These infections are usually transmitted from one partner to another during intercourse.
Risk factors for these infections
- Having multiple partners
- Having intercourse with sex worker
- Men having sex with men
- Unprotected sex
- Trading sex for money/drugs
- Having STD in the past
Various types of STDs
- Herpes
- Genital warts
- Gonorrhea and chlamydia, trichomoniasis etc
- Syphilis, chancroid etc
- HIV- this is most important, as this is incurable.
- HBsAg, Hepatitis C
Symptoms
- Discharge from urethra or vagina
- Ulcer in or around genitalia
- Painful urination
- Bleeding between periods in women
- Pain in genitalia or pain during intercourse
- Blisters around genitalia
- Any swelling around genitalia
- Patients often have no signs or symptoms. Even then you can pass the infection to your sex partner.
When first infected with HIV, you may have no symptoms. Some people develop a flu-like illness(Fever, Headache, Sore throat, Swollen lymph glands, Rash, Fatigue), usually two to six weeks after being infected. Still, the only way you know if you have HIV is to be tested.
Treatment
- Prevention is best treatment. So you should have healthy sex habits
- Except few most STDs are curable.
- You should visit your doctor as soon as you have symptoms because it’s easier to diagnose many STDs when symptoms are present. Symptoms can sometimes go away, but that doesn’t mean the STD has been cured. And also early diagnosis means you can get treatment earlier and you have less risk of complications.
- Your doctor will take history, do examination and might do some tests to diagnose whether your condition is STD or not. If STD which type of STD. Then according to type of STD doctor will prescribe antibiotics or antivirals.
- Treatment of partner is must.