Sexually transmitted diseases

For my research paper I decided to write on sexually transmitted diseases because it seems that we are hearing more and more about them. They are becoming more of a problem in the United States and it is fair to say that they are not going to go a way for a long time, if even at all. Sexually transmitted diseases can change a person’s life and even kill them. If a person wants to be sexually active they must understand the risks that are involved and how they can protect themselves.
The first sexually transmitted disease that I want to talk about is chlamydia. Chlamydia, first of all, is a bacteria. The chance of being infected with chlamydia is very high among teenagers and young adults due to sexual activity. Chlamydia is transmitted through sexual contact, mainly vaginal or anal. It also has to be transmitted by someone that has been infected. Many people that have chlamydia do not even know they are infected, because they do not show any symptoms. To be exact, according to Engender Health, “there are about 75% of infected women and half of infected men have no symptoms of chlamydia.”
The risk of a person becoming infected is very high if the person is engaging in unsafe sex, having sex with more than one partner, and being in a sexual relationship with someone who has multiple sex partners. To protect yourself and reduce your risk one should use condoms during sex, and limit your number of sex partners. (Engender Health)
The symptoms one can have from being infected with chlamydia can very since they don’t show at times. In women, symptoms of chlamydia can be: an unusual vaginal discharge, bleeding after intercourse, bleeding between menstrual periods, and abdominal or pelvic pain. In men, symptoms of chlamydia include: discharge from the penis, burning with urination, and swollen and painful testicles. Even if you don’t have symptoms you should be tested if you are in a high risk group. Tests are done with either a urine sample, a sample obtained from a woman's cervix, or a man's urethra using a cotton swab. (Engender Health)
If you are infected with chlamydia it can be easily treated and cured with antibiotics. It is very important to make sure your sexual partner also receives treatment to prevent getting infected again. Also, avoid having sex while being treated to reduce your chances of getting the infection again or transmitting it to someone else. (Engender Health)
The second Sexually Transmitted Disease that I would like to talk about is genital warts. The human papilloma virus causes genital warts. The virus causes wart-like bumps that form on the penis, and around the vagina, on the cervix, and around the anus. The virus is passed by skin-to-skin contact between people during anal, vaginal, and oral sex. You can even pass the virus to your sexual partner when you don't have warts that you can see. (DPH)
Like chlamydia, not all with the genital wart virus have signs of disease. Sometimes special tests are needed to detect the wart virus. For most people with genital warts it is only a bother, and they can be treated if you want. If a woman has warts on her cervix it can be a problem. It could cause her to have a pap smear that is not normal and could lead to cancer. For this reason, women with warts on the cervix should have a pap smear test every six months. Men and women who have warts on the anus should have an exam every year. If you have genital warts you should see a physician, have your sex partner seen and treated by a physician. There is only about one form of treatment for people with genital warts. The first is to have a physician put a cold liquid chemical on the warts to remove them. This type of treatment may require you to come back more than once to have the wart totally removed. However, even after treatment the warts may return. This is because the virus stays in your skin once you are infected. (DPH)
To avoid getting genital warts you should check yourself often. If you have warts they can be treated. But the virus stays in the skin even if the warts are removed. Use condoms every time you have sex. Spermicides, celibacy, and life-long monogamy are great ways to prevent genital warts. (DPH)
The next Sexually Transmitted Disease that I would like to talk about is Gonorrhea. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “over 600,000 new cases of gonorrhea occur annually in the United States. For women, this can have a particularly devastating effect on their reproductive health since women often experience no symptoms.” Gonorrhea is caused by the Neisseria gonorrhea bacteria. The bacteria is found in moist areas of the body such as the vagina, penis, eyes, throat, and in the anus. You can be infected by contact to any of these areas. An infected person can also spread gonorrhea from one part of their body to another by touch. It also can be spread through all forms of sexual activity: oral, vaginal, and anal sex. And mothers who are infected at the time of childbirth can pass gonorrhea on to their infants. (About)
The symptoms of gonorrhea differ in men and women. For woman, the cervix can be mainly affected. However, gonorrhea can spread to the uterus and fallopian tubes if left untreated. Many women don’t experience symptoms. But when they do, symptoms can include: abnormal bleeding, burning feeling during urination, vaginal discharges, and irritation of the outer area of the vagina. In men, the main point of infection is the urethra. Symptoms of gonorrhea include: a yellow pus-like discharge from the penis, stinging during urination, frequent urination, blood in the urine, swelling of the glands in the groin, and the head of the penis may turn red. (About)
Gonorrhea treatment has many options and could include. “Cefixime 400 mg orally in a single dose, Ceftriaxone 125 mg IM in a single dose, Ciprofloxacin 500 mg orally in a single dose, Ofloxacin 400 mg orally in a single dose, Azithromycin 1 g orally in a single dose, Doxycycline 100 mg orally twice a day for 7 days.” (About)
There are not many ways to protect yourself form gonorrhea other that a monogamous long-term relationship. However, people should use condoms. They provide the best protection. (About)
Herpes is another major sexual transmitted disease. “Forty-five million people in the United States are infected with the herpes simplex virus (HSV). According to estimates 500,000 new cases of herpes occur annually. A shocking 80 percent of people infected with HSV are never aware that they are infected because either they never develop symptoms or they fail to recognize the symptoms when they do occur.”(Woman’s health)
If symptoms develop in a person they can vary from person to person. The earliest symptoms can include: an itching or burning sensation, Pain in the legs, butt, or genital area, vaginal discharges, and a feeling of pressure in the abdominal area. After initial symptoms, sores appear in the place of infection. These sores can occur inside the vagina or on the cervix in women, and in the urinary passage in men and women. Herpes could first appear as small red bumps that later develop into blisters that are painful, sores. After several days the sores become crusty and then heal without scarring. Other symptoms include: fever, headache, muscle aches, urinary pain, and swollen glands in the groin area. (Woman’s health)
There are three drugs currently available to treat genital herpes. However, there is not a cure. These drugs are Zoviraz, Famvir, and Valtrex. Zoviraz is useful for first and recurrent episodes of herpes, while Famvir and Valtrex are to treat recurrent episodes. To help speed the healing process and avoid spreading you can keep the infected area clean and dry. Don't touch the sores and if you do, wash your hands immediately. Refrain from sex from the time you first notice symptoms until sores are completely healed. Condoms also offer protection during symptoms. (Woman’s health)
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease that progresses in stages and can damage many parts of the body. “Syphilis is caused by Treponema pallidum, a spiral-shaped bacterium called a spirochete.”(DPHE) Syphilis is spread from person to person. A person gets syphilis from direct contact with a syphilis sore on the body of an infected person. Sores appear at the site of infection, mostly on the genitals, vagina, and anus. Sores can appear on the lips and inside the mouth. And can be passed during vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Syphilis cannot be spread by contact with toilet seats, door knobs, swimming pools, hot tubs, bathtubs, shared clothing, or eating utensils. (DPHE)
Without receiving treatment, syphilis progresses through four stages; the first stage called “primary”. In this stage you form very infectious sores, called chancres. The chancre is firm, round, small, and painless. It appears in the spot where the bacteria entered the body. If not treated the second stage, called “secondary” proceeds, which forms rashes. These rashes appear on the palms of the hands and on the bottom of the feet. Other symptoms of the second stage are fever, swollen glands, sore throat, patchy hair loss, headaches, weight loss, muscle aches, and tiredness. The third stage is known as “hidden.” The symptoms will disappear but the bacteria remains in the body and can begin to damage vital organs. And the final stage called the “tertiary” stage causes internal damage which includes the inability to coordinate movements, inability to feel pain, gradual blindness, impotence, blockage or ballooning of the heart vessels, tumors, damage to knee joints, and deep sores on the feet. The damage may be enough to cause death. Penicillin will cure a person who has had syphilis for less than a year. More doses would be needed to cure someone who has had it for a longer period of time. Penicillin treatment will kill the syphilis bacteria and also prevent further damage, but it will not repair any damage already done to the body. (DHPE)
In conclusion, the few sexually transmitted diseases that I have mentioned will stay with you for the majority of your life and will cause you much pain and sorrow. The medications offered to control the sexually transmitted diseases will cure the symptoms for the time being, but you will still be left with the virus for life. The key then, is to determine if it is having unsafe sex is worth it or not.

Work cited

About, Inc. 2004 http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/gonorrhea1/a/gonorrheasytrtm.htm 04/14/2004
Department of Public Health, 1999, City and County of San Francisco http://www.dph.sf.ca.us/HealthInfo/std_warts.htm 04/16/2004
DHPE, 2004 http://www.astdhpphe.org/infect/syphilis.html 04/14/2004
Engender health, 2004, http://www.engenderhealth.org/wh/inf/dchl.html. 04/15/2004

Woman’s health. 2004 http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/herpesgenital1/a/genitalherpes_3.htm 04/15/2004