Sexually Transmitted Diseases
WHY YOU SHOULD BE TESTED
Many STDs have no symptoms. Untreated STDs can lead to serious, long-term health problems. Undiagnosed and untreated STDs cause at least 24,000 women in the United States to become infertile each year.
WHY IS STD TESTING IMPORTANT?
Many STDs have no symptoms. If you are sexually-active, talk to your physician about STD testing. Untreated STDs can lead to serious, long-term health problems. Undiagnosed and untreated STDs cause at least 24,000 women in the United States to become infertile each year. The next three segments discuss the most-common STDs diagnosed in the USA – chlamydia, gonorrhea, and herpes. While they are not addressed in this report, sexually-active women should also be aware of the dangers of syphilis and trichomonas.
CHLAMYDIA
Chlamydia, one of the most-common STDs among young women, is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. Often called the “silent” disease, chlamydia, if left undiagnosed and untreated, can cause irreversible damage to a woman’s reproductive organs. If symptoms do occur, they usually take the form of a vaginal discharge or burning sensation when urinating. Chlamydia can be transmitted during vaginal, anal, or oral sex.
Chlamydia can also pass from a mother to her baby during a vaginal delivery. All sexually-active women under age 26 should be tested for chlamydia at least annually. Women older than age 26 with a new sexual partner or multiple partners should also be tested at least annually. Sexual partners should also be tested and treated if infected. Women infected with chlamydia are five times more likely to become infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), if exposed.
The laboratory test to diagnose chlamydia can be performed from your urine or cells retrieved from your cervix. Chlamydia can be treated successfully with antibiotics. Extensive information about the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of chlamydia may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Refer to online site http://www.cdc.gov/std/chlamydia/stdfact-chlamydia.htm.
GONORRHEA
Gonorrhea is a STD caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which can grow and multiply easily in the warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract, including a woman’s cervix, uterus, and fallopian tubes, and in the urethra (urine canal) in both women and men. This bacterium can also grow in the mouth, throat, eyes, and anus. Any sexual contact can spread this disease. Ejaculation does not have to happen to
transmit or acquire gonorrhea. Women with this infection may display no symptoms.
A pregnant woman with gonorrhea can infect her baby. This infection can cause blindness, joint infection, and a lifethreatening blood condition.
Several laboratory tests are available to determine the presence of gonorrhea. While antibiotics usually cure this infection, there are some cases that are resistant to antibiotic therapy. Avoid sex while in treatment. Latex condoms can reduce the risk of transmission of gonorrhea. Extensive information about the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of gonorrhea may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Refer to online site http://www.cdc.gov/std/gonorrhea/stdfact-gonorrhea.htm.
GENITAL HERPES
Genital herpes is a STD caused by the herpes simplex viruses types 1 (HSV-1) and 2 (HSV-2). Most genital herpes is caused by HSV-2. Most individuals have no or only minimal signs or symptoms from HSV-1 or HSV-2 infection. When signs to occur, they typically appear as one or more blisters on or around the genitals or rectum. The blisters break, leaving tender ulcers (sores) that may take two-to-four weeks to heal the first time they occur. Typically, another outbreak can appear weeks or months after the first, but it is almost always less severe and shorter in duration than the first outbreak. Although a herpes infection can remain in the body indefinitely, the number of outbreaks tends to decrease over a period of years. If a woman has active genital herpes at time of delivery, a cesarean section is usually performed because genital herpes can cause a fatal infection in a baby who passes through the vaginal canal. Extensive information about the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of herpes may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Refer to online site http://www.cdc.gov/std/herpes/stdfact-herpes.htm.
PATIENT ADVISORY
STD testing should be an integral part of your routine periodic medical examination. If you are sexually-active, it is imperative that you have annual HIV testing