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STDs
Sexually transmitted diseases (also known as STDs and once called venereal diseases or
VD) are infectious diseases that spread from person to person through intimate contact.
 Every year, almost 4 million American teenagers get an STD.
 If you’ve had sex, you could be infected with one or more STDs.
 STDs cause symptoms. Others don’t. You could have one now and not even know it. Just
because you don’t know you’re infected doesn’t mean you’re not being affected.
 STDs can affect guys and girls of all ages and backgrounds who are having sex — it doesn't
matter if they're rich or poor.
 STDs are serious, sometimes painful, and can cause a lot of damage.
 Some STDs make you sick today and others cause problems later in life. If untreated, some
STDs can cause permanent damage, such as infertility (the inability to have a baby) and even
death (in the case of HIV/AIDS).
 Some STDs infect your sexual and reproductive organs. Others (HIV, hepatitis B, syphilis)
cause general body infections.
 A few STDs cannot be cured. But most STDs can be cured if you get treated.
 Unfortunately, STDs have become common among teens. Because teens are more at risk for
getting some STDs, it's important to learn what you can do to protect yourself.
 STDs are more than just an embarrassment. They're a serious health problem.
HOW ARE STDs SPREAD?
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STDs are spread during sexual activity (vaginal, anal and oral sex)
o Most STD germs need to live in warm, moist areas. That’s why they infect the mouth,
rectum and sex organs (vagina, vulva, penis and testes).
o Oral and anal sex - viruses or bacteria that cause STDs can enter the body through tiny
cuts or tears in the mouth and anus, as well as the genitals
NOT ALWAYS spread via sexual contact
o Contact with infected blood – HIV and hepatitis B
o Skin to skin contact with an infected area or sore – herpes or genital warts
STDs also spread easily because you can't tell whether someone has an infection.
o Some people with STDs don't even know that they have them. These people are in
danger of passing an infection on to their sex partners without even realizing it.
Some of the things that increase a person's chances of getting an STD are:
o Sexual activity at a young age - The younger a person starts having sex, the greater
his or her chances of becoming infected with an STD.
o Lots of sex partners - People who have sexual contact — not just intercourse, but any
form of intimate activity — with many different partners are more at risk than those who
stay with the same partner.
o Unprotected sex - Latex condoms are the only form of birth control that reduce your
risk of getting an STD. Spermicides, diaphragms, and other birth control methods may
help prevent pregnancy, but they don't protect a person against STDs.
IS IT AN STD?
 If you have symptoms, you may notice any of the following. But, remember, MANY PEOPLE
HAVE NO SYMPTOMS.
Women:
Women and Men:
 An unusual discharge or smell from your
 Sores, bumps or blisters near your sex
vagina.
organs, rectum, or mouth
 Pain in your pelvic area – the area between
 Burning and pain when you urinate (pee)
your belly button and sex organs
 Need to urinate (pee) often
 Burning or itching around your vagina
 Itching around your sex organs
 Bleeding from your vagina that is not your
 A swelling or redness in your throat
regular period
 Flu-like feelings, with fever, chills and
 Pain deep inside your vagina when you
aches
have sex
 Swelling in your groin—the area
around your sex organs
Men: A drip or discharge from your penis.
 If you have any of these symptoms, stop having sex. Go to the STD clinic or your health
care provider. Don’t put if off—get checked out now!
STD PREVENTION
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As with many other diseases, prevention is key. It's much easier to prevent STDs than to treat
them.
The only way to completely prevent STDs is to abstain from all types of sexual contact.
If someone is going to have sex, the best way to reduce the chance of getting an STD is by
using a condom.
People who are considering having sex should get regular gynecological or male genital
examinations. Why?
o First, these exams give doctors a chance to teach people about STDs and protecting
themselves.
o Second, regular exams give doctors more opportunities to check for STDs while they're
still in their earliest, most treatable stage.
In order for these exams and visits to the doctor to be helpful, people need to tell their doctors
if they are thinking about having sex or if they have already started having sex. This is true for
all types of sex — oral, vaginal, and anal.
WHAT TO DO
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Know the signs and symptoms of STDs. If you notice a symptom that worries you, get checked
out! Don’t just hope the STD will go away. It won’t!
Don't let embarrassment at the thought of having an STD keep you from seeking medical
attention. Waiting to see a doctor may allow a disease to progress and cause more damage.
If you don't have a doctor or prefer not to see your family doctor, you may be able to find a
local clinic in your area where you can get an exam confidentially. Some national and local
organizations operate STD hotlines staffed by trained specialists who can answer your
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questions and provide referrals. Calls to these hotlines are confidential. One hotline you can
call for information is the National STD Hotline at 1-800-227-8922.
Most STDs can be treated with antibiotics. Do exactly what your doctor tells you. Be sure to
use all of your medicine.
You also must tell your sexual partner(s). If they aren’t treated, they can get sick. They can
spread the STD. They might even give it to you again!
Not all infections in the genitals are caused by STDs. Sometimes people can get symptoms
that seem very like those of STDs, even though they've never had sex.
o For girls, a yeast infection can easily be confused with an STD.
o Guys may worry about bumps on the penis that turn out to be pimples or irritated hair
follicles.
EXAMPLES
Herpes:
Antiviral medications help the symptoms, but can’t cure the disease. People who have one painful
skin outbreak of genital herpes almost always have other outbreaks. If you have genital herpes—
even if you don’t have blisters or sores—you can spread the infection during sex. And if you have
genital herpes and have sex with a person who is infected with HIV, your chances for catching HIV
increase.
Chlamydia:
Most infected people—especially women—don’t have symptoms, so they can’t tell. Even without
symptoms, infected people can pass chlamydia to every person they have sex with. When people
with chlamydia do have symptoms, the symptoms may include pain when going to the bathroom or a
“discharge" coming from the penis or vagina. In 2004, 11,253 cases in 13-19 year olds in North
Carolina.
Gonorrhea:
Gonorrhea is the second most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease (STD). Gonorrhea can
be treated with antibiotics. But if you don’t know you’re infected, you won’t be looking for treatment. If
you have had sex, see your doctor and get checked. Don’t put it off. If treatment is delayed, infected
women can get a pelvic inflammatory disease (a serious complication of gonorrhea). PID causes
problems now (abdominal pain) and problems later (difficulty getting pregnant or infertility). In 2004,
3,988 cases in 13-19 year olds in North Carolina.
Hepatitis B:
Hepatitis B is a common viral blood borne disease; about half of all hepatitis B infections are
transmitted through sexual activity. People who share needles when shooting drugs are at high risk
for infection. You can also get it if a previously used (unsterile) needle is used on you for a tattoo or
body piercing. Unvaccinated babies can get it from their infected mothers. You don’t get it from the
type of casual contact you have at school. Considering the way hepatitis B is transmitted, condoms
would not be expected to eliminate your risk of infection, though they might reduce it some. There are
a number of drugs that can be used to treat hepatitis B, but they’re expensive, have to be used for a
long time, have side effects and don’t always work.
Hepatitis C:
When first infected, you may or may not have symptoms. About four out of every five people develop
serious chronic infections. Even with no symptoms, you can still pass the disease to anyone with
whom you have sex. The infection causes liver damage, which may make your skin and eyes turn
yellow (jaundice), and make you feel tired and nauseated. These infections can also cause cancer
and death. There is no vaccine to prevent hepatitis C. Although, there are a number of drugs that can
be used to treat hepatitis C, they’re expensive, have to be used for a long time, have side effects and
don’t always work.
HIV/AIDS:
HIV is a virus that invades the immune system and destroys it over time; this reduces a person’s
ability to fight off infections and cancer. People with HIV eventually develop AIDS, which is often fatal.
You can get HIV from contact with infected blood or body fluids during vaginal or oral sex, and the
risk is greatly increased if you have anal sex, multiple partners or shoot drugs. Infected pregnant girls
can pass it on to their babies. You don’t get HIV from the type of casual contact you have at school.
Using condoms exactly as directed every time you have sex can reduce your risk of getting HIV by
about 85%. However, this still leaves a significant chance of getting a deadly disease. It is also
possible for HIV to be passed during oral sex.
HPV (Human Papilloma Virus):
HPV is transmitted two ways: by skin-to-skin contact and by contact with infected body fluids. It is
most often spread by sex play or sexual intercourse (vaginal, anal or oral sex). HPV is the most
common viral STD. Some people with HPV have warts on (or in) their genitals, but most people with
HPV don’t know they are infected. A Pap smear can detect HPV infection in women. Infection with
certain strains of HPV causes cervical cancer in women. All sexually active women should have
regular Pap smears so that cervical cancer and other problems caused by HPV can be recognized
and treated. There is no cure for HPV. Because most people don’t know they have HPV, they don’t
seek medical treatment. Warts caused by HPV can be treated, but treatment doesn’t guarantee the
warts won’t return. Abnormal Pap smears and cervical cancer can be treated, but successful
treatment depends on finding those problems early.
Syphilis:
Syphilis is passed during oral, vaginal or anal sex through direct contact with highly infectious sores
or patches that are usually on the genitals or mouth. Infected pregnant girls can also pass it on to
their babies, causing major birth defects or miscarriages. Even if you use a condom exactly as
directed 100% of the time when you have sex, you only reduce your chance of getting syphilis from
an infected partner by about 30% to 50%. Syphilis is also easy to transmit through oral sex. In fact,
oral sex appears to have played a major role in syphilis transmission in many recent outbreaks.
http://www.cchdoc.com/STD.htm
http://kidshealth.org/teen/sexual_health/stds/std.html#