STDs - Invisible, undetectable. Which of your friends has an STD?


STD, sexually transmitted diseases have been called the 21st
century plague.


Sexually transmitted disease includes well known diseases like
gonnorrhea and syphilis, but also genital warts, genital herpes and
chlamydia.
The stigma of what used to be called Venereal Diseases has
largely gone, partly because everyone knows someone who has had to
visit the STD
clinic. Nice girls catch STDs,
too.
STDs are transmitted by sexual contact.

The more people you have
sexual contact with, the greater your chance of having
sex with someone who has an STD
and the greater the chance that you will be infected too. You
can catch an STD if the first person you have sexual intercourse
with is infected, so it is not necessarily a sign of sexual
licence.
Most Sexually Transmitted Diseases respond to treatment if
caught in the early stages. Some, like syphilis and gonorrhoea
respond to antibiotics.

Genital warts may need to be frozen off
with liquid nitrogen. Not all hepatitis infections are
treatable.
Many of these diseases have no symptoms. Gonorrhea may cause
painful urination in males, but no immediate symotoms in
females.

Chlamydia has no
immediate symptoms in males or females, yet if left untreeated
will cause infertility and pelvic inflammatory disease in
females.
Because of the lack of symptoms it is advisable for any adult
who is sexually active to be tested for STDs. The consequences of a
night of passion could be life-long and result in insanity or death
at an early age if STDs are not detected and treated.
Disgnosis is simple, a swab is taken and sent for analysis.

If
the laboratory finds a positive result you will be asked back for
treatment. If the result is positive you may be asked for a list of
sexual contacts, or be asked to contact anyone you have had sexual
relations with, so those people can also be treated.
AIDS/HIV is the Sexually Transmitted Disease that everyone is
aware of, but many people forget older and more common diseases
that also kill. Condoms help reduce the risk of STD transmission,
they do not remove the risk entirely.


Catalogue: Society | Sexuality
Title: STDs - Invisible, undetectable. Which of your friends has
an STD? By: Ventura

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