STIs can be seperated into two general types: those that are
bacterial (cureable) and those that are
viral (incurable).
Bacterial STIs:
Chlamydia: Most common STI in the US. It is called the "silent" disease. 3/4 of infected women and 1/2 of infected men have no symptoms. If symptoms are present they can include for women: unusual vaginal discharge, burning/frequent urination, vaginal bleeding (not during menstruation), low-grade fever, lower back/abdominal pain. Symptoms for men can include: unsusual discharge from the penis, burning urination, itching and burning around urethral opening, painful swelling of testicles, low-grade fever. Follow link to learn more.
Gonorrhea: Second most commonly reported in the US. In 2004, there was the lowest reported rate of Gonorrhea ever (113.5 cases per 100,000 population). The organism causing Gonorrhea thrives in the mucous membranes in the vagina, cervix, urethra, rectum, mouth, and throat. Symptoms for women can be: thick yellow/white (or bloody) vaginal discharge, buring during urination, odd pain during menstruation, severe lower abdominal pain. Symptoms for men can include: painful urination, burning or itching at urethral opening, painful or swollen testicles. Follow link to learn more.
Urinary Tract Infections: In men this can be called Urethritis, inflammation of the urethra. Can cause buring during urination and around the opening of the penis, and white/yellow discharge from the penis. Women often do not have symptoms, but may experience itching or burning while urinating and/or unusual vaginal discharge. Follow link to learn more.
Syphilis: Disease that has 3 stages: primary syphilis where infected person will develop a small, red bump that turns into a chancre; secondary syphilis is where the chancre disappears and a painless rash on palms of hands, soles of feet, or other places on the body appears; and latency where symptoms may disappear for years or even never return. Syphilis in it's latest untreated stages can cause damage to internal organs, cause paralysis, numbness, gradual blindess, dementia, or be fetal.
Viral STIs:
HIV and
AIDS:
"AIDS is becoming one of the deadliest epidemics in human history," states the textbook
Human Sexuality, Sixth Edition. HIV stands for the microscopic virus,
Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
Symptoms of HIV can be present after years of transmission, some never have symptoms. Some early warning signs may include: rapid weight loss, extreme and unexplained fatigue, white spots or blemishes on tongue/mouth/throat, red/brown/pink/purple blotches on the skin or inside mouth/nose/eyelids, dry cough, diarrhea (lasting more than a week) memory loss, depression, etc. You cannot know if you are HIV positive just by having any of these symptoms. The only way to determine if you are infected is to be tested for HIV. Even if you are HIV positive, it does not mean you have AIDS. AIDS,
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, is a group of symptoms and/or infections that result from damage to the immune system by HIV. Follow either link for more information.
HPV: Thirty out of the one-hundred strains of
Human Papillomavirus are sexually transmitted. There is one particular type of HPV that effects the genital area and usually has no symptoms, although genital warts may appear with some people. Out of the thirty sexually transmittable strains of HPV, about ten of these can lead to cervical cancer. A vaccine,
Gardasil, approved in 2006 for women (including young girls) prevents infection from 4 of the HPV strains. Two of these strains are found to be the cause of 70% of cervical cancers. The other two are found to cause 90% of genital warts. Follow the link to learn more.
Genital Herpes: Caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). Can be transmitted during an outbreak (does not neccessarily mean there are visable sores). Blisters form and eventually break open leaving an ulcer or sore that can take 2-4 weeks to heal. Although the infection stays in the body forever, the number of outbreaks may decrease over time. Medications to relieve symptoms, shorten and even prevent outbreaks are available, even though there is no cure. Follow the link to learn more.
Hepatitis: This disease, which affects the liver, has many types. The most common sexually transmitted types are Hepatits A and B. Hepatitis A is mostly transmitted by contaminated water, food, or through sexual contact. Hepatitis B can be spread through sexual contact, or by using contaminated needles. It can be spread through blood, semen, saliva, vaginal secretions, and urine. There are vaccinations for both. The third most common type, Hepatitis C is rarely transmitted through sexual contact. It is typically caused by blood transfusions and sharing of needles. They all have the same symptoms including: fatigue, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, yellow discoloration of skin or eyes, darkened urine, and enlarged liver.
Other STIs
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: PID is one of the leading causes of female infertility. It occurs when bacteria from the vagina or cervix move upward into the reproductive organs. Gonorrhea and Chlamydia are both associated to cause PID. Symptoms are not always present, but can include: abdominal pain, fever, painful intercourse/urination, unusual and foul smelling vaginal discharge, irregular menstrual bleeding, etc.
Cystitis: a bladder infection that is not transmitted from a partner, but often caused by sexual intercourse. Cystitis causes burning during urination, often very painful and an almost constant need to urinate. This needs to be treated by antibiotics or can cause damage to kidneys.
Avoiding STIs
The best ways to avoid contracting an STI (from
Human Sexuality, Sixth Edition) are to practice abstinence, practive sexual exclusivity, reduce risk during sexual intimacy, select partners carefully, avoid numerous partners, avoid injection and other drugs, get vaccinated, protect babies from infection during birth and breast feeding, and be a good communicater with your partner. Things that contribute to the spread of STIs are: becoming sexual early (having a longer period of time in which you are sexually active), having a large number of sex parterns, sex partners who have a large number of other sex partners, "high risk" sexual behavior which is easier to contract/spread STIs, human trafficking, asystomatic STIs which can cause a person to unknowingly spread STIs, lack of or incorrect condom use, lack of knowledge about STIs, lack of concern about STIs, lack of access to health care, substance abuse, sexual coercion, body's resistance to treatments, and the lack of a cure.
