STD's are bad?

[theghost]

I don't know much about std's...

So far nothing appears bad about them...

you don't die....just HIV.

 

Also I'm a little confused about wartz....some people say it stays with you the whole time...

other say it goes away after couple of years..

whats the real truth?

How does wart get transmited?they say you can get them removed, will that lower the chances of spreading them? or its just for appearance..

 

This forum is good, but there is a lot of confusion in my part. I just want to get this out of my head.

[RayKay]

There are many STDs with various consequences. Some when transmitted to a woman (and go undetected) can lead to infertility (chlamydia for example, as often it goes undetected), HPV (Human Pappiloma Virus (sp?) ) is a potential precursor to cervical cancer. So, they CAN lead to death.

 

Some have no permament cure (Herpes, genital warts) and can reappear time after time. They can be painful, uncomfortable, and just plain unattractive - if you want to see pictures, I am sure you can look in a medical dictionary or do a search. I just did a search and found some rather disturbing pics, so go ahead.

 

Warts get transmitted through skin to skin contact (even if there are not warts present at time). You can get them removed, but the contagion stays with you, and can still be transmitted and reoccur. Herpes is most contagious during an outbreak, but since some people have mild outbreaks that may not even be apparent, you can never be totally sure.

[theghost]

after you transmit the wart with skin contact, does the other person gets infected to, just like you?

[Goddess4ever]

HIV/AIDS:

 

AIDS is the last stage of an infection cause by HIV, a virus. HIV weakens your immune system and your body's natural defense against infections. In the AIDS stage, your immune system is very weak and will eventually end up in death. HIV is spread through contact of body fluids like blood, semen and vaginal fluids. Some ways of contracting this virus is through, vaginal sex, anal sex, oral sex, sharing drug needles, infected mother to an unborn baby and even blood transfusions.

 

 

CHLAMYDIA:

 

Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the United States. The U.S. Public Health Service estimates 3 to 5 million new cases per year; however, since reporting this disease is not required in most states, a verifiable figure remains elusive. It is known that the occurrence of Chlamydia is a worldwide problem and that it does not discriminate--it affects gay and straight, women and men, black and white, Protestant, Catholic, Jew and Muslim alike. In the last twenty years, Chlamydia has been commonly seen and recognized and believed to be on the increase in the U.S.

 

Chlamydia is caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis. It inflames the vagina and urethra and reproductive organs and, if left untreated in women, can result in pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Often asymptomatic, Chlamydia can have severe and debilitating effects for both women and men.

 

It is contracted through unprotected oral, anal or vaginal intercourse with an infected partner. You may be at risk for becoming infected if you or your partner are sexually active outside of a monogamous relationship. If this is the case, the proper use of latex condoms will substantially reduce your risk factor for becoming infected with Chlamydia.

 

Symptoms

Chlamydia is also known as the "quiet", because its symptoms are not always obvious. In fact most women with urethral infections have no symptoms at all and the presense of the disease is not detected until it has spread throughout the female body. It must be stressed that Chlamydia can be harbored in the body for a long time--unknowingly--and thus becomes a threat to each new sexual partner of the infected person.

 

Men infected with Chlamydia often have the following symptoms:

 

a watery, milky discharge from the penis

a burning, itching sensation around the urethra often felt during or immediately after sex

redness at the top of the penis

Again, there are usually no symptoms in women, especially during the early stages of the disease. In later stages women may experience:

 

vaginal discharge

vaginal redness

In addition both women and men may sometimes experience:

 

pain when urinating

abdominal pain

sore throat--often perceived as a simple case of tonsillitis or "scratchy throat"

fever

 

GONORRHEA:

 

Gonorrhea, commonly called "the clap", or "GC" is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) occurring in both men and women of all ages, especially affecting urban dwellers. Nearly 3,000,000 new cases are diagnosed in the United States each year.

 

Gonorrhea is a bacterial infection. The bacteria is called Neisseria gonorrhea and is contagious and reportable.

 

Infection can be transmitted during oral, anal and/or vaginal intercourse. You may be at risk for contracting gonorrhea if you or your partner are sexually active outside of a monogamous relationship. If this is the case, the proper use of latex condoms will substantially reduce your risk factor for infection.

 

If you are diagnosed with this disease it is important that you notify your sexual partners so that they may seek treatment. Left untreated, gonorrhea can cause serious long-term health complications. And be certain you do not engage in further sexual activity until you have followed up with your health care provider to determine that you are no longer infectious.

 

Symptoms

Symptoms usually appear within two days to three weeks after exposure but the infection may present as having no symptoms in 12% to 50% of cases in men and in 50% to 80% of cases in women.

 

Men can experience a mild to severe discomfort in either their penis or rectum from which they may also have a thick, yellow-green mucous-like discharge.

 

A swelling of the penile head is common, particularly at the meatus, which is the opening of the urethra. The urethra is located at the tip of the penis. When this swelling occurs there may also be redness and irritation at the opening of the penis that can be felt throughout the penile shaft. This may spread to the testicles or prostate, causing increasing lower abdominal pain or discomfort. Other symptoms may include a burning sensation when urinating or a low-grade fever.

 

Although women can experience the yellow-green discharge from the vagina or mild to severe lower abdominal cramps, fever, and vaginal odor, very often women have no symptoms whatsoever and thus can carry the bacteria for weeks, months or even years without knowledge of their infection!

 

A case of gonorrhea in a child is usually due to sexual abuse by an infected adult who is most often a relative of the child's. The child diagnosed with gonorrhea must be further investigated for the presense of other STDs (sexually transmitted diseases).

 

 

HERPES:

 

Herpes simplex is a viral infection caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV) that often is sexually transmitted. There are 6 common herpes viruses that may infect humans but HSV-1 and HSV-2 (known as type 1 and type 2) are the major offenders in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). These infect then affect the genital tracts as well as the oral mucosa. HSV-1 is usually associated with oral infections while HSV-2 is associated with genital infections yet both types can infect any site. For instance, if a person infected with HSV-1 performs oral sex on his or her partner, he or she can infect the genital area of that partner with the oral infection HSV-1. Likewise a person with HSV-2 can infect the mouth and lips of their partner with HSV-2 or genital herpes when that partner is engaged in oral sex with the infected genital area. 15% of genital herpes cases come from oral herpes.

 

Herpes simplex is a virus. And there is no cure for a virus -- just think of the common cold! Yet certain medications are very helpful in keeping the chronic infection under control and can help reduce the number of recurrences, allowing millions to go about their normal lives with this disease.

 

Herpes has reached epidemic proportions with half a million new cases per year being diagnosed in the U.S. It is from the same family of viruses that cause chickenpox, cold sores and shingles. In fact herpes simplex type 1 causes cold sores and fever blisters around the mouth and it is thought that most adults have been exposed to the virus, usually when they were children. About one third of the population are thought to have recurring cold sores. This virus can be passed through a kiss on the mouth for instance where it passes through a break or tear in the skin. Small blisters emerge at the site of the outbreak, after a period of tingling, usually healing in about 2 weeks.

 

Genital herpes or HSV2 (type 2) is usually more severe. Herpes can exist in the skin, lying dormant, without the infected person even realizing he/she is infected but still having the ability to transmit the virus to others. The primary lesion from the first infection is more severe than the recurring episodes. The virus lies dormant until re-activated spontaneously through such factors as exposure to sunlight, stress or perhaps fever.

 

 

GENITAL WARTS/HPV

 

Genital warts (Condyloma Acuminatum) are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) of which there are approximately 60 subtypes, this one being one of the most contagious of them. Genital warts are usually sexually transmitted -- passed skin to skin -- with up to 66% of sexual partners contracting it from the infected partner.

 

It is estimated that over 40 million Americans are infected -- with one million new cases of genital warts being diagnosed per year. The general population seems unaware that this is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) -- more prevalent than herpes for instance. Young adults (late teens to mid-twenties) are among the groups most highly at risk to contract it.

 

Genital warts usually occur in groups, the lesions varying from the size of pinheads to large cauliflower-like clusters. They tend to appear on moist surfaces and can develop in the mouth, the vagina, the cervix, the anus, the vulva, the labia, the penis, and scrotum.

 

These warts have an average incubation period of 2 months, but can appear anywhere from 1--8 months.

 

As mentioned this is an extremely contagious viral disease spread by skin to skin contact. You may be at risk for contracting genital warts if you or your partner are sexually active outside of a monogamous relationship. If this is the case, the proper use of latex condoms will substantially reduce your risk factor for infection.

 

If you are diagnosed with genital warts it is important that you notify your sexual partners so that they may seek treatment. Left untreated, women may be at higher risk for developing cervical cancer while men may experience urinary obstruction. And be certain you do not engage in further sexual activity until you have followed up with your health care provider to determine that you are no longer infectious.

 

 

SYPHILIS:

 

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the bacteria Treponema Pallidium. The disease causes tissue destruction at the point of entry. If left untreated it will damage the central nervous system as well as the cardiac valves and damage the heart muscle.

 

Syphilis is divided into three stages: primary, secondary and tertiary. Tertiary syphilis has two phases: the early latent stage and the late latent stage. It is during the primary and secondary stages that syphilis is considered highly contagious. Any contact with the chancre or the blood or blood products of an infected person are modes of transmission. It is also most communicable in early latent stage through contact with the skin lesions of an infected person. This is especially true during the first four years of the late stage. It is estimated that 7% to 12% of all of sexually transmitted diseases transmitted through lesions are due to syphilis. It is a fact that HIV transmission is increased when syphilis lesions are present. This is due to the availability of virus and the decrease in the skins wall integrity as a defense barrier.

 

Unfortunately, this disease continues to be widespread in the U.S. with an estimated 90,000 new cases each year. This is a communicable and reportable disease. In 1992 cases reported to public health officials represented a 20% increase over cases reported only twelve years earlier in 1980. Syphilis is most likely to affect urban dwellers in their twenties and thirties.

 

Syphilitic Infection can be transmitted during unprotected oral, vaginal and/or anal intercourse with a partner who is infected with primary- or secondary-stage syphilis. Donated blood is always screened for syphilis. It is highly unlikely but still a possibility that you might contract syphilis via a transfusion. You may be at risk for contracting syphilis if you or your partner are sexually active outside of a monogamous relationship. Even a one time incident can put you at risk . If this is the case, the proper use of latex condoms will substantially reduce your risk factor for infection.

 

But the condom is not a guarantee especially if the chancre is in a location where the condom does not cover it.

 

If you are diagnosed with this disease it is important that you notify your sexual partners so that they may seek treatment. Left untreated, syphilis can cause extremely serious long-term health complications. Close medical follow up for up to a year is very important to establish that syphilis has been adequately treated. Among the serious complications that can result if syphilis is not detected or left untreated are:

 

cardiac disease

blindness

mental illness

skin lesions

joint and bone destruction

Be certain you do not engage in further sexual activity until you have followed up with your health care provider to determine that you are no longer infectious. This is critical.

[RayKay]

Yes, and then they can transmit it to someone else. And it goes on and on.

[theghost]

so on the average 1/4 people have an std?

[Goddess4ever]

Maybe not 1 in 4 HAVE and STD....but perhaps 1 in 4 HAVE HAD an std