(in this part, I will attempt to explain the different STD's most young adults should know about, as well as symptoms and treatments. Like before, please remember that I am not an expert: Planned Parenthood and the CDC have some excellent resources and information that I draw heavily from in this post.)
Because persons under the age of 18 also visit Daily Kos, I'll avoid showing pictures of genitals with STDs on this post. However, doing a google image search on any of the STDs mentioned will provide you with any number of horrifying pictures, even with moderate filtering on. View at your own risk.
Pregnancy is only one of the side effects of unprotected sex. You can also contract sexually transmitted diseases, refered to from here on out as STDs. Some can be transmitted simply by kissing or skin contact, while some need more intimate contact. Some are easily cured, while some have no cure: you may be stuck with them for life! Below is a brief overview: please see Planned Parenthood's site for more comprehensive information. If you suspect you or your child has an STD, please contact your doctor immediately: he/she can test and diagnose STDs as well as provide treatment.
Chlamydia- A bacterial disease transmitted through vaginal, anal or (less commonly) oral sex. In some cases, it can be spread to other mucous membranes such as your eyes or nose if you rub these areas with your hand. It's extremely common because 3/4 of women and 1/2 of men experience no symptoms, and so don't treat it or unwittingly pass it on to others. If symptoms do occur, women tend to experience:
abdominal pain
abnormal vaginal discharge
bleeding between menstrual periods
low-grade fever
painful intercourse
pain or a burning feeling while urinating
swelling inside the vagina or around the anus
the urge to urinate more than usual
vaginal bleeding after intercourse
a yellowish discharge from the cervix that may have a strong smell
(quote here)
Men tend to experience:
pain or a burning feeling while urinating
pus or watery or milky discharge from the penis
swollen or tender testicles
swelling around the anus
(same link as above)
Chlamydia can lead to sterility in both men and women if not treated. Your doctor can prescribe an antibiotic treatment to cure the infection.
Genital Warts- Caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) types 6 and 11. It is spread through skin-to-skin contact. If infected, soft cauliflower-like warts can form on the vulva, cervix, penis, scrotum, anus, urethra, inside the throat, and on the inside and outside of the mouth. The warts may itch but are usually painless. Genital warts are not connected with an increased risk in cancer and usually go away on their own. However, they can be treated by a doctor using wart treatments.
Gonorrhea- A bacterial infection passed through contact between the mucous membranes. Unprotected vaginal, anal and oral sex can transmit the disease, though the use of condoms can greatly reduce this risk. Untreated gonorrhea can lead to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease in women.
Some men infected with gonorrhea have no symptoms. Symptoms that do appear vary between women and men, and can take between 2 and 30 days to appear:
Gonorrhea Symptoms in women
Greenish yellow or whitish discharge from the vagina
Lower abdominal or pelvic pain
Burning when urinating
Conjunctivitis (red, itchy eyes)
Bleeding between periods
Spotting after intercourse
Swelling of the vulva (vulvitis)
Burning in the throat (due to oral sex)
Swollen glands in the throat (due to oral sex)
In some women symptoms are so mild that they escape unnoticed.
Gonorrhea Symptoms in men
Greenish yellow or whitish discharge from the penis
Burning when urinating
Burning in the throat (due to oral sex)
Painful or swollen testicles
Swollen glands in the throat (due to oral sex)
In men, symptoms usually appear 2-14 days after infection.
(quote here)
Gonorrhea can be cured with antibiotics prescribed by your doctor. If left untreated, gonorrhea can cause infertility in both men and women.
Hepatitis B- A viral infection that infects the liver. There are actually 3 types of hepatitis: A, B and C, and all can be transmitted through sexual activity, but B is most commonly transmitted through sex. Semen, vaginal fluids, blood or urine can all transmit Hepatitis B. Symptoms develop between six week and six months, and can include:
extreme tiredness
tenderness and pain in the lower abdomen
loss of appetite
nausea, vomiting
pain in the joints
headache
fever
hives
Later hepatitis B symptoms include
more severe abdominal pain
dark urine
pale-colored bowel movements
jaundice — yellowing of the skin and eyes
(quotehere)
There is no cure for hepatitis but in many cases, it goes away by itself in 4-8 weeks. However, roughly one in twenty persons will get a chronic form of the disease that affects them throughout their lives. These people may be prone to liver diseases including liver cancer and cirrhosis of the liver.
Herpes- A viral infection caused by either herpes simplex virus type 1 or 2. It is easily transmitted through kissing and unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex. A person can have oral herpes, genital herpes, or both. Oral herpes tends to form itchy or painful sores in and around the mouth area starting 2-4 weeks from infection. Genital herpes frequently has no symptoms, though the same type of sores can develop on the genitals and around the anus, starting 2-4 weeks from infection. Initial symptoms (within 2-20 days) can also include:
swollen, tender glands in the pelvic area, throat, and under the arms
fever
chills
headache
general run-down feelings
achy, flu-like feelings
In some areas, up to 8 out of 10 Americans have oral herpes and 1 out of 4 have genital herpes. There is no cure for herpes, though it can sometimes be suppressed through medication. However, even with medication, herpes can still be transmitted. Those with sores can transmit genital herpes even when using a condom.
HIV/AIDS- HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) refers to the virus that eventually causes AIDS. AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) refers to the advanced form of HIV . HIV and AIDS destroy a person's immune system, making them vulnerable to diseases that most bodies fight off. Nearly one million cases of AIDS has been reported to the government in the US alone, and in some places in the world, 1 in 4 persons have AIDS. There is no cure, though patients can live between 24 years and 50 years with medical intervention in early stages. If not treated until in the later stages, life expectancy is less than 10 years. New studies indicate that doctors may soon be able to suppress the disease so that patients can live to their natural life expectancy.
Thankfully, people under 25 are no longer the largest group of people diagnosed with HIV (in case you're curious, it's adults between the ages of 40-44, so please be careful too), but as many as 1 in 4 persons who have HIV are not aware that they are infected. This is for a couple of reasons. First, it may take up to six months for HIV tests to indicate someone has the disease. Second, it may take between 10 days and 10 years for symptoms of the disease to develop. Some of the symptoms are (from Planned Parenthood)
a thick, whitish coating of the tongue or mouth and sometimes accompanied by a sore throat
severe or recurring vaginal yeast infections
chronic pelvic inflammatory disease
severe and frequent infections
periods of extreme and unexplained tiredness that may be combined with headaches, lightheadedness, and/or dizziness
quick loss of more than 10 pounds of weight that is not due to increased physical exercise or dieting
bruising more easily than normal
long periods of frequent diarrhea
frequent fevers and/or night sweats
swelling or hardening of glands located in the throat, armpit, or groin
periods of persistent, deep, dry coughing
increasing shortness of breath
the appearance of discolored or purplish growths on the skin or inside the mouth
unexplained bleeding from growths on the skin, from the mouth, nose, anus, or vagina, or from any opening in the body
frequent or unusual skin rashes
severe numbness or pain in the hands or feet, the loss of muscle control and reflex, paralysis, or loss of muscular strength
confusion, personality change, or decreased mental abilities
HIV can be spread through semen, vaginal fluids, blood and breast milk. That means, kissing can't transmit AIDS (unless both of you have cuts in your mouth), but unprotected sex or needle sharing can. Using a condom during sex greatly reduces the chance of infection during intercourse. It is unknown how easy it is to get AIDS from oral sex, but some cases of oral sex transmission have been reported to the CDC.
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)- HPV refers to any of the 100 forms of this virus. 3 out of 4 females will have HPV sometime in their lives, though the effects of the HPV vaccine on these numbers are unknown at this time. HPV is positively linked to genital warts and cervical cancer, though not all of the 100 strains do the same thing: only strains 6 and 11 are associated with genital warts. Several strains are associated with cervical cancer. Most strains of HPV go away in time, but lingering strains can lead to increased risk of cervical cancer. HPV is usually discovered during routine gynecological exams, when a Pap smear is taken. It is transmitted through skin to skin contact, so condoms will not prevent transmission during sex, though they can lesson the likelihood of transmission. There are no symptoms of HPV and no treatments. Luckily, most infections are harmless and disappear later.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)- PID is caused when an infection travels upward from the vagina into the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries. it is quite serious and can be life threatening, or cause sterility and ectopic pregnancies later in life. It is usually, but not always, caused by untreated infections of chlamydia and gonorrhea. PID can be avoided by using condoms during sex, getting tested and treated for STD's as soon as possible, and not having sex for several weeks after giving birth. It can be cured by a doctor. Symptoms of PID include:
unusually long or painful periods, and unusual vaginal discharge
spotting and pain between menstrual periods or during urination
pain in the lower abdomen and back
fever, chills
nausea, vomiting
pain during vaginal intercourse (quote here)
Pubic Lice ("Crabs") and Scabies- Pubic lice are tiny insects that attach themselves to skin and hair in the pubic area. Once there, they survive by drinking the blood of their host. They can also attach to eyelashes, underarm hair and eyebrows. Pubic Lice start out light gray and get darker as they engorge with blood. Eggs are white and are usually located at the base of hair shafts. There are some over-the-counter medicines like Licenex that will get rid of them. A doctor can also cure the infestation.
Scabies are mites that burrow under the skin and drink the blood of their host. Once infested, the skin appears to have a dirty rash, or small curling lines may appear on or around the genitals, in between fingers, and/or on the breasts and thighs. Your doctor can prescribe treatments that will cure the infestation.
Most people know they have pubic lice or scabies, by either noticing the organisms or because of intense itching in the groin area. It is a myth that hot baths, kerosene, Vaseline or shaving will get rid of them. They are transmitted by skin to skin contact so condoms will not stop an infestation.
Syphilis- A bacterial infection caused by direct contact of any cuts or mucous membranes with a syphilis sore. it is most often transmitted through unprotected sex, and comdoms can greatly reduce the chances of infection. It is rare, but possible to transmit the disease through oral sex.
Syphilis is easiest transmitted when in its early phase, when weeping sores appear on the infected area: the fluid is exceptionally infective. Symptoms of the disease vary from stage to stage, and later stages of the disease cause irreversible damage to the body's systems:
Primary Stage — A painless sore or open, wet ulcer, which is called a chancre, appears. You may have just one chancre or a few. Chancres usually appear about three weeks after infection, but may take up to 90 days. Without treatment, they last 3–6 weeks. Chancres can appear on the genitals, in the vagina, on the cervix, lips, mouth, breasts, or anus. Swollen glands may also occur during the primary phase.
Secondary Stage — Other symptoms often appear 3–6 weeks after the sores appear. These syphilis symptoms may come and go for up to two years. They include body rashes that last 2–6 weeks — often on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. There are many other symptoms, including mild fever, fatigue, sore throat, hair loss, weight loss, swollen glands, headache, and muscle pains.
Late Stage — One out of three people who have syphilis that is not treated suffer serious damage to the nervous system, heart, brain, or other organs, and death may result. This can occur 1–20 years after the start of the infection. (quote here)
Syphilis is curable by your doctor and the sooner the treatment, the less damage is done to the body.
With all of these STDs It is a good idea to emphasize that the partner of an infected person will not be able to observe many of the symptoms of these diseases (how do you know if they have a fever?). Also, in most cases, the disease can still be transmitted even when no symptoms have been observed yet. Abstinence from all sexual activity is the only 100% way to prevent the transmission of any STD. I did not cover some of the STDs mentioned by the CDC and Planned Parenthood. you can find more information on diseases such as Chancroid and Trichtomoniasis at the Planned Parenthood site or through theCDC site.