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What are
STDs?
STDs are sexually transmitted diseases, like herpes,
gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, and AIDS. The
only sure way to avoid getting STDs is not to have sex.
Physicians list more than 30 infectious agents that are sexually
transmitted. STDs affect men and
women of all economic backgrounds and economic levels.
Approximately 12 million people are affected with STDs every year.
STDs are considered a major growing public health problem for the 90s.
Why? One of the reasons is
that during the last few decades, younger people have been experimenting with
sex earlier and experimenting with multiple partners.
Additionally, people who are sexually active also tend to have more than
one sex partner thus increasing their risk of exposure to STDs.
What are
the Physical Effects of STDs?
·
STDs
can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which can damage a woman’s
fallopian tubes and result in pelvic pain and sterility.
·
Tubal
pregnancies (where the fetus grows in the fallopian tube instead of the
womb), sometimes fatal to the mother and always fatal to the fetus.
·
Cancer
of the cervix in women.
·
Sterility
– the inability to have children – in both men and women.
·
Damage
to major organs, such as the heart, kidneys, and the brain, if STDs go
untreated death can occur, especially with HIV infection.
Sexually transmitted diseases affect more than 12
million Americans each year, many of whom are teenagers or young adults.
Using drugs or alcohol increases your chances of getting STDs
because these substances can interfere with your judgment and your ability
to use a condom properly.
Intravenous drug use puts a person at higher risk for
HIV and hepatitis B because IV drug users usually share needles.
The more partners you have, the higher your chance of being exposed
to HIV or other STDs. This is
because it is difficult to know whether a person is infected, or has had
sex with people who are more likely to be infected due to intravenous drug
use or other risk factors.
You cannot tell by looking whether a person is
infected with HIV or another STD.
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Basic
Signs and Symptoms That Might Mean
You Have an STD:
For Men and Women
- Sores, bumps, or blisters near your genitals or mouth.
- Burning and pain when you urinate.
- A swelling or redness in your throat
- Fever, chills, and aches.
- Swilling in the area around your genitals.
- Rectal itching , pain, or discharge.
For Women
- Unusual discharge or smell from vagina.
- Pain in your pelvic area – the area between your belly and your
genitals.
- Bleeding from your vagina that is not your regular period.
- Burning or itching around vagina
- Pain deep inside your vagina
For Men
- A
drip or discharge from your penis.
If You
Think You Have an STD:
The keys to getting well and staying well are
basically the same for all STDs. Most
STDs are caused by bacteria and can be cured by antibiotics.
There are additional precautions for some of the STDs caused by
viruses and parasites:
- Do not have sex if you have any symptoms or if your sex partner has
symptoms.
- Immediately seek medical treatment. Do not try to diagnose your own or your partner’s
disease.
- Inform your sex partner(s) to seek medical treatment immediately.
Even better, bring them to the clinic with you.
- Do not have sex until you have completely finished your medicine.
- Ask for an HIV antibody test.
Every time you are exposed to any sexually transmitted disease,
you may have been exposed to the aids virus.
- Do not take any “street medicine” or share your medicine with
your sex partner(s). It
may not be strong enough or the right kind to kill the disease.
To
find out more about STD and/or Alcohol and Drug Abuse contact
TAADAS
Statewide Clearinghouse
1800 Church Street
Suite 100
Nashville, TN 37203
615.780.5901 or
The TN REDLINE at 1.800.889.7989.
www.taadas.org
mail@taadas.org.
The
Clearinghouse is funded by the TN Department of Health.
Revised
10/00
Source:
U.S.DHHS
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