SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES

Sexually transmitted diseases are also called STDs for short. Or you may have heard them called STIs short for Sexually Transmitted Infections.

Most of us will have an infection on our sex organs some time during our lives. Not all these infections come from a sex partner. BUT they all can be passed on to a sex partner. There are many types of infections. The ones described in this site are common in the United States.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) Chart

Some important points about STDs:

• Many of them have symptoms that look the same. BUT each disease needs its own test and treatment.
• You can have more than one STD at the same time. Each one needs its own treatment.
• You can't get immune to STDs. You can catch the same infection over and over again.
• Many men and women don't see or feel any early symptoms when they first get infected with an STD. But they can still give their infection to a sex partner. And their disease will get worse as time goes on.
• People of any age can be tested and treated for STDs. Minors don't have to have their parents' permission.

How Can I Keep from Getting STDs?

Avoid exposure. Don't have sex. Or you can express affection in a way that does not involve contact between your sex organs and your partners.

Sex partners: only have sex with one person, who only has sex with you. Know your partner well enough to trust have or her to tell you about any STD they may have.

Use a condom: Carry the condoms with you, so there will be no reason to have sex without them. Learn how to use them correctly.
...even if a woman is using the birth control pill, she and her partner must still use a condom to protect themselves from infection.

Look for signs on your partner and on yourself. If you see a sore, rash or discharge on the sex organ, talk about it with your partner.

Get regular checkups. Ask your doctor or clinic to do tests for gonorrhea and chlamydia, even if you don't have symptoms. Threat both people. You and your sex partner may both need to be treated for any STD one of you has. This will keep you from catching the infection from each other all over again.

Don't mix sex with alcohol or drugs. When you are drunk or stoned it is hard to avoid unsafe sexual partners, or to use a condom.

What are some Common Symptoms of STDs?

• A man can have a drip or discharge that oozes from his penis.
• A woman can have a discharge from her vagina that is different from its normal wetness. An infection can make this discharge smell different, or it can be thicker than usual.
• Men or women can have burning, pain or itching when they urinate.
• Men or women can have sores, bumps, rashes, blisters or warts on or around their sex organs or bowel openings.

To Make STD Treatment Work

• Follow the directions for taking your medicine.
• Take all your pills, even if you feel better. Otherwise, some germs will survive and you won't be cured.
• Don't have sex with anyone until the doctor or clinic says you are cured.
• Go back to your doctor or clinic to be sure you are cured.
• You and your sex partner should be treated at the same time. Otherwise you can infect each other all over again. If your sex partner refuses treatment, protect yourself by refusing to have sex, or by using a condom.
• Don't share your medicine with your partner. Each of you must be treated separately.

Babies and STDs

When a pregnant woman has an STD, it can infect her baby as well. This can happen before birth, or while the baby is being born. An infection that is mild in a grown person can make a newborn baby very sick, or cause it to die.

What if I am planning to get pregnant?

If you think that you, or your sex partner, might be infected, go to a doctor or clinic and get tested for STDs. Most STDs can be cured. It is important that you get treated before you get pregnant. Some of the medicines used to treat STDs could affect your baby. HIV/AIDS can't be cured, but knowing you have HIV (the AIDS virus) can help you decide about not getting pregnant.

What if I am already pregnant?

Talk with your doctor about being tested and treated. The medicines used to treat some STDs are different when you are pregnant, because they can affect the baby. The doctor who takes care of the baby after it is born can be prepared to treat it for any STD it caught from you.

Which STDs affect babies?

Several STDs are very serious for babies. They included the most common STDs: Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, as well as Herpes, Syphilis, Warts, and worse of all, HIV/AIDS.