Common Characteristics of Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Sexually transmitted diseases (venereal diseases) are infections that are contracted through intimate sexual contact. Once established, sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea and syphilis can spread and cause extensive, serious physical damage. It is important to make a doctor’s appointment immediately if you suspect that you have contracted–or have been exposed to–such an infection. if it is found that you have been infected, you should abstain from sexual contact until your doctor tells you that you are no longer contagious. you should also inform your sexual partners so that they can be examined and treated also, whether or not they have symptoms.

Although gonorrhea and syphilis are the most serious of the sexually transmitted diseases, there are a number of others that cause considerable discomfort or embarrassment. Venereal warts, for example, can be acutely painful. Pubic lice (crab lice) cause intensive itching.

Gonorrhea is a bacterial infection, and an extremely contagious one. An estimated 2.5 million Americans contract this disease annually.

The symptoms of gonorrhea usually appear within one to three weeks after infection. in men, these symptoms include a white to yellow-green penile discharge, burning pain while urinating and deep, aching pain or pressure in the genitals. in women, there may be painful and frequent urination, deep, aching pain in the lower abdomen and, rarely, a vaginal discharge. Pharyngeal gonorrhea (in the mouth and throat) may produce a sore throat; rectal gonorrhea occasionally causes discomfort in the area around the anus and a slight discharge. However, in 10 to 20 percent of men and up to 80 percent of women, there are no perceived symptoms at all.

Untreated, gonorrhea commonly affects the urethra in men, making urination extremely painful and difficult; it may progress to chronic obstruction and infertility. in women, the disease can attack the fallopian tubes and other pelvic organs (pelvic inflammatory disease), causing pain, fever and, very likely, infertility. The risk of infertility increases with each infection: 75 percent of women who have had three infections involving the pelvic organs are infertile. in both sexes, untreated gonorrhea may result in arthritis, or in a generalized bacterial infection affecting the heart and nervous system. if a woman has active gonorrhea at the time of delivery, her baby may develop permanent blindness.

Fortunately, once it is diagnosed, gonorrhea can be treated quickly and effectively with antibiotics.

A diagnosis of gonorrhea can be made by a microscopic examination of the discharge or a cervical smear; or, more reliably, by a culture that takes two days to incubate. The culture should be repeated one week after treatment.

Syphilis is caused by an organism called a spirochete that is spread through sexual contact. About 20,000 cases a year are reported to United States health authorities, but it is highly probable that several thousands more are not reported.

The disease has three stages. First, skin ulcers (chancres), which are usually painless, appear in the genital area. The chancres may erupt anywhere from 10 to 90 days after infection. Men may see them on the penis, but in women they usually form inside the vagina and may easily be missed. these sores heal in a few weeks, leaving little or no scarring. meanwhile, the spirochetes circulate in the bloodstream and, in a few weeks, produce the symptoms of the second stage of the disease: fever, swollen glands and reddish rash. these signs then also disappear, even without treatment, within 10 days to two weeks; the disease becomes latent and, within two years, no longer infectious. the third stage may develop without warning, years later. in this final stage, there is tissue damage in the brain and the nervous system, the heart, liver, bone and skin. in as many as one-third of untreated individuals, this damage may result in death.

If a woman infected with syphilis becomes pregnant, or contracts the disease during pregnancy, there is a high risk that her baby will be stillborn or suffer from severe birth defects.

Syphilis is most accurately diagnosed by a blood test. It can be treated successfully with penicillin or other antibiotics. Periodic tests should be done for two years after treatment to make certain that the disease is cured. As is the case with all sexually transmitted diseases, sexual partners should be informed immediately, and examined and treated.

Venereal warts (condylomata acuminata), cauliflower-like and red, are caused by a virus and are thought to be almost exclusively sexually transmitted. in women, they appear around the vagina and rectum, growing more rapidly where they come in contact with any vaginal discharge and being greatly aggravated by pregnancy. in men, they appear on the penis and rectal area.

A wart-removing compound may be prescribed, although it is not recommended for use during pregnancy since it can be harmful to the fetus. The compound should be used with care and applied only to the surface of the warts. About six hours after application, a sitz bath should be taken to remove any excess. Over-the-counter preparations should never be used; the genital tissues are too sensitive for such products. Occasionally it is necessary to remove venereal warts by electro-cauterization (burning) or by surgery.

Pubic lice (crab lice) are almost always transmitted sexually. The lice, which can be found attached to the pubic hair, are yellow-gray in color, becoming dark after they are engorged with blood.

An infestation of crab lice causes intense itching in the pubic area as a reaction to the parasites’ bites. It can be readily cured with the application of a prescription cream, lotion or shampoo. to prevent re-infestation, the sexual partner(s) should also be treated, and clothes and linens washed.

Sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea and syphilis are highly contagious infections. if you are sexually active–other than with a single partner who is also monogamous–you risk exposure to these diseases; the more partners, the greater the risk. Sensible precautions that may be taken include urinating and washing the genitals after intercourse, using condoms and spermicidal vaginal foams, jellies or creams, and being tested frequently for gonorrhea and syphilis if you have several sexual partners–or if your partner does.

If you suspect that you have a sexual infection do not hesitate to tell your partner(s) and to visit your doctor or a clinic immediately. Sexually transmitted diseases can be cured only with prescribed courses of drug therapy. Never attempt to treat these diseases yourself. above all, do not let fear or embarrassment stand in the way of receiving medical care.

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STD’s or Sexually Transmitted Diseases are those highly contagious diseases which are spread via sexual contact i.e. oral sex, vaginal sex or anal sex.

It is also known as Venereal Diseases. Nowadays, you even find people using the term STI which stands for Sexually Transmitted Infection. it is important to note that STI only denotes an infection caused by the germs or virus where as STD stands for those infections which have grown to become diseases.

It is found that most individuals affected by STD’s are not the older individuals but the teenagers and young adults. An early diagnosis of an STD can help in curing it successfully. However, there are still a few types of diseases for which there has been no cure found like AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) where only the symptoms shown are treated but treatment for the disease as whole is not available. Another one is a type of gonococci, which becomes resistant to the medicines prescribed to cure it and the medicines have to be changed every time.

The symptoms to any STD are often asymptomatic for the initial weeks i.e. it does not show any visible signs of infection. in the later weeks the symptoms exhibited by men due to STD’s are different but, here is a list of certain common signals to look for.

In case if you experience excruciating pain while urinating, an abnormal discharge from the penis, cloudy urine often accompanied by fever or even crusting of the tip of the penis consult your doctor.

At times those infected by an STD even show symptoms like blisters, sores, warts, rashes etc around the genital areas. Consult your doctor as soon as possible in cases if you experience abnormal itching sensation, burning, swelling and pain in the genital area. You may even experience tenderness, pain and swelling in the scrotum.

The symptoms often come and go. do not mistake the ‘gone period’ as the disappearance of disease. It is essential that when you visit the doctor you give him a detailed description of the disease. This in turn would help him in diagnosing the disease properly.

Timely check-ups for STD’s would also prove beneficial. Never let the symptoms persist as they may turn even more serious as days pass.