Sex is defined as genital contact of any kind.
A sexually transmitted disease is a disease that is contracted through sexual exposure. It is possible that if you have been sexually active at all, even just once, you could be at risk of having an STD.
Symptoms may include fever, pain in the abdominal/pelvic region, change in discharge, burning with urination, sores, warts, or blisters. But many people who have an STD have no symptoms at all! And STDs are contagious even though no symptoms exist.
Avoid the risks. The best strategy for preventing sexually transmitted diseases is to wait until marriage to have sex and to share a faithful marriage with one life partner.
For help assessing your risk for an STD or for more information on how you can avoid infection by STD, please call our WISH clinic at 316.946.WISH [9474]
Common STDs
Which STDs are stopped by using condoms?
How many people are infected with an STD?
Are teens more at risk for STDs?
What age group is at greatest risk for acquiring an STD?
Can STDs be cured?
Call our W.I.S.H. Clinic today at 316.946.9474 to schedule an appointment for STD testing.
STD |
Symptoms |
Complications |
Bacterial vaginosis |
Abnormal white or gray vaginal discharge with an unpleasant odor; burning during urination or itching around the outside of the vagina, or both. Some women have no symptoms at all. | Can increase a woman's susceptibility to HIV and other STDs, such as Chlamydia and gonorrhea; pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) following surgical procedures such as a hysterectomy or an abortion. While pregnant it may put a woman at increased risk for some complications of pregnancy. |
Chlamydia |
Clear discharge, frequent urination; often no symptoms | Permanent damage to reproductive organs, sterility, ectopic or tubal pregnancy or potentially fatal eye and lung infections in babies. |
Gonorrhea |
Local, genital discharge, pain; often no symptoms in men; usually none in women. | Pelvic inflammatory disease, sterility, arthritis, blindness, eye infection in newborns |
Hepatitis B |
30% of infected people have no signs or symptoms. Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), severe fatigue, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Rash, joint pain and fever may also occur. | May cause lifelong infections that could cause liver failure, cancer and death. |
Herpes |
Swollen, tender, painful sores on genitals | Possible evidence linking infection to cervical cancer, severe central nervous system damage or death in infants infected during birth. |
HIV/AIDS |
Short-lived, flu-like symptoms (fatigue, fever, aches). No symptoms with initial infection or for many years thereafter. | AIDS typically appears about 10 years after the initial HIV infection (although new therapies may further delay the development of AIDS). |
HPV |
Local irritation, itching. Most patients have no symptoms. Approximately 1% of all individuals who have been infected with HPV and 7% of those with current HPV infection have genital warts. | Highly contagious; can spread enough to block vaginal and rectal openings. |
PID |
Vary from none to severe. When symptoms appear they usually are: lower abdominal pain, fever, unusual vaginal discharge that may have a foul odor, painful intercourse, painful urination, irregular menstrual bleeding, and pain in the right upper abdomen (rare). | Without treatment, PID can cause permanent damage to the female reproductive organs. Women with repeated episodes of PID are more likely to suffer infertility, ectopic pregnancy, or chronic pelvic pain. |
Syphilis |
1st Stage: painless pimple or sore on genitals, fingers, lips, breast. 2nd stage: rash, sores, swollen joints, flu-like illness. Latent stage: none | Brain damage, insanity, paralysis, heart disease, death; damage to skin, bones, eyes, liver, teeth of fetus and newborns. |
Trichomoniasis |
Copious discharge, intense itching, burning and redness of genitals and thighs; painful intercourse; often no symptoms in men. | Possible urinary tract infection and pain in lower abdomen |
- Condoms provide the best [though not complete] protection against HIV and Gonorrhea.
- They are less effective protecting against Herpes Type 2, Trichomoniasis and Chlamydia.
- Condoms provide little protection against Bacterial Vaginosis and HPV [the most common STD].
The only 100% protection from STDs 100% of the time is a committed marriage with a faithful partner.
How many people are infected with an STD?
- American Social Health Association. Sexually Transmitted Disease in America: How Many Cases and at What Cost? Menlo Park, CA: Kaiser Family Foundation; 1998.
Fleming, D, et al. Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 in the United States, 1976-1994. N Engl J Med. 1997:337(16): 1105-1111
- Teen girls have a higher rate of chlamydia, a disease that is a common cause of pelvic inflammatory disease [PID] which can lead to infertility, than in older women.
- At least 10% of all sexually active teens are infected with this disease.
- The risk of pelvic inflammatory disease is as much as 10 times greater for 15 year old females than for 24 year old females. PID can cause sterility [inability to get pregnant].
- Among women, gonorrhea rates are highest among teen girls ages 15-19.
Sources:
Division of STD Prevention. Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 1999. Department of Health and Human Services. Atlanta: Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], September 2000. Westrom L. Incidence, Prevalence, and Trends of Acute Pelvic Inflammatory Disease and Its Consequences in Industrialized Countries. American Journal of Obstetrics adn Gynecology. 1980: 138.880-92.
Adolescents and young adults 15-24 are at the greatest risk for acquiring an STD. Approximately 2/3 of all people who get an STD are under 25. The Centers for Disease Control states that adolescents and young adults are at greater risk for many reasons, including:
- They may have less immunity [ability to fight disease] than adults.
- They may be more likely to have more than one sex partner.
- They may be more likely to engage in unprotected intercourse.
- They may select partners at higher risk.
- Age at start of sexual activity has decreased while age at first marriage has increased, resulting in more nonmarital sexual experience.
Sources:
Division of STD Prevention. Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 1999. Department of Health and Human Services. Atlanta: Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], September 2000. Eng TR, Butler WT, eds. The Hidden Epidemic--Confronting Sexually Transmitted Disease. The Institute of Medicine. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1997.
While medical science has made great advances, the growth of STD infections continue to spread. Chlamydia and Gonorrhea can be "cured" with antibiotics, but can leave scars, which often require future treatment and may cause infertility. And certain strains of Gonorrhea are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics.
Viral STDs pose a major problem because no medical cure has been found for any virus -- not even the common cold! This means if a person becomes infected with a viral STD [such as Herpes, HPV, or HIV] there is no cure. A vaccine for Herpes has been rumored for years, but has not yet been produced. Antiviral drugs reduce the number of outbreaks a person with Herpes experiences; they cannot eliminate the outbreaks entirely.
A cure, or vaccine, for the HIV virus is probably years away. We do know, however, that even if vaccines or cures for these infections were available today, the STD problem would not be solved.
Copyright © 2009 Pregnancy Crisis Center of Wichita, Inc.