What is a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD)?

It is an infection spread through unprotected vaginal, anal, and oral sex.

What are the different types of STD's?

Bacterial STD's are curable. Common bacterial examples include gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis

Viral STD's are only treatable. Common viral examples include hepatitis B, HIV, herpes simplex I and II, and human papilloma virus (HPV)

How many STD's are there?

Approximately 30.

Gonorrhea (gone-o-RHEE-a)

Gonorrhea is a bacteria that can cause sterility, arthritis, and heart problems. Common symptoms for women include frequent, burning urination, menstrual irregularities, a yellow-green discharge from the vagina, or no symptoms at all. Common symptoms for men include a pus-like discharge from the urethra, or pain during urination. Specific antibiotics are used to treat gonorrhea.

Chlamydia (cla-MIH-dee-ah)

Chlamydia is a bacteria that can cause sterility. Common symptoms for women include discharge from the vagina, bleeding between periods or after sex, frequent burning during urination, or no symptoms at all. Common symptoms for men include burning or pain during urination, urethral discharge from the penis, swollen, tender testicles, or no symptoms at all. Specific antibiotics are used to treat chlamydia. Follow-up testing may be suggested 3 to 4 months after treatment.

Syphilis (siff-i-lis)

Syphilis is a bacteria that can cause heart problems, mental problems, blindness, other neurological problems and death. Common symptoms are as follows.
     

Primary Syphilis: Sore (chancre) which can appear within 10 days to 3 months after exposure. Chancres usually develop on the part of the body exposed to the bacteria, such as the penis, the vulva, or the vagina, as well as the cervix, tongue, lips or other parts of the body. Chancres are usually painless.

    

Secondary Syphilis: Skin rash appears 3 to 6 weeks after the chancre appears. This rash can be all over the body, in the mouth, on the palms of the hands and the feet, or on the sex organs.

   

Latent Syphilis: No symptoms appear.

   

Late Latent Syphilis: Serious damage to the nervous system, heart, brain or other organs and death may result.

Hepatitis B (hep-a-tie-tis) HBV

Hepatitis B is a virus that causes an infection of the liver. It can cause chronic liver damage, extreme sickness, and death. Common symptoms include yellow skin or eyes, fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, stomach pain, swollen glands, or no symptoms at all. Specific medication may help some people with symptoms. A vaccine is available to protect people from contracting Hepatitis B.

Herpes Simplex Virus (HER-peez) HSV

There are two forms of genital herpes: herpes simplex 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex 2 (HSV-2). Although herpes simplex type 1 is most often associated with cold sores and fever blisters, both forms of herpes may be sexually transmitted. Like many other viruses, the HSV remains in the body for life. Common symptoms include a recurring rash with clusters of itchy or painful blistery sores appearing on the vagina, cervix, penis, mouth, anus, buttocks, or elsewhere on the body and painful ulcerations that occur when blisters break open. The first outbreak may cause pain and discomfort around the affected area, itching, burning sensations during urination, swollen glands in the groin, fever, and headache. Recurrences are related to emotional, physical, or health stresses. HSV is most contagious from the time the sores are present until they are healed and the scabs have fallen off. Oral sex can pass herpes from the mouth to the genitals or from the genitals to the mouth. There is not cure for herpes. Symptoms can be relieved and the number of recurrences reduced with prescription drugs.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (human im-MU-noh-de-fish-en-see virus) HIV

HIV infection weakens the body's ability to fight infection and can cause acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), the most advanced stage of HIV disease. Common symptoms include constant or rapid, unexplained weight loss, diarrhea, lack of appetite, fatigue, persistent fevers, night sweats, dry cough, a thick, whitish coating of yeast on the tongue or mouth (thrush), severe or recurring vaginal yeast infections, and purplish growth on the skin. There may be no symptoms for 10 years or more. HIV is spread in blood, semen, and vaginal fluids by anal and vaginal intercourse (less commonly transmitted through oral sex), sharing contaminated needles for injecting IV drugs, transfusion of contaminated blood products, accidental pricks with contaminated needles, and childbirth. HIV is also spread in breast milk by breastfeeding. There is no cure or vaccine for HIV. HIV can be managed with prescription medications.

Human Papilloma Virus (human pap-ill-low-mah virus) HPV

There are more than 100 different HPV's. They cause a variety of warts and other conditions and can remain in the system for life. Thirty of these HPV's are genital and affect sexual and reproductive organs. A few cause genital warts, but most genital HPV infections are not visible and have no symptoms. Common symptoms include warts on the genitals, in the urethra, in the anus, and rarely in the throat. Genital warts are soft to the touch, may look like small cauliflower florets, and often itch. There is no cure for HPV. Genital warts can be treated with prescription medication and surgeries.

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