About Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD’s)

In the next section, we want to give you accurate information about STD’s. Occasionally, we want to tell you what we think about something. We’ll put our comments in bold brackets. They look like this: [Comment: ] We will also tell you, in bold letters, if there is no cure for the disease. 

How do you catch an STD?
Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are transmitted from an infected person to an uninfected person during intimate sexual contact (vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse), close physical contact, from mother to baby, and through exchange of body fluids. Transmission usually requires direct contact with genital areas.

Your risk of catching an STD infection increases greatly (exponentially, for all you math wizards) the more sexual partners you have.

A few (we promise, only a few) statistics about STD’s:
STDs are more prevalent now than ever before. In the United States, there are about 25 types that are diagnosed with significant frequency. Presently, an estimated 56 million Americans (that’s one out of every five of us) have an incurable STD, and that doesn’t count the estimated one million Americans with HIV. There are approximately 12 million new cases of STDs annually. Teenagers (boys and girls aged 13-19) have the highest rate of STD infection of any age group, accounting for approximately three million of those new cases. If you broaden the group to include young people from the age of 13 through the age of 24, they account for 8 million cases per year. 

So does this mean all teenagers are going to catch an STD?
No. You don’t have to catch an STD. There are things that prevent the spread of these diseases. The most effective is abstinence, not having sex. Condoms also greatly reduce the risk of catching most STD’s if they are used correctly, if they are used every time you have sex or put the penis near the vagina, if they don’t break or leak (doesn’t happen often, but it happens), if they don’t slip off, and if the contents are not spilled near the vagina after sex. [Comment: Sounds like a lot has to go right for this to protect you.] 

Are there different types of STD’s?

Yes. Many STDs can be cured. However, many STDs can cause irreversible damage to the victim’s body and a few STD’s can not be cured. And a few can leave a woman sterile, unable to have children. 

There are three basic categories of Sexually Transmitted Diseases:
viral
bacterial
parasitic

Viral STDs have no cure. The symptoms of a viral STD can be treated but the individual infected with the virus carries it and is capable of spreading that virus for the rest of his or her life. Bacterial and parasitic STDs can be treated and cured. Individuals cannot, however, gain immunity to STDs. If an individual is treated for an STD, they can be reinfected with that STD if they engage in risky behavior again.


Some people don’t have symptoms if they have an STD. [Comment: So even if someone is the kind of person who would stop and tell you they have a disease you could catch, they can’t tell you because they don’t know they have it.]

What are the most common STD’s?

Chlamydia

Chlamydia is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. Chlamydia is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease in the United States. There are 2-4 million new cases of Chlamydia reported each year in the United States.

When symptoms of chlamydia are present, they usually appear in 1 to 5 weeks after sexual contact with an infected person. Seventy-five percent of females and twenty-five percent of males infected with Chlamydia have few or no symptoms. [Comment: So remember, they can’t warn you.] 

If a female has symptoms, they may include: 
    painful and more frequent urination 
    fever, dull stomachache, backache 
    unusual discharge from the vagina 
    bleeding between periods 
    itching. 

In males, symptoms include: 
    pain when urinating 
    discharge from penis
    itching 
    swelling or pain in the testicles

If left untreated:    
    infection in the testicles
    pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in women 
    damage to the reproductive organs
    sterility (inability to have children)

Chlamydia can also cause babies to have pneumonia and eye infections, or to be born prematurely (before they are due).

Chlamydia can be found during an exam by a simple lab test. Individuals infected with Chlamydia can be treated and cured with antibiotics.

Genital Herpes

Genital Herpes is caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2. An estimated 400 million Americans are infected with HSV. Of those individuals infected only 200,000 have symptoms.

Symptoms of herpes include painful blisters which appear in the area exposed to the virus. These blisters usually appear 2 to 20 days after sexual contact with an infected person and should heal within 2 to 3 weeks. In some individuals, herpes causes a first attack so mild that it goes away unnoticed. Other symptoms may include:

fever
tenderness or itching around the infected area
pain in legs, buttocks, or genital area
swollen glands
flu-like symptoms

Blisters and other symptoms can recur. Some people have frequent recurrences while others have them rarely. The flare ups are usually less severe. Herpes can be passed from one person to another even when the blisters are not present. [Comment: That means you can’t protect yourself by looking before you leap.]

Complications of genital herpes. In adults, genital herpes may cause:
painful urination
cervical cancer in women

Genital herpes can also cause newborn babies to be mentally retarded; to have nerve damage, eye infections and skin infections; or to die.

Herpes can be identified during an exam only when blisters or sores are present. [Comment: Since they are not always present, you could have this for years and not know what the problem is.] There is no cure for genital herpes, but there are treatments for the symptoms.

Genital Warts (HPV)

Genital or Venereal Warts are caused by human papilloma virus (HPV). There are 25 types of HPV that can infect the genital area. More than 1 million individuals are diagnosed with HPV each year.

Warts may appear three weeks to several months after the initial contact with an infected person. Even without visible warts, the virus (HPV) is present in an infected person and can be easily spread by an infected individual. [Comment: One more time, if the infected person doesn’t know he or she has the disease, how are they going to warn you?] Warts may be pink, red, or flesh colored; flat (making them very difficult to see) or raised; and single or in clusters. An infected person may also have itching in or around the vagina, penis, or anus; and discharge from the vagina or penis. 

Complications of genital warts (HPV). HPV is strongly associated with cancers of the vulva, penis, vagina and anus. HPV is the cause of almost all cancer of the cervix. Infants exposed to the virus in the birth canal can develop warts in the throat which can obstruct the infant's airway.

There are several treatments for the symptoms of genital warts. These include drugs, “freezing” the warts off with liquid nitrogen, and surgical removal. The type of treatment used may depend on the number of warts, their size, and where the warts are located. Sometimes more than one treatment may be needed to get rid of the warts. However, even though the warts go away, the virus remains in the body and the warts can come back. Genital warts may be passed from person to person even though the warts are not present. Never apply over the counter remedies. Over the counter wart remedies will not cure genital warts and they may be harmful to the infected individual .


HPV can occur on parts of the genitals that are not covered by condoms and requires only skin-to-skin contact to spread (no exchange of fluid). In these cases, condoms offer no protection against the disease. [Comment: And since some of the warts are flat and almost invisible, it doesn’t do any good to look for them before you have sex. The only way to protect yourself from this disease is abstinence.]

There is no cure for genital warts (HPV).

Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. There are more than 600,000 new cases of gonorrhea in the United States each year.

Some females and males have no symptoms [Comment: Ok, we won’t tell you what this means again.] Symptoms usually appear 2 to 8 days after sexual contact with an infected person. When symptoms for gonorrhea are present they may include:

painful urination or bowel movement
whitish/yellow discharge from anus, vagina, or penis
sore throat
anal itching

Females may also have fever, stomach ache, and abnormal bleeding

Complications of gonorrhea. In adults, gonorrhea may cause:

pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
sterility
chronic pelvic pain

Gonorrhea can also cause newborn babies to have eye infections, to be blind, or to have meningitis.

If left untreated gonorrhea can infect the joints, heart valves and the brain.

Gonorrhea can be found during an exam by a simple lab test. Individuals infected with gonorrhea can be treated and usually cured with antibiotics. There are a few strains of gonorrhea which are drug-resistant, meaning they may not be curable.

HIV/AIDS

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the virus which causes AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). HIV is a human virus. There is no definitive evidence it can be spread by animals or insects. HIV is transmitted only when the infected body fluids (blood, semen, vaginal fluids) of a person with HIV enter our blood stream. HIV is transmitted in the following ways:

sexual contact
sharing needles
mother to baby (pregnancy, birth, breast feeding)

HIV is not transmitted through:
toilet seats
hugging
food 
swimming pools

There is no definitive evidence that HIV is transmitted by sneezing, kissing, saliva, tears or mosquitoes.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a condition which damages the immune system leaving the body open to attack from infections and cancers that are not a threat to people with healthy immune systems. 

Some people experience no symptoms when first infected with HIV. Others have flu-like symptoms which include fever, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue and enlarged lymph nodes. The symptoms usually disappear with in one week to a month and the virus can remain dormant for years. However, it continues to weaken the immune system.

Virtually everyone who becomes infected with HIV eventually develops AIDS and dies of AIDS-related complications. Twenty to thirty percent of infants born to infected mothers are HIV infected and develop symptoms of AIDS within one year after birth. Of these babies, twenty percent die by the time they are eighteen months old. Anti-viral drugs given during pregnancy reduce the risk of the fetus contracting HIV.

HIV/AIDS cans be found during an exam by using a simple blood test. Symptoms can be treated with anti-viral medications but there is no cure.

Syphilis

Syphilis is caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. In the United States more than 68,000 cases of syphilis in adults and more than 1,500 cases of syphilis in newborns were reported by public officials in 1995.

The syphilis bacterium is passed from person to person through direct contact with a syphilis sore. The time between picking up the bacterium and the start of the first symptom can range from 10-90 days. 

Symptoms of syphilis (and complications in adults) appear in three stages:

Primary syphilis: 10 to 90 days after having sex with an infected person a hard, red, painless sore (called a chancre) will appear in the area exposed to the bacteria. The sore will heal in 2-6 weeks, but syphilis is still spreading through the bloodstream.

Secondary syphilis: Weeks or months later a rash may appear anywhere on the body. The rash often appears as rough brown spots on the palms of the hands and the bottom of the feet. The rash may also appear as a prickly heat rash, as small blotches or scales all over the body, as a bad case of old acne, as moist warts in the groin area, as slimy white patches in the mouth, as sunken dark circles the size of a nickel or dime, or as pus-filled bumps like chicken pox. Other signs may include swollen glands, sore throat, weight loss, and headaches. Symptoms may go away in 2-6 weeks, but syphilis is still spreading through the bloodstream.


Latent syphilis: this stage begins when the secondary symptoms disappear. If the infected person has not received treatment, he/she still has syphilis even though there are no symptoms. The bacterium remains in the body and begins to damage internal organs including the brain, nerves, eyes, heart, blood vessels, liver, bones, and joints.

A pregnant woman infected with syphilis has about a 40% chance of having a still birth or delivering a baby who dies shortly after birth. A baby born to a mother with either untreated syphilis or syphilis treated after the 34th week of pregnancy has a 40-70% chance of being infected with syphilis. Infected babies are born with serious health problems, which may include:

skin sores
slimy patches in the mouth
inflamed arm and leg bones
swollen liver
anemia
jaundice

Untreated babies may become retarded or have seizures. About 12% of infected babies will die from syphilis. 

Syphilis is found by a simple blood test and treated with the antibiotic penicillin. Penicillin treatment will the kill the syphilis bacterium and prevent further damage, but it will not repair any damage already done to an infected individual.

Pubic lice 

Pubic lice are small insects that attach themselves to the pubic hair of both males and females. They are commonly called “crabs” or “cooties”.

Pubic lice are passed during close physical contact with an infected person or objects that an infected person has come in contact with. Symptoms of pubic lice may include:

slight to severe itching
small red bumps in the pubic area
nits (small eggs) that stick to the pubic hair and hair on the upper legs
lice that can be seen on the pubic hair and hair on the upper legs
discolored skin patches and scratch marks in the pubic area

Pubic lice can be treated with medicated creams, rinses, lotions, and shampoos. When used as directed, Well, Rid or R&C shampoo can be used to treat pubic lice. Individuals who have pubic lice must also disinfect their bedding, clothing and furniture.

Complications of public lice. Without treatment, pubic lice may cause swollen glands, rashes, and skin infections to occur.

Thanks to our friends at the Family Life Council of Greater Greensboro, Inc. for letting us use parts of their male responsibility curriculum "Wise Guys" for this section.