Sexually Transmitted Diseases

... taking every safety precaution possible

STDs, also called sexually transmitted infections or STIs, are diseases that you get by having intimate sexual contact, that is having sex (vaginal, oral, or anal intercourse), with someone who already has the disease. Every year, STDs affect more than 13 million people.

Researchers have identified more than 20 different kinds of STDs, which can fall into two main groups:

  1. STDs caused by bacteria - These diseases can be treated and often cured with antibiotics. Some bacterial STDs include: chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, and syphilis.
  2. STDs caused by viruses - These diseases can be controlled, but not cured. If you get a viral STD, you will always have it. Some viral STDs include: HIV/AIDS, genital herpes, genital warts, human papilloma virus (HPV), hepatitis B virus, and cytomegalovirus.

The symptoms vary among the different types of STDs.  Some examples of common symptoms include:

  1. Unusual discharge from the penis or vagina
  2. Sores or warts on the genital area
  3. Burning while urinating
  4. Itching and redness in the genital area
  5. Anal itching, soreness, or bleeding

If you are having any of these symptoms or think you might have an STD, talk to your health care provider.

The only way to ensure that you won't get infected is to not have sex. This means avoiding all types of intimate sexual contact.

If you are sexually active, you can reduce your risk of getting STDs by practicing "safe sex." This means:

  1. Using a condom for vaginal, oral, and anal intercourse—every time
  2. Knowing your partner and his/her STD status and health
  3. Having regular medical check-ups, especially if you have more than one sexual partner

Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is a curable sexually transmitted infection (STI). It is the second most commonly reported bacterial STI in the United States following chlamydia. In 2004, 330,132 cases of gonorrhea were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). When examining race and ethnicity, age, and gender, the highest rates of gonorrhea were found in African Americans, 15 to 24 years of age, and women, respectively.

Gonorrhea can spread into the uterus and fallopian tubes, resulting in pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID affects more than 1 million women in this country every year and can cause tubal (ectopic) pregnancy and infertility in as many as 10 percent of infected women. In addition to gonorrhea playing a major role in PID, some health researchers think it adds to the risk of getting HIV infection.

Chlamydia

Chlamydia is a curable sexually transmitted infection (STI). You can get chlamydial infection during vaginal, oral, or anal sexual contact with an infected partner. It can cause serious problems in men and women, such as penile discharge and infertility respectively, as well as infections in newborn babies of infected mothers.

Chlamydia is one of the most widespread bacterial STIs in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 2.8 million people are infected each year.

Syphilis

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted, bacterial infection that initially causes genital ulcers (sores). If untreated, the disease will progress to more serious stages of infection, including blindness and nerve damage.

An ancient disease, syphilis is still of major importance today. Although syphilis rates in the United States declined by almost 90 percent from 1990 to 2000, the number of cases rose from 5,979 in 2000 to 9,756 in 2006. In a single year, from 2005 to 2006, the rate of syphilis jumped 12 percent.

There also was a dramatic change in which groups the disease affects the most. An increase of primary and secondary syphilis in males has driven the overall rate increase for the U.S. to 54 percent from 2002 to 2006. Between 2005 and 2006, the number of cases in men increased 11.8 percent, reflecting an increase in syphilis in men who have sex with men. Additionally, an increase of 11.4 percent was observed in African-American women from 2005 to 2006.

HIV infection and syphilis are linked. Syphilis increases the risk of transmitting as well as getting infected with HIV.