Scheduling (828) 345-0800
Request an Appointment
PATIENT PORTAL
  • 0Shopping Cart
A Woman's View | Healthcare for Women | Hickory, NC
  • Home
  • Services
    • Gynecology
      • Abnormal Pap Smear
      • Annual Exams
      • Birth Control
      • Bladder Health
      • Bone Density Screening
      • Cervical Cancer Screening
      • Endometrial Biopsy
      • Gynecologic Surgery
      • Hormone Replacement Therapy
      • Infertility
      • Menopause Management
      • Osteoporosis
      • Pelvic Organ Prolapse
      • PMS Relief
      • STD Screening & Treatment
      • Teen & Adolescent Gynecology
      • Urinary Incontinence
      • Uterine Fibroids
    • Mammography
    • Ultrasound
      • Prenatal Ultrasounds
      • Instructions for Pregnant Patients
      • Other Types of Ultrasounds
      • Instructions for Other Ultrasounds
    • Obstetrics
      • Genetic Testing
      • Instructions for Delivery
      • Postpartum Care
      • Preconception
      • Routine Prenatal Care
      • Safe Medications During Pregnancy
    • Primary Care
    • Lab Services
    • Weight Management
    • Counseling Services
  • Resources
    • Young & On Your Way
    • Oh, Baby!
    • In Full Stride
    • Aging Gracefully
    • Community Resources
    • Girl Talk Educational Sessions
    • Just Between Us Newsletter
  • Meet Us
  • Visit
    • Electronic Check-in System
    • Patient Forms
    • Patient Rights & Responsibilities
    • Patient Financial Responsibility Policy
    • Privacy
    • Insurance & Billing
    • Collections Protocol
    • Card on File
    • Online Bill Pay
    • Prescription Refills
  • Location
  • Contact Us
  • Menu Menu

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

January 10, 2017/in Aging Gracefully, Health Library, Health Library, Health Library, In Full Stride, Resources, Young & On Your Way /by

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)

What are sexually transmitted infections
(STIs)?

STIs are infectious diseases
passed from person to person through sexual contact. They may also be called STDs
for
sexually transmitted diseases. Millions of new cases are diagnosed every year in the
U.S. According to the CDC, 15- to 24-year-olds make up half of all new STIs.

How can you protect yourself from
STIs?

The best way to prevent getting an
STI is to not have sex, including oral, vaginal, or anal sex. But you can take steps
to
lower your risk for an STD if you decide to become sexually active, or are currently
sexually active. These include:

  • Use a male latex condom the
    correct way every time you have sex. Or use a female polyurethane condom
    plus medicine that kills sperm (topical spermicide).

  • Prevent and control other
    STIs. Having one STI may increase your risk for others.

  • Delay having sexual
    relationships as long as you can. The younger you are when you start having sex,
    the more likely you are to get an STI.

  • Have regular checkups for HIV
    and STIs.

  • Learn the symptoms of STIs
    and seek medical help as soon as possible if any symptoms develop.

  • Don’t have sexual intercourse
    during your monthly period.

  • Don’t have anal intercourse.
    Or if you do, use a latex condom and medicine that kills sperm.

  • Don’t douche.

  • Talk with your healthcare provider if you have had an STI or
    have multiple sexual partners. Ask your provider about preventing HIV infection by
    taking a preventive medicine. This is called PREP (pre-exposure prophylaxis).
  • Start taking PEP medicines as soon as possible after sex if you
    had unprotected sex with a partner who is HIV-positive or you don’t know their HIV
    status. PEP is a combination of antiviral medicines. The medicines should be taken
    no
    later than 72 hours after sex. They can help to prevent you from getting HIV. If your
    partner is HIV-positive but taking their antiretroviral medicine regularly and their
    virus is “undetectable,” you are at little risk for HIV. You would not need to take
    PEP.

What to do when diagnosed with an
STI?

  • Begin treatment right away.
    Take the full course of medicines, and follow your healthcare provider’s
    advice.

  • Tell your recent sexual partners so that they can get tested and
    treated, too.
  • Tell your local health
    department about all recent sexual partners, so that they can be informed even if
    you haven’t been able to tell them. The health department will tell them in a
    confidential manner, without revealing your identity.

  • Don’t have sexual activity
    while getting treatment for an STI. Ask your healthcare provider when it is safe
    to have sex again.

What are some common types of
STIs?

Common STIs are listed below.

HIV

HIV is a virus that destroys the
body’s ability to fight infection. People who have HIV may not look or feel sick for
a long time after infection. If you are not diagnosed early and treated, you are
at
high risk of developing many life-threatening diseases and certain forms of cancer.
The virus is passed on most often during sexual activity. It can also be passed on
by
sharing needles used to inject drugs. HIV can be passed to your baby during
pregnancy, and labor and delivery, and through breastfeeding. If you know before
becoming pregnant or early in your pregnancy that you are HIV-positive, you can get
treatment that greatly lowers your chance of passing on the virus to your child. 

Human papillomavirus (HPV)

HPV is one of the most common
STIs. Some types of HPV can cause genital warts. These can happen on the inside or
outside areas of the genitals. They may spread to the surrounding skin or to a sexual
partner. Many other types of HPV cause no symptoms, so you may not know that you are
infected. In most cases, the virus goes away and doesn’t cause more health problems.
But if the virus lasts, normal cells can change and become abnormal. Women with an
HPV infection with high-risk types such as HPV 16 and 18 have an increased risk of
getting cervical cancer. Pap tests can detect HPV infection, as well as abnormal
cervical cells. An HPV vaccine protects against the types of HPV that cause most
cervical cancers. It also protects against most genital warts in both men and women,
and against anal cancer in men. Even with treatment for genital warts, the virus
remains in the body and warts can reappear. Certain types of HPV can also cause warts
on other body parts such as the hands. These are called common warts. These don’t
generally cause health problems. If a pregnant woman has a large number of genital
warts, the growths can complicate a vaginal delivery. If the warts block the birth
canal, the woman may need a cesarean section. 

Chlamydia

Chlamydia is the most commonly
reported STI in the U.S. It can affect both men and women. It often causes no
symptoms. If symptomatic, the infection may cause an abnormal genital discharge and
burning with urination. In women, untreated chlamydia may lead to pelvic inflammatory
disease (PID). Chlamydia can be treated with antibiotics. The most common and
serious complications occur in women. In addition to PID, these include tubal
(ectopic) pregnancy and infertility. Chlamydia can also be carried in and affect the
rectum and throat. If you are pregnant and have chlamydia, the infection can be
passed to your baby at birth. This can cause eye infections or pneumonia in your
baby. With chlamydia, you are also more likely to have your baby too early. 

Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea may be present but
cause no symptoms. Or it can cause a discharge from the vagina, penis, or rectum,
painful or difficult urination or bowel movements, or a sore throat that doesn’t go
away. The most common and serious complications happen in women. They include PID,
tubal pregnancy, and infertility. Men can also get infection of the prostate or
epididymis. Gonorrhea can be treated with antibiotics. Gonorrhea at the time of
childbirth can spread to the baby and cause severe eye infection. 

Genital herpes

Genital herpes infections are
caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). Symptoms may include painful blisters or
open sores in the genital, buttock, or rectal area. Tingling or burning sensation
in
the legs, buttocks, or genital area may happen just before the blisters show up. The
herpes sores usually disappear within a few days. The virus stays in the body for
life, and the sores may return from time to time. There is no cure for HSV. But
medicine can shorten an outbreak and ease symptoms. It can also be used to prevent
outbreaks. HSV can be passed on from the mouth to the genitals, or from the genitals
to the mouth, during oral sex. The virus can be passed on to sexual partners even
if
the person has no visible blisters. This is from so-called asymptomatic shedding of
the infection. HSV can also be spread to a baby at the time of childbirth. This
causes a very severe infection in the baby. 



Syphilis


The first symptom of syphilis is
a painless open sore that usually shows up on the penis, in the vagina or mouth, or
on the skin around the rectum or genitals. Untreated syphilis may go on to more
advanced stages. These include a rash. Over time it can cause problems with the heart
and central nervous system. Syphilis can be treated with antibiotics. If a pregnant
woman has untreated syphilis, the disease can cause dangerous, even fatal, problems
for the baby. The way congenital syphilis affects the baby depends on how long the
woman has had the disease and if or when she was treated for the infection. This form
of syphilis can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, or death of the baby shortly after
birth. Untreated babies that do survive will likely develop serious multiple organ
problems of the brain, heart, eyes, and ears.



Other infections


Other infections that may be
sexually transmitted include:

  • Bacterial vaginosis

  • Chancroid

  • Molluscum contagiosum

  • Pubic lice

  • Scabies

  • Trichomoniasis

  • Vaginal yeast
    infections

What are the facts about STIs and teens?

STIs affect men and women of all
backgrounds and economic levels. But nearly half of all STIs in the U.S. happen in
people younger than age 25.

STIs are on the rise. This may be
because more sexually active people have multiple sex partners during their life.

Many STIs cause no symptoms at
first. Also, many STI symptoms may look like those of other diseases not transmitted
through sexual contact. This is especially true in women.  STIs without symptoms can
still be spread to other people.

Women suffer more severe symptoms
from STIs:

  • Some STIs can spread into the
    womb (uterus) and fallopian tubes and cause PID. This can lead to both infertility
    and tubal pregnancy.

  • STIs in women, especially HPV
    infection, also may lead to cervical and anal cancer. Men can also get penile and
    anal cancer from HPV infection.

  • STIs can be passed from a
    mother to her baby before or during birth. Some infections of the newborn may be
    successfully treated. Others may cause a baby to be permanently disabled or even
    die.

Many STIs can be successfully
treated when diagnosed early.

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Share on Vk
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
  • English Resources
  • Recursos españoles
  • Privacy
  • Careers
  • Patient Portal
  • News
  • Contact Us
  • Employee Store Login
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Endometriosis Endometrial Biopsy
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Scroll to top