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NOTE: If you have ever been sexually active you should be tested
for an STD. |
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What is a sexually
transmitted disease (STD)? |
An STD is an infectious condition that is passed from
one person to another during sexual activity, where bodily fluids are
exchanged between partners. This occurs not only during vaginal
intercourse, but also during other activity ranging from "deep"
kissing to oral and anal sex.
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What are my chances of getting an STD? |
Every year, more than 15 million new cases of STD’s are reported in
the United States.
If you engage in premarital sexual activity, you
will most likely be exposed to STD’s.
When you have sex with someone,
and that includes oral, anal or vaginal sex,
you are essentially
having sex with everyone they and their partners have had sex with for
the last ten years.
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Condoms |
Condoms do not offer protection against many STD's.
Some STD’s are transmitted by skin-to-skin contact. And, condoms may
not prevent pregnancy.
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Dangers |
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Besides emotional trauma, discomfort, and expense for
treatment, STD's can cause a variety of problems. These include brain
and heart disorders, liver damage, cancer, future ectopic (tubal)
pregnancies, sterility, immune system breakdown, and even death.
Women suffer greater physical trauma than men. Even
more traumatizing, an infant born to a mother with an STD can get it
during delivery or while breastfeeding. STD's can be especially
harmful to infants.
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Chlamydia |
What is it?
Chlamydia is the most common bacterial STD in the United States with
over 4 million new infections each year--primarily among adolescents
and young adults. It is a major cause of
PID.
Symptoms:
There are no symptoms in up to 85% of infected women and up to 40% of
infected men. Without testing and treatment, infection may persist for
as long as 15 months before noticed.
Some people may experience pain or discharge.
How is it transmitted?
Chlamydia is transmitted during vaginal, oral, and anal sexual
contact; it can also be passed to infants during delivery.
Dangers:
Without treatment, 20-40% of women may develop PID.
Can cause infertility, pelvic pain, damage to a women’s fallopian
tubes (often causing ectopic (tubal) pregnancies).
Advanced stages may require removal of uterus, fallopian tubes, and
ovaries.
Can cause eye infections and pneumonia in babies during the delivery.
Treatment:
Can be treated with antibiotics; however, antibiotics will not reverse
damage and scarring that has occurred.
The body does not develop immunity, so you can catch it again and
again--chances of total sterility increase with each infection.
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Pelvic
Inflammatory Disease (PID) |
What is it?
PID is caused by infections (such as chlamydia
and gonorrhea) that travel from the vagina and cervix to the uterus,
fallopian tubes, and ovaries. There are 750,000 new cases annually;
most in the 15-19 year age group.
Symptoms:
Chronic pelvic pain.
Damage:
Can cause chronic pelvic pain and permanent damage to reproductive
organs.
Permanent damage to the fallopian tubes can result from a single
episode of PID and is even more common with each subsequent episode.
Ectopic pregnancy is a potentially fatal complication.
Sterility
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Gonorrhea
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What is it?
Gonorrhea is a bacterial infection.
A higher percentage of 15-19 year-olds are affected more than any
other age group; also high for African-American adolescents and young
adults.
Symptoms:
80%
are not aware they are infected in the early stages.
Both men & women may have pus-like discharge, painful
urination.
Women may have pelvic pain and men have no
symptoms--dangerous because they are unaware about spreading it to
partner and women have much more serious effects from it.
Dangers:
Can cause PID (10 - 40% of women with gonorrhea will develop PID
without early detection/treatment), sterility, ectopic pregnancy,
chronic pelvic pain (often severe), abscess on ovaries (if ruptures,
can be fatal); may require hysterectomy.
Men - scarring of the urethra & urinary tract problems.
Infection can spread to other parts of the body (joints and skin).
Can cause blindness to baby during delivery.
Treatment:
Can be treated with antibiotics; however, antibiotics will not reverse
damage and scarring that has occurred. The body does not develop
immunity, so you can catch it again and again--chances of total
sterility increase with each infection. |
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Syphilis |
What is it?
Syphilis is a bacterial Infection.
Other than AIDS, it is potentially the most dangerous STD (134,000 new
cases reported each year); Rates among females more than twice as high
as males in 15-19 age group; African American women have rates that
are 7x greater than female population as a whole. |
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Symptoms & Dangers:
The first symptoms can be very deceptive and may go
unnoticed because they can be very mild.
Men - 1st
stage: swollen, non-painful ulcers (chancre) on genitalia;
2nd stage: changes of skin, fever enlarged lymph's.
Women - 1st
stage: often goes unnoticed because chancres can be hidden in vagina
or on cervix. Without a blood test, very difficult to detect (an early
blood test may not even detect it). 2nd stage: same as men. |
General Symptoms:
1st stage: 10-90 days after contact--develop chancres (nonpainful
ulcers) which usually go away in 2 weeks as the disease goes
“underground” in the body.
2nd Stage: 6 weeks to 6 months later-- fever, hair loss, skin rash,
wart-like growths on external genitalia; can also cause hepatitis,
kidney disease, meningitis, changes in bones, eye infections (this
stage can last for years).
3rd Stage: aortic aneurisms, disease of the heart valves; also a
common cause of insanity.
Can also cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and congenital abnormalities
of a newborn, and even death to mother and child.
Increased chance of acquiring HIV if exposed.
Death of fetus or newborn infant occurs in up to 40% of women with
untreated syphilis.
Treatment:
Syphilis is easily cured with antibiotics: BUT the problem is
detecting it before damage begins. Damage cannot be reversed. 50%
of those infected are not even aware they have the disease. |
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HIV/AIDS |
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What is it?
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the virus that causes Acquired
Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). HIV is a virus that destroys the
body’s ability to fight infection, leaving a person vulnerable to
diseases, which can cause death (about 1 million Americans are
infected with HIV). |
The risk of acquiring/transmitting HIV is increased by
the presence of other STD’s--especially syphilis, herpes, chlamydia,
and gonorrhea.
An estimated 900,000 people in the U.S. are currently infected with
HIV. |
Symptoms:
Fever, sore throat, fatigue, swollen lymph glands. |
Dangers:
Persons who develop HIV will usually develop AIDS; Persons who develop
AIDS will usually die.
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Herpes |
What is it?
Herpes Simplex (HSV) is a viral disease (two types: I and II);
Type
II causes genital herpes more often (although Type I can also cause
genital herpes).
There are 500,000 new cases of Type II each year.
Genital herpes is contagious and affects an estimated 45 million
Americans; it remains in the nerve cells of the body for life.
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Symptoms:
75% show no symptoms.
Periodic eruptions of painful blisters and ulcers anywhere on the
body; enlarged lymph nodes in their groin; aching muscles, fever,
nausea, and headache. |
Dangers:
Many are infected without symptoms; AND they can pass the virus even
though no symptoms are present.
Ulcers can be very painful--making intercourse impossible and
urination intolerable.
Can be transmitted to infant during delivery.
May experience outbreaks over lifetime.
Endurance of disease can carry high emotional impact. |
Treatment:
Herpes is not curable. Pain and discomfort may be relieved with
prescription and over-the-counter medications. |
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Hepatitis B
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What is it?
Hepatitis B is one of the most common viral STD’s in the world with
300,000 new cases annually. |
Symptoms:
Often none, although some experience yellowing of the skin, tiredness,
dark urine, and gray colored stool. |
Dangers:
Severe liver damage may occur that can eventually lead to cancer of
the liver and cirrhosis. 40-50% of children born to infected mothers
develop liver cancer.
Each year, an est. 4000 people die from Hepatitis B-related cirrhosis
and 800 more from Hepatitis B-related liver cancer. |
Treatment:
At present, there are no specific treatments for acute symptoms of
viral hepatitis. |
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Genital Warts / Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)
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What is it?
HPV is a very common, dangerous virus spread through oral, anal and
vaginal sex. There are more than 60 different strains; and more than
33% of women have this virus. |
Symptoms:
There may be no visible symptoms; many may not be aware they have it
and are spreading it. |
Damage:
HPV can cause genital warts, which are uncomfortable and emotionally
traumatizing. They are often painful and expensive to remove and can
leave permanent scarring. Usually only 6% of cases present visible
warts. |
HPV causes most
cervical cancers. Cervical cancer causes 4,500 deaths among women each
year.
Dangers:
May not be visible, may be dormant.
There is no STD test for men for HPV. Most men do not know they are
spreading it.
Treatment:
Although warts can be removed, there is no cure for HPV.
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References:
Centers for Disease
Control
www.cdc.gov
Medical Institute
for Sexual Health www.medinstitute.org
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