April is Sexually Transmitted Disease Awareness Month

April is almost at an end, but it is Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Awareness Month.  As a sex-blogger, I would be remiss in my duties to the online world, if I didn’t dedicate some space to sexually transmitted diseases this week.

There are 19 million new STD cases each year in the U.S.

Having one STD increases your risk of getting others (including HIV).

The low-down on the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the United States.

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Any genital symptoms such as an unusual sore, discharge with odor, burning during urination, or bleeding between menstrual cycles could mean an STD infection. If a woman or man has any of these symptoms, they should stop having sex and consult a health care provider immediately. Treating STDs early in women can prevent PID (pelvic inflammatory disease). Women and men who are told they have an STD and are treated for it should notify all of their recent sex partners (sex partners within the preceding 60 days) so they can see a health care provider and be evaluated for STDs. Sexual activity should not resume until all sex partners have been examined and, if necessary, treated.

Chlamydia

-Chlamydia is known as a “silent” STD because most people infected never develop symptoms.

-Teenage and young women are especially vulnerable because their cervix (the opening of the uterus) is not fully matured, which makes their risk for getting chlamydia higher than that of older women.

-Chlamydia causes infertility if untreated and women who are treated can become re-infected if their partner is not treated as well.

-Damage to the reproductive organs by chlamydia can lead to chronic pelvic pain, infertility, and dangerous ectopic pregnancies (pregnancy outside the uterus).

-Pregnant mothers can pass chlamydia on to their babies at birth and it is a leading cause of early infant pneumonia and eye infections in newborns.

-Some signs or symptoms of a possible infection with the bacterium that causes chlamydia are: vaginal discharge, burning when urinating, lower abdominal or back pain, nausea, fever, pain during sex, bleeding between periods, penis discharge, burning and itching around the opening of the penis, rectal pain or discharge, rectal bleeding.

-The CDC recommends that all sexually active women under the age of 25 be tested yearly for chlamidya, as well as women older than 25 who have new or multiple partners.

-Untreated chlamydia and gonorrhea causes at least 24,000 women each year to become infertile.

-Chlamydia is easily treated with antibiotics.

-Using condoms during sex lowers your risk for getting chlamydia.  You can be tested for chlamydia through a urine sample or cervix or penile swab.

Gonorrhea

-Gonorrhea is caused by a bacterium that can grow in the reproductive organs, urethra (where we pee from), anus, mouth, nose, and throat.

-It is estimated that there are over 700,000 NEW cases each year, less than half of these are reported.

-Gonorrhea is passed on through contact with the penis, mouth, vagina, or anus.  Sexual penetration and ejaculation are not necessary for it to be transmitted.

-The highest reported rates of gonorrhea in the U.S. are among sexually active teens, young adults, and African-Americans.

-Some people infected with gonorrhea have no symptoms.  If symptoms do appear they may be:  burning sensation while peeing, white, green or yellow discharge from the penis, swollen or painful testicles, heavier vaginal discharge, vaginal bleeding between periods, rectal itching, soreness, or discharge, or painful bowel movements.

-Gonorrhea (along with chlamydia and other STDs) can cause pelvic inflammatory disease in women.  Symptoms of PID can be as mild as a fever or as serious as pus-filled abscesses, chronic pelvic pain, infertility, and increased risk of ectopic pregnancies.

-Gonorrhea can be passed from a mother to her baby at birth if the mother is untreated with antibiotics before the baby is born.  Gonorrhea can cause blindness, joint infection, or a life-threatening blood infection for a newborn.

-Gonorrhea is tested for through urine samples or cervical or penis swabs.  It is treated with antibiotics, although this is becoming more difficult as new forms of gonorrhea are developing that are resistant (the drug doesn’t work) to the antibiotics.

-Knowing your partner’s STD status, using condoms, and getting tested regularly are ways to protect yourself from gonorrhea.

STD Racial/Ethnic Disparities

-Black and Latina women are disproportionately affected by STDs.  Chlamydia infections among black women are nine times higher than for white women and three times higher than for Latina women.

-African Americans make up 69% of reported gonorrhea cases in the United States.

From the CDC:

 Many of the same social and economic factors that place African Americans and Latinos at risk for other diseases also fuel the spread of STDs in these communities. For example, people who don’t have the means to see a doctor may not get an STD test or treatment until it’s too late—and nearly one in five African Americans and one in three Latinos are uninsured. Other factors, such as greater STD prevalence in communities of color, can increase an individual’s risk of infection, even with similar levels of risk behavior. Distrust of the medical system may also cause some African Americans to access health services less, and language barriers may affect quality of and access to care for some Latinos. These factors provide an important reminder that while everyone has a personal responsibility to protect their own health, it is also critical to address the root causes of these disparities.

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)

-There are at least 40 types of HPV that can affect the genitals, mouth, and throat, making it the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S.  50% of sexually active adults will get some form of HPV at some point in their lives.

-Most people with HPV do not have symptoms and clear it from their bodies within 2 years.  But those infections that are not cleared can cause genital warts and cancer.

-Cervical cancer is the most common form of cancer caused by HPV, but it can also cause cancer of the vulva, vagina, penis, anus, and the back of throat including the base of the tongue and tonsils.

-Around 12,000 women get cervical cancer each year, most of these are caused by HPV.

-20 million Americans have HPV; 6 million new infections each year

-1% of sexually active Americans have genital warts at any one time.

Prevention
– Prevention of HPV:  get your children vaccinated!  Two vaccines, Cervarix and Gardasil are available for girls and women between the ages of 9-26.  These will protect them from getting HPV that causes cervical cancer and most genital warts.

–Gardasil also is available for boys and men between 9-26 years of age.  It will protect them from most genital warts and anal cancer.

-Use condoms!  Condoms reduce your risk, but some STDs can still be transmitted with a condom.

-Get tested regularly.

-Have sex only with people you know have been tested recently (and you’ve seen those results)!  Know the status of your partner, even if you are in a mutually monogamous relationship.

-If you are a sexually active teenage or young woman, don’t use birth control as your only form of protection during sex.  Make your partner use condoms too and see their STD test results!  Pregnancy is the least of your worries if you also get infected with a STD.

Sources

http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats10/tables/trends-table.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/std/health-disparities/gender.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/std/Chlamydia/STDFact-Chlamydia.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/std/Gonorrhea/STDFact-gonorrhea.htm