partner, be sure to have a test for STDs.
- If you are pregnant, get proper care to avoid passing an infection to your baby.
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Kill bacteria, viruses, and parasites
- Ease itching
- Help with pain and swelling
Will there be any other care needed?
- Talk to your doctor about when it is safe to have sex again.
- If you are infected, your partner should get tested too. Talk to your sex partners so that they can get tested. Make sure that your sex partners get treatment too.
- If you still have signs after your drugs, you may need to be tested again. You may have developed drug resistance. Ask your doctor about it.
- You may need to be retested after your treatment. It is possible that you can have reinfection, or the infections might harm other parts of your body.
- Do not donate blood or other body parts.
- Tell all of your other doctors if you have an STD or are HIV-positive. This includes dentists and other specialists.
What problems could happen?
- Certain types of STDs may lead to cervical cancer and other cancers of the affected area.
- STDs may cause problems with a womans reproductive system. This can cause problems if a woman wants to have a baby.
- Swelling of the testis (epididymitis) for males
- Infection can spread to the heart, brain, and spinal cord
If a woman has an STD while she is pregnant, it may cause: ‚
- Miscarriage
- The baby to be born early or have serious problems
- A baby may be born dead (stillbirth)
- You to need a cesarean section to lower the chance of the baby getting the infection
What can be done to prevent this health problem?
- The only guaranteed way to keep from getting or passing on a sexually-transmitted infection is to not have sexual contact with anyone. This infection may be spread even if you do not have any signs of illness.
- Avoid contact with any sexual partner known to have the infection.
- If you have sex, use latex condoms to lower the spread of infection.
- If you are pregnant, get tested and get prompt treatment for gonorrhea infection. This will help avoid passing it to your baby.
- Avoid many sex partners. Be in a long-term relationship with just one partner who has been tested and is known to have no infection.
- Get a regular check-up for STDs.
- Do not share sex toys with different sex partners. If you do share, wash or cover them with a condom before use.
- Wash your genital area with soap and water after sex. This can flush away parasites and other germs that may come in contact with you during sex.
- Some types of STDs have vaccines to help prevent infections. Ask your doctor about them.
Where can I learn more?
Better Health Channel ‚
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Sexually_transmissible_infections_overview ‚
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ‚
http://www.cdc.gov/std/default.htm ‚
KidsHealth ‚
http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/std/talk_child_stds.html ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚