sexually transmitted diseases (stds).
Here s the deal on the most common sexually transmitted diseases (stds).
gonorrhea (aka the clap)
What is it? A supercontagious disease. Left untreated, it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, stomach pain, bleeding between periods and infertility (translation: You can’t have kids—ever). Women are less likely to notice symptoms than men. How do you get it? Sexual intercourse or oral sex. How do you know you have it?’You have a greenish-yellow discharge and pelvic pain; you feel like you have to pee all the time, and it burns when you do. It usually takes about 10 days for these symptoms to show up, but 80 percent of women who have it don’t even get symptoms (that’s why it’s so important to visit a gynecologist if you’re sexually active). How do you get rid of it? Antibiotics. Many people with gonorrhea also have chlamydia and must be treated for both. Your best defense? Condoms or abstinence.
herpes (simplex virus 1 and 2)
What is it? A virus that causes painful blisters and sores on the genitals, mouth or other areas of the body. How do you get it? Although the cold sores and blisters you get on your mouth are usually caused by herpes simplex 1, both kinds of herpes can be sexually transmitted. That means you can get it through touching, kissing, oral sex or intercourse. How do you know you have it? Most people get blisters and open sores (ouch!) within two to 20 days after infection. But-warning—it can take years before you have that first breakout (um, surprise!). Other symptoms include itching and burning, fever and feeling How do you get rid of it? Sorry— you can’t. A drug called acyclovir can clear up the yucky sores and blisters, but the actual virus stays in your body forever. That means you can get breakouts again, and again, and again…. Your best defense? Condoms or abstinence.
HPV(Human Papilloma Virus)
What is it? There are 60 different HPVs—some of which cause genital warts. HPV is often linked to cervical cancer. How do you get it? Sexual intercourse or oral sex. Here’s the tricky part: You can get HPV even if you use condoms, because they don’t cover all areas that might be infected. How do you know you have it? Warts will usually pop up about two to three weeks after infection. They look like, well, warts. Some even resemble little cauliflowers. But this is another sneaky STD—you can have it and experience no symptoms. Or you can have the virus and not have a breakout until years later. The virus can also show up on a Pap smear, which you can have done by your gynecologist. How do you get rid of it? The actual warts can be removed with special medicine (and we don’t mean Compound W; this medicine must be prescribed by your gynecologist), laser surgery (zapping them with a laser beam) or cryosurgery (freezing them with liquid nitrogen). But, like herpes, this virus stays in your body forever. Your best defense? Condoms (but again, condoms don’t cover all areas that might be infected) or abstinence.
HIV(Human Immunodeficiency Virus)
What is it? This infection weakens the body’s ability to fight disease and can cause AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). In the U.S., it’s the leading cause of death for American women and men between the ages of 25 to 44. How do you get it?The virus is in blood, semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk. That means you can get it through intercourse, oral sex, sharing contaminated needles or blood transfusions. Infected women can pass it to their babies while pregnant and in childbirth. You can’t, however, get it from kissing, touching or from toilet seats. Keep in mind that HIV can live in the body for years before it causes symptoms, so you can’t tell whether your partner is infected just by looking at him. How do you know you have it? AIDS can cause rapid weight loss, diarrhea, flulike symptoms, thrush (a thick white coating on the tongue), major yeast infections and purple growths on the skin called lesions. Again, you could be infected with HIV and not show any symptoms for years. How do you get rid of it? New treatments are giving AIDS patients hope, but so far there’s no cure. Your best defense? Condoms or abstinence.
pubic lice (aka crabs)
What is it? Critters that latch on to pubic and underarm hair, eyelashes and eyebrows. These little guys really do look like mini crabs (they’re pale gray but get darker when they’re swollen with blood). How do you get it? Mostly through sexual contact (including petting), but you can also pick them up from infected sheets and clothes. How do you know you have it? You’ll know. Symptoms include intense itching (and we’re not talking mosquito-bite itchy) of the genitals, a mild fever, irritability and fatigue, not to mention the freak-out factor of seeing the tiny critters on your body. How do you get rid of it? Over-the-counter medicines like A-200 and Rid (the same stuff used to treat head lice). Your best defense?You can’t really protect yourself from crabs, so your best defense is abstinence.
chlamydia
What is it? A bacterial infection that happens to be the most common STD— about four million cases a year in the U.S.! In women it can cause bladder infections, pelvic inflammatory disease and possibly even infertility. How do you get it? Sexual intercourse. How do you know you have it?This one’s tricky. Most women have zero symptoms. But if it hurts to have sex (not just the first time but every time), if you have a weird discharge (read: anything that seems different from your usual discharge) or if it burns when you pee, you might have a case. As for your partner? Possible symptoms for him include penile discharge, burning and/or frequent urination and pain or swelling in his testicles. How do you get rid of it?Take antibiotics prescribed by your doc. Your best defense? Condoms or abstinence.
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