Another pervasive rumor among women is that if you have an STI you’ll know. This is not true at all; up to 75% of people with an STI will have no signs or symptoms. Not only does this allow the infection to wreak havoc on your reproductive system, it allows you to pass the infection to new partners without knowing it. That’s why it is absolutely imperative for all sexually active people to be tested once a year, particularly if they are changing sexual partners. Both women and men also need to be taught to properly use a condom, as condoms will prevent most STIs and they are free at the health department and at Planned Parenthood health centers!
Few people understand the prevalence of many of the most common STIs. In 2000, there were 18.9 million new cases of STIs in the United States, 9.1 million cases of which affected people ages 15 to 24. In 2008, about 43,000 Virginians were reported as having a Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, or Syphilis; and those were just the people who got tested. Although not reportable, about twice that many may be infected with herpes or human papillomavirus (HPV) each year. Here’s a brief description of the most common STIs and what you can do to protect yourself: Chlamydia
This is the most common and most invisible STI in the United States. At least 75 percent of women and 50 percent of men have no symptoms; however, if they do have symptoms, they normally occur within 5-10 days of infection. Symptoms for women can include abdominal pain, vaginal discharge, bleeding between periods, painful urination and painful intercourse—unfortunately, these are the symptoms for a whole host of other issues as well so are not always the best indicator of Chlamydia. Symptoms for men can include pain or burning while urinating, pus, watery or milky discharge from the penis, swollen or tender testicles and rectal inflammation. Chlamydia is spread through vaginal and anal intercourse, and infects more than 3 million men and women nationwide each year. If left untreated, Chlamydia can cause Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) in up to 40 percent of infected women, causing scarring and blockage of the fallopian tubes, which can lead to infertility. Fortunately, Chlamydia is easily curable with medication and BOTH partners must be treated to avoid re-infection. Condoms will greatly reduce your risk of contracting Chlamydia!
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea affects about 600,000 men and women in the United States each year. In 2008, there were more than 10,300 cases reported in the state of Virginia alone! Gonorrhea usually has no symptoms, especially in women. If left untreated, Gonorrhea can also cause PID. Luckily, Gonorrhea is also easy to treat with antibiotics. Condoms will greatly reduce the risk of contracting Gonorrhea!
**The city of Richmond has ranked #1 nationally for Chlamydia and/or Gonorrhea rates 9 times since 1992!
 Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
This is the most common STI. There are more than 100 strains of HPV, with more than 40 of them affecting the genital area. There are two types of HPV, referred to as low-risk strains and high-risk strains. Some of the low-risk strains cause genital warts in both women and men. The high-risk strains are especially dangerous, as they can lead to cervical cancer in women. HPV is so common, that as many as three out of four people will be exposed to at least one strain of the virus in their lifetime. Most women have healthy immune systems that keep the virus from causing damage; however, sometimes the body’s immune system is compromised by other infections or other factors, and the HPV takes advantage of the situation to cause cervical problems. Therefore, women must have annual Pap tests to screen for changes in the cervical cells and treatment for anything abnormal found. Women between the ages of 9 and 26 are also encouraged to receive the HPV vaccine called Gardasil, which protects against the four strains that cause 70 percent of cervical cancer cases and 90 percent of genital warts cases. HPV is contracted through skin-to-skin contact. Condoms help to reduce some risk of contracting HPV, although the virus can be present on portions of the skin that are not covered by the condom.
Trichomoniasis
This is an STI that is caused by a protozoan. Common symptoms in women include frothy discharge, itching in and around the vagina, spotting, swelling of the groin and the need to urinate more frequently. Men often have no symptoms. Trich can be easily treated with drugs, and. condoms will greatly reduce the risk of contracting the disease
Herpes
Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) is a very common infection, remains in the body for life, and can produce symptoms that come and go. Herpes can infect the oral area, the genital area, or both. Between 50 and 80 percent of American adults have one form of HSV. Millions of people do not know they have herpes because they never had, or noticed, the symptoms, which may include blisters or fluid-filled sores in the infected area. Herpes is spread by touching, kissing, and sexual contact, including vaginal, anal, and oral sex. Brief skin-to-skin contact is all that’s needed to pass the virus. Because herpes may have no symptoms for years, sometimes it is very difficult to know who passed it to whom. We used to think that oral herpes and genital herpes were separate strains that were not interchangeable. We now know that oral herpes (often referred to as cold sores or fever blisters) and genital herpes are both caused by HSV1 and HSV2. The only difference is that one strain is more aggressive than the other. Therefore, it’s easy to pass the virus from mouth to mouth, mouth to genitals, genitals to mouth or genitals to genitals. If you have a cold sore on your mouth, do not kiss others or share food or oral products! You can easily pass the virus this way. Other STIs, such as Syphilis, Hepatitis and HIV/AIDS are less common, but still dangerous and potentially life-threatening. It’s never too early or too late to be tested!
It is now easy to test for Gonorrhea and Chlamydia through a urine test for both men and women. Syphilis and HIV require a quick blood draw—we can also test for HIV through an oral swab called OraQuick, giving results in 20-30 minutes. Testing is easy, quick, painless and doesn’t require you to even get undressed! |
