SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES

(STDs)

 Basic information

description

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are infections spread from person to person through any type of sexual contact. They include HIV, chancroid, chlamydial infections, trichomoniasis, genital herpes, pubic lice, genital warts, gonorrhea, lymphogranuloma venereum, syphilis, viral hepatitis, scabies, candidiasis, molluscum contagiosum, and others. STDs affect more than 12 million men and women in the United States each year. Many are teenagers or young adults.

FREQUENT SIGNS & SYMPTOMS

• Sometimes, early in an infection, there may be no symptoms or they may be confused with other illness.
• Discharge from the vagina, penis, or rectum.
• Pain or burning during urination or intercourse.
• Pain in the abdomen (women), testicles (men), and buttocks and legs (both men and women).
• Blisters, open sores, warts, rash, or swelling in the genital or anal area or the mouth.
• Persistent, flu-like symptoms. These include fever, headache, aching muscles, or swollen glands.

causes

STDs are spread by sexual activity. They are most often caused by viruses or bacteria.

risk increases with

• High-risk behaviors include having sex—vaginal, anal, or oral—with:
  • A person who has an STD.
  • Someone who has shared needles to inject drugs with an infected person.
  • Someone with a past partner(s) who was/were infected. Your partner may seem perfectly healthy.
• The more sexual partners you have, the higher your chance of being exposed to STDs.
• Using drugs or alcohol increases your chances of getting STDs. They can interfere with your judgment and your ability to use a condom correctly.
• Intravenous (IV) drug use puts a person at higher risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B, because IV drug users usually share needles.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES

• Abstinence (no sexual activity) or sex with only one partner (neither partner has an STD).
• Avoid risk factors. If you know your partner is infected, avoid intercourse (including oral sex).
• People who take part in risky sexual behavior should always use a condom. Be sure to use a new condom from start to finish, every time.
• Use of a condom for an uninfected pregnant woman. It helps protect her and her unborn child from STDs.

expected outcomes

Some STDs clear up on their own. Others can be treated with drugs. Some cannot be cured, but symptoms can be treated and the risk of transmission lowered.

possible complications

• Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). It can damage a woman's fallopian tubes and cause pelvic pain and infertility.
• Tubal pregnancies (where pregnancy grows in the fallopian tube instead of the womb). It is sometimes fatal to the mother and always fatal to the fetus.
• Infertility in both men and women.
• Cancer of the cervix in women.
• Damage to major organs, such as the heart, kidney, and brain, if STDs go untreated.
• Death (e.g., with HIV infection).

 diagnosis & treatment

general measures

• Your health care provider may do a physical and genital area exam. Questions will be asked about your symptoms and sexual activity history. Medical tests may include blood studies or a study of fluid from any sores.
• Treatment will be with drugs for the STD diagnosed.
• Your sexual partner(s) should be checked for STDs.
• To learn more: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention—Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 1600 Clifton Rd., Atlanta, GA 30333; (800) 227-8922; website: www.cdc.gov/std.

medications

Oral, intravenous (IV), or topical drugs will be prescribed. Take or use all of the prescribed drug.

activity

Avoid sexual activity while being treated.

diet

Eat a well-balanced diet.

 notify our office if

• You or a family member has symptoms of a sexually transmitted disease (STD).
• You think you have been exposed to an STD.
• Symptoms worsen or don't improve with treatment.

Special Notes: