Sex is an essential part of life to most of us. But besides fun, sex involves risks that are more or less aware. In addition to unwanted pregnancies, the most unpleasant consequences of unprotected intercourse are sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), among which the most common are chlamydia, genital herpes, gonorrhea, hepatitis B or C, AIDS, HPV infection (genital warts) , syphilis.
What are the ways of transmission of an STD?
As the name suggests, the main way of infection of these diseases is normally unprotected intercourse, but can be transmitted through other types of sex. Other methods of transmission are using unsterilized medical instruments, blood transfusions or infected biological products, unsterilized manicure or pedicure instruments, transmission from mother to fetus. Both men and women are exposed to the same risks, but bothersome symptoms are generally women. It is worth mentioning that these diseases do not give immunity!
What are people at high risk for STDs?
- Any unprotected intercourse (normal, oral or anal) with the exception of a long-term stable relationship with one partner.
- Multiple sexual partners
- A high-risk sexual partner (who has or had multiple partners or other risk factors)
- A sexual partners who use injection drugs
What are the signs and symptoms of STDs?
It is not necessary to have contacted an STD and have symptoms or have nonspecific symptoms that may mimic other sexually noncommunicable diseases: lack of appetite, physical weakness, diarrhea, fever , chills, vomiting. Sometimes, symptoms occur in the genital area.
Chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomoniaza have similar symptoms. Alarm signals are represented by a female abnormal vaginal discharge, odor and color change, accompanied by itching and inflammation of the genital area, bleeding between menstrual periods, pain during intercourse and burning on urination. The latter may be present in men, which may associate and leakage from the urethra.
Primary syphilis usually begins with a painless red lesion eroded (sancru), round or oval, located in the genital, anal, on the tongue or throat. Untreated, this injury will heal only in a period varying between 1-6 weeks, but this does not cure the disease. The feature is a painless swelling of lymph nodes and groin in one side or bilateral.
Genital herpes appears as painful blisters filled with clear fluid in the genital area. The men appear most often on the penis.
HPV (human papilloma virus) can cause genital warts (venereal vegetation), skin color changes, which can stretch up to the anus.