Women's Conditions / Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Sexually transmitted diseases are diseases that are transmitted through any type of sexual contact. This includes homosexual and heterosexual contact and does not necessarily have to involve penetration. This class of diseases, called STDs for short, includes any infection spread by having sex. STDs include gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV (the AIDS virus), chlamydia, trichomoniasis, herpes, pubic lice, and genital warts. Many sexually transmitted diseases can be cured with a week or two of treatment. If not treated, however, some of these diseases can cause infertility. Others eventually can be fatal. You can't tell by looking whether someone has an STD, and many people don't know they are infected.

Here are a few basic facts everyone should know for his or her own protection:

• STDs are easily spread through any person-to-person transfer of bodily fluids such as semen, vaginal secretions, or blood.
• When someone has a sexually transmitted disease, anyone who has sex with that person stands a good chance of becoming infected. Thus, having sex with multiple partners carries a greater risk of disease than staying faithful to a spouse or long-term partner. Even a monogamous relationship isn't necessarily risk-free, however, since one partner could be carrying an infection picked up during a prior sexual encounter.
• Many sexually transmitted diseases are highly contagious. For example, if a man has gonorrhea, a woman who has sex with him just once stands an 80 to 90 percent chance of getting infected. If the man has gonorrhea plus chlamydia, as frequently happens, the woman could be infected with both diseases at the same time.
• Vaginal intercourse is the classic route of STD infection. However, other important routes include anal sex (among men or man-to-woman), oral sex, sexual abuse of children, and mother-to-baby infection during childbirth.
• Sexually transmitted diseases weaken the immune system, so a person infected with one STD has a greater risk of acquiring other infections. Unfortunately, recovering from an STD does not make a person immune. Anyone who has had a particular STD is still at risk of getting it again.
• Men are more likely to show clear symptoms of STDs. Symptoms in women may not be as obvious, and the problem could be misdiagnosed
• Many women infected with certain types of STDs have no early symptoms at all and may unknowingly infect sexual partner(s).
• In the past, gay men have tended to have an above-average rate of infection with STDs. This is largely attributed to promiscuity and may have declined in response to the AIDS epidemic. Additionally, some men are secretly bisexual. If a man picks up an STD from a homosexual encounter, he may then pass the infection on to unsuspecting heterosexual partners.
• Lesbians have a lower-than-average risk for STDs, since most sexually acquired diseases are not easily spread from woman to woman

Bacteria, Viruses and Bugs
Over a lifetime, the body can host many different kinds of germs including those that cause sexually transmitted diseases. There are three types of STDs bacterial, viral, and bugs.

Bacterial STDs are transient which means they will respond to medication and can be kicked out of your system. However, if they remain untreated they can cause very serious damage.

Bacterial STDs include gonorrhea, a bacteria which can cause infertility, heart disease, blindness, damage to the urinary tract, arthritis, and damage to an unborn child; chlamydia, which has been implicated as a risk factor for cervical cancer and is a major cause of infertility; syphilis, which can affect the nervous system, cause blindness, deafness, heart disease, insanity, and result in the birth of a stillborn or crippled child; and chancroid, which causes genital sores and enlarged lymph nodes.

Viral STDs are permanent. Once you acquire one, it stays in your system forever. You will not be troubled by a viral STD as long as it remains dormant, but they do act up now and then. Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) generally hides in the genital tract, and causes genital warts from time to time over the years. Some strains can lead to cervical cancer. Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) lives in nerves at the base of the spine and causes painful blisters to form, mostly on the vulva and in the mouth. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) can also remain in the system but once it manifests itself, it becomes a deadly disease with no
cure and limited treatment options. HIV is discussed in detail in chapter 13, The Growing Danger of AIDS.

Sexually transmitted skin infestations are caused by tiny bugs called arthropods. Using pesticides will easily rid you of them.

The two most common are pubic lice, a.k.a. crabs and scabies. Pubic lice attach themselves to the base of pubic hairs where they bite the skin and lay their eggs. Scabies burrow into the skin to lay eggs. They are much tinier than pubic lice and cannot be seen with the naked eye.

Sexually transmitted diseases threaten everyone who is sexually active, although certain groups (such as prostitutes, drug users and promiscuous individuals) are at higher risk than others.

Sexually transmitted diseases can have very serious consequences if not treated, especially for pregnant women. All can be passed from mother to baby either during the pregnancy or at birth.

All sexually transmitted diseases require medical treatment. If you suspect you may have a sexually transmitted disease or have any of the symptoms listed below, you should see your doctor or make an appointment to visit a Sexually Transmitted Disease or Genito-Urinary clinic.

With the exception of HIV ( covered here), sexually transmitted diseases respond well to treatment in most cases.

The following section discusses the eight most common STDs in North America, grouped by symptoms. The first group discussed here, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), syphilis, and chancroid, is characterized primarily by lumps, bumps and sores. The second group, chlamydia and gonorrhea, is characterized mainly by vaginal discharge. The last section covers pubic lice and scabies, the hallmark of which is itching. Each disease has more than one symptom, but this arrangement will get you started. Additional details are found in the box below, “Matching Your Symptoms to an STD.”

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