Dr. MJ Bazos MD,
Patient Handout
STDs: Learn How to
Protect Yourself
What is an
STD?
An STD -- short for sexually transmitted disease
-- is an infection you can get by having sex. Sex in this case includes
intercourse, anal sex, oral sex or skin-to-skin contact. Some of the most common
STDs are listed below.
How can I protect myself against an
STD?
The only 100% sure way to protect yourself is
NOT TO HAVE SEX. It only takes one sexual contact with someone who has an STD to
catch it. If you are sexually active, protect yourself by using a latex condom
and a spermicide foam, cream or jelly with nonoxynol-9 (check the label on the
box) every time you have sex.
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Did you know that...
- One out of every 8 adolescents gets an STD.
- The number of 15 to 19 year olds who said they
used condoms the first time they had sex tripled in the past 20 years: From 18%
in 1975 to 58% in 1999.
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Pubic lice
(crabs)
Symptoms: Girls and guys may have redness
and itching around the genitals.
Treatment: Medicine can kill the lice,
but they can come back if clothes, sheets and towels aren't washed to get rid of
the lice. Usually both partners need to be treated.
Trichomoniasis
Symptoms: Girls can have a heavy,
greenish-yellow frothy discharge and pain when urinating. Guys don't usually
have symptoms.
Treatment: Antibiotics. Usually both
partners need to be treated.
Chlamydia
Symptoms: Girls may have no symptoms or
may have pain when urinating, itching around the vagina, yellow fluid
(discharge) from the vagina, bleeding between periods or pain in the lower
abdomen. Guys may feel a burning when urinating and have milky colored discharge
from the penis. If not treated, chlamydia can cause infertility and other
problems in girls and painful swelling of the scrotum in guys.
Treatment: Antibiotics. Usually both
partners should be treated.
Syphilis
Symptoms: An early symptom is a red
painless sore, called a chancre. The sore can be on the penis, vagina, tongue or
throat. The glands near the sore may be swollen. After a few months, both guys
and girls can get a fever, sore throat, headache, or pain in their joints.
Another symptom is a scaly rash on the palms of the hands or the bottom of the
feet. The sores and other symptoms go away, but this does not mean that the
infection is gone. Syphilis can cause serious health problems if it's not
treated.
Treatment: Antibiotics. If one partner is
infected, the other should be tested.
HIV/AIDS
Symptoms: HIV (human immunodeficiency
virus) causes AIDS. HIV makes the body's immune system weak so it can't fight
disease. Symptoms may take years to develop, and can include infections, feeling
tired for no reason, and night sweats.
Treatment: Medicines can treat symptoms
but can't cure AIDS. If one partner is infected, the other should be checked by
a doctor.
Herpes
Symptoms: Girls and guys may have
tingling, pain or itching around the vagina or penis. Small blisters can form in
these areas and then break open. When they break open, the sores can cause a
burning feeling. It may hurt to urinate. Some people have swollen glands, fever
and body aches. The sores and other symptoms go away, but this does not mean
that the infection is gone. The sores and blisters can come back (called an
"outbreak").
Treatment: Medicine can treat symptoms
but can't cure herpes. If one partner is infected, the other should by checked
by a doctor.
Gonorrhea
Symptoms: Girls may have no symptoms or
may have white, green or yellow discharge from the vagina, pain when urinating,
bleeding between periods, heavy bleeding during a period or a fever. Both girls
and guys can get sore throats if they've had mouth to penis or vagina contact
(oral sex). Guys may have thick, yellow discharge from the penis and pain when
urinating. The opening of the penis may be sore. Gonorrhea can cause serious
health problems if it's not treated.
Treatment: Antibiotics. Usually both
partners should be treated.
HPV/Genital
Warts
Symptoms: HPV (human papillomavirus) can
cause warts in or around the vagina, penis or rectum. In girls, the warts can be
inside the body on the cervix or vagina so you can't see them. Or they can be on
the outside of the body, but be too small to see. The warts usually don't
hurt.
Treatment: No medicine cures HPV.
External warts can be removed. Warts on the cervix or in the vagina can cause
changes that may lead to cancer. Doctors will watch these changes. If one
partner is infected, the other should be checked by a doctor.
How do I know if my partner has an
STD?
Ask. Although it may be uncomfortable, talk to
your partner before having any sexual contact. Ask if he or she is at risk for
having an STD. Some of the risk factors are having sex with several partners,
using injected drugs, and having had an STD in the past. To be safe, protect
yourself no matter what the person says. You must also tell your partner if you
have an STD. You aren't doing yourself or your partner any favors by trying to
hide it.
How do I know if I have an
STD?
Watch for the symptoms listed above, but
remember that most STDs don't cause any symptoms.
If you are sexually active, you should get
regular check-ups and tell your doctor that you are sexually active. If you're
worried that your parents will find out, you can ask your doctor not to discuss
it with your parents. You can also go to a free health clinic. Don't let fear
keep you from getting checked out. Imagine how you'd feel -- and how your
parents would feel -- if you got really sick because you didn't get help. If you
find out you have an STD, both you and your partner should get treated right
away.
Can STDs be
cured?
Some can. STDs like chlamydia that are caused by
bacteria can be cured with antibiotics. But STDs caused by a virus (like HIV or
herpes) can't be cured. Your doctor can only treat the symptoms that the virus
causes.
Don't wait to be treated! Early treatment helps
prevent serious health problems. Even if medicine can't completely cure the STD,
it can help keep you from getting really sick. If you are given medicine for an
STD, take it exactly as the doctor says.