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Sexually Transmitted Diseases or Infections – what are
they?
Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) or Sexually Transmitted Infections
(STIs), as they are also currently termed, are serious
business and can cause some long term effects if you don’t get
them checked out.
It’s embarrassing but STDs don’t go away on their own. They
can infect your reproductive and sex organs or can
cause general body infections. So, if you think that you have been exposed,
get tested, get treated and tell your partner or partners.
You get STDs during sex whether it is oral, vaginal or anal. These infections
need a warm, moist place to live which is why they grow in your mouth,vagina
and rectum.
How Many People Have STDs?
Trying to estimate the number of Americans who suffer from sexually
transmitted infections is difficult because so many
times the infections are not reported or not treated. They are not treated
because you can sometimes have a Sexually Transmitted Disease without
any symptoms. Sometimes these “silent” infections can only
be verified by testing. And that can be embarrassing.
There are over 65 million people in the United States who have an incurable
STD. And the annual rate of infection is approximately 15 million new
cases every year.
Look around you…out of every four people that you see, one of
them has had a STD at sometime. And one in four of those same people
may have genital herpes. And at least 80 percent of those with genital
herpes don’t even know it.
Less than half of us between the ages of 18 and 44 years of age have
ever been tested for a STD other than HIV/AIDS.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases can have far longer effects than the fun
of the moment. At least 15 percent of American women that are infertile
are unable to have children because of an untreated STD that caused tubal
scarring due to a pelvic inflammatory disease.
How to Prevent Sexually Transmitted Diseases?
Probably the best way is to ask your sex partner prior to having sex
if they have ever had a STD or used drugs via needles. If they say no
and you notice anything like a sore, a discharge, redness or a rash,
don’t have sex with them.
Not having sex is the best way to prevent STDs. Having monogamous sex
with just one uninfected partner is another way to avoid infection.
Another safer way, but not 100% safe, is to use condoms or rubbers that
are made from latex. Use condoms when you have sex either orally, vaginally
or anally. Both men and women should carry condoms.
And most importantly is to know the signs and symptoms of an infection.
If you have a STD, get treatment, finish the treatment,
get your partner to get treatment and don’t have sexual contact
until your/their treatment is complete.
Signs and Symptoms of STDs
There are some general symptoms that both men
and women can watch for as signs that you may have
a sexually transmitted disease or infection. These are:
- A general itching around your sexual organs
- Burning and pain when you go to the bathroom
- Sores, bumps or blisters near your mouth, rectum
or sexual organs
- An increased need to urinate
- A sore throat
- A fever and overall aches and pains similar to
the flu
For women, there are some specific signs and symptoms to be
on the lookout for:
- Pain in your pelvic area, somewhere between your
belly button and your sexual organs
- A discharge or smell from your vagina which is
abnormal for you
- An pain that is deep inside of you when you have
sexual relations
- A bloody discharge from your vagina when you are
not having your period
- An unusual burning or itching around your sexual
organs
For men, there is one specific sign and symptom to be aware
of:
- A drip or discharge from your penis
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