SAFE SEX AND SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES (STDs)
SAFE SEX AND SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES (STDs)
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| SAFE SEX AND SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES (STDs) |
contact, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, anal sex, and sometimes even kissing.
The more sexual partners you have, the greater your risk of getting an STD.
STDs are widespread—19 million new cases are diagnosed every year—and there
are over 20 different varieties. STDs often have no symptoms early on, which
means they can be passed on to a partner without knowing it.
Below you’ll find information on the most common STDs, their symptoms, and
how to prevent them. If you suspect that you have one, see your doctor immediately
and tell your partner so she or he can get checked as well.
• C h l a m y d i a is the most common STD in the US. Thirty percent of women
who get it and are not treated become sterile (are unable to have children),
and it can also cause sterility in men. About three-quarters of infected
women and about half of infected men have no symptoms. If symptoms
do occur, they usually appear within one to three weeks after exposure.
Symptoms are a thin, clear discharge of fluid from the penis and a burning
feeling in the penis or scrotum. Chlamydia is easily diagnosed with a urine
test and treatments are widely available.
• G o n o rr h e a is one of the most common infectious diseases in the world. It’s
also one of the easiest to cure—as long as it’s caught early. Untreated, it can
cause infertility, and it can spread to other parts of the body. Symptoms can
appear two to 30 days after the infection, and include a burning feeling when
urinating and a yellowish or greenish discharge from the penis. If any of that
fluid gets into an eye, it can cause blindness. Gonorrhea is treated with
a n t i b i o t i c s .
• S y p h i l i s is a serious bacterial infection. Symptoms begin with bumps or
sores on the penis, mouth, or anus that last anywhere from one to five
weeks. These sores sometimes leak fluid that is highly contagious. Fever,
rash, and flu-like symptoms follow. Caught early, syphilis can be treated
with antibiotics. But untreated, it can damage the brain, heart and spinal
cord—and even cause death.
• Herpes is caused by a virus. Symptoms begin to appear within a week of
infection. They start with tingling and itching, followed by small, painful
blisters that can appear on the penis, mouth, anus, butt or thighs. Herpes
can be confirmed only by examining a sample taken from the sores under a
microscope. There is no cure for herpes and outbreaks can happen several
times or more per year. It can be controlled by taking special anti-viral m e dication.
Unfortunately, herpes can be contagious even when there are no
sores present, so if you’re diagnosed, protect your partner from infection by
wearing a condom.
• Genital wart s are exactly what they sound like—growths or bumps on the
penis, but may also appear in other areas, like the anus or the thigh. C a u s e d
by a viral infection, genital warts
spread quickly. The first symptoms
are itching and irritation, which
start within a month after infect
i o n . The warts appear soon afterwards.
They can be treated with pres
c r i p t i o n medication or surgically
removed. Unfortunately, genital
warts can lead to cancer in women.
• Acquired Immunodeficiency
Syndrome (AIDS) develops from
exposure to the HIV virus, which
lives in bodily fluids such as semen, breast milk, vaginal secretions, blood,
saliva, and even tears. Speak to your health care provider about how the
HIV virus can be transmitted. AIDS is a fatal disease. H o w e v e r, identified
early and aggressively treated, the HIV virus can sometimes be kept from
developing into AIDS. The HIV virus is typically treated with combination
drug therapy.
Abstinence (avoiding all sexual contact, including oral sex), is the only way
to avoid STDs. However, that isn’t a practical solution for many people. So if
you’re sexually active, you must protect yourself and your partners. Wearing a
latex condom can reduce or eliminate the possibility of being infected with,
or spreading, an STD. Do not use petroleum-based lubricants (like Va s e l i n e )
which can weaken the durability of a latex condom and thereby increase your
risk of infection.
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