3 Most Common Sexually Transmitted Diseases and How to Deal with Them
According to CDC, there are 20 million new cases of STD infections every year here in the US. This is an alarming number triggered mainly by unawareness and mere negligence.
There are several different types of STDs, and some of the most common ones do not even show any symptoms. Does that mean they’re harmless? Absolutely not. They could be silent killers that lead to some serious health issues that you’d want to avoid.
The first step to avoiding STDs is learning about them.
What Exactly Are STDs?
STDs are short for sexually transmitted diseases, also sometimes referred to as STIs, i.e., sexually transmitted infections. They are caused by infectious organisms—there are more than 35 of these—that are primarily transmitted via sexual activity.
Nearly half of the cases in the US each year are in the 15 to 24 years age group. This is because the spread of STDs is directly related to specific biological, economic, social, and behavioral factors.
STDs are acquired primarily during unprotected sexual activity when one partner is infected, and preventing them not only helps to save and improve the quality of life for young Americans but it would also help to reduce the burden on the healthcare system.
Some of the most common STDs in the US are treatable and/or manageable. And here’s everything you need to know about them.
Chlamydia
One of the most common STDs that can infect either gender is chlamydia. It is caused by bacteria transmitted during sexual activity and often shows no outward symptoms in the earliest stages.
Statistics show that about 70 percent of men and 90 percent of women experience no symptoms of the disease, but that doesn’t stop health problems later on; it only makes them more difficult to diagnose.
How Can You Contract Chlamydia?
One of the reasons chlamydia is so common is because of how easily you can contract it without even having sex. While unprotected sexual activity is obviously a primary way the infection is transmitted from one partner to the other, it could also as easily be transferred without any penetration.
Sometimes, just being born could give you chlamydia. Literally, chlamydia can be transferred to newborn babies during their birth. This is why a chlamydia test is usually part of the prenatal testing protocol.
Very rarely, chlamydia infection could also happen in the eyes due to genital or oral contact, but these are extremely rare instances.
Symptoms in Men
Men, being the oblivious creatures that they are, usually don’t notice the signs of chlamydia even when they are there. But for many, the symptoms don’t appear at all, and if they do, it’s 1-3 weeks after the transmission. Here are the signs you’d want to look out for:
- Feeling a burning sensation while urinating;
- Unusual pain in the testicles, anus, or even lower abdomen;
- Green or yellow discharge;
- Bleeding from the anus (if the infection is in the anus);
- Sore throat, fever, or cough (sounds like COVID, but could be chlamydia in the throat in case of oral sex)
Symptoms in Women
For women, the symptoms can take forever to appear. But some common symptoms are:
- Experiencing pain during intercourse;
- Bleeding when you’re not on the period;
- Cervicitis (cervix inflammation);
- Lower abdomen pain;
- Burning feeling while passing urine;
- Unusual vaginal discharge
- Rectal pain or bleeding (in case the infection is in the rectum)
- Sore throat, fever, or cough (if chlamydia infection is in the throat in case of oral sex)
How Do You Handle It?
Well, you go to a doctor.
No, seriously, the only great thing about chlamydia is that it’s very easy to treat with antibiotics. So, you need to get in touch with a doctor and have them prescribe medication. And all you need to do is take the doses regularly until you’re treated—which would take about two weeks.
And needless to say, don’t have any sex during this time and use protection in the future.
Genital Herpes
According to CDC, 16 percent of people, aged anywhere between 14 to 49 suffer from this condition in the US.
Sadly, this condition isn’t as forgiving as the virtually invisible chlamydia. Genital herpes is marked by painful blisters called herpetic sores. Seriously though, when they pop, it’s a painfully disgusting sight.
What Causes Them?
Genital Herpes is caused by the herpes simplex virus, of which there are two types, HSV-1 (results in cold sores) and HSV-2 (usually results in genital herpes).
These viruses can exist in semen, vaginal secretions, and saliva—so yes, you could contract it simply by kissing someone.
What Do the Symptoms Look Like?
Well, for starters, they look horrid. The most obvious symptoms are an outbreak of blisters that could appear as soon as two days after you contract the virus, or it could take a month!
Where are these blisters found, one may ask? Well, on the penis or vagina, scrotum, anus, buttocks, or the mouth or on the lips.
Before you actually see any blisters, you’ll probably feel super itchy in that area. Other symptoms may also include lymph glands being swollen, headaches, fevers, and fatigue.
How Do You Treat Genital Herpes?
Genital herpes isn’t something you’d want to take lightly, so getting in touch with a doctor right away is a good idea. The doctor will probably prescribe antiviral drugs and other prevention drugs.
Once you’ve contracted the virus, it’s also important to use clothing and products that are gentle on the infected area.
Moreover, if you’re pregnant, make sure to let your doctor know, as genital herpes can cause serious complications for the unborn child.
Trichomonas
3.7 million Americans have trichomoniasis at the moment. Are you one of them? You might never know; about 70 percent of those infected have no symptoms at all. So, what exactly is this silent STD?
Trichomonas, trich for short, is caused by a unicellular organism known as Trichomonas vaginalis that travels through, of course, unprotected sexual activity that involves the genitals.
For women, the infection could be in the vagina and/or urethra; for men, however, it’s only in the urethra.
How Is It Treated?
If diagnosed, trichomonas is fairly easy to cure with antibiotics. It can literally be treated within a week, but you need the condition to be completely treated before getting involved in any sexual activity again.
Moreover, it’s pointless to get treated if your partner doesn’t receive the same treatment; you’ll most likely acquire the condition all over again.
Going into the doctor’s office for STDs can feel awkward, although anything related to your health and well-being shouldn’t feel that way.
But if you’re experiencing any symptoms that you feel may be linked to an STD, and if you feel uncomfortable going to a doctor physically, get in touch with our virtual doctors online.
At TelMDCare, we have online doctor consultation services with which you can have an online chat with a doctor for treatment and prescriptions.