Top V. STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections)
An STI is an infection that you can get (or give if you have one) by engaging in unprotected sexual contact. This can include vaginal, oral, anal or skin to skin contact. Some STI’s have symptoms but often there are no symptoms at all and that is why it is important to get tested and if need be, treated. Abstinence and condoms used properly with each sexual contact and encounter, are the only way to protect against STI transmission.
i. CHLAMYDIA & GONORRHEA
Chlamydia is a common STI that can cause serious damage to the reproductive system. It can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). If you are a sexually active woman 26 years or younger then you should be tested for chlamydia every year. If you are over 26 with risk factors such as new or multiple sex partners or have a partner who has an STI, then you should be tested. Pregnant women should also be tested because this infection can be transmitted to the baby. Testing is simple, it is collected through a urine specimen or a genital swab. Chlamydia infections may be asymptomatic or present with vaginal discharge, burning with urination or pelvic pain. This infection is treated with an antibiotic. It is important to make sure that the infection has resolved by having a test of cure after treatment has been completed. Your sex partners should also be tested/treated.
ii. HUMAN PAPILLOMA VIRUS (HPV)
HPV is a group of viral strains that are extremely common. Most sexually active people will be infected with HPV at some point. Primary prevention includes vaccination against HPV and secondary prevention for women is screening with pap and HPV testing. Most HPV infections clear up without any need for medical intervention, but a small percentage persist and progress. There are noncancerous strains of HPV, and these can create genital warts which are highly contagious. Other strains, if left untreated over the course of years in an otherwise healthy woman, can progress to pre-cancer and ultimately to cervical cancer. Screening guidelines vary according to age and health history. In general, women should undergo routine pap smear screening to assess the cells of the cervix starting at age 21 and HPV screening should begin at age 30. The interval frequency of the pap smear and HPV are approximately every 3 to 5 years but there are certain exceptions.
iii. HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS (HSV1/2)
HSV1 (oral) and HSV2 (genital) is a virus that often causes painful sores but is important to know that it sometimes can be spread even if there aren’t any sores present. For many people with known HSV, the virus can go through periods of being dormant. Outbreaks can occur spontaneously or be brought on by other illnesses, fatigue, stress, trauma or immunosuppression. The diagnosis of herpes is usually made by the patient’s symptoms as well as the appearance of a cluster of painful to sores. The diagnosis can be confirmed by a viral culture swab which checks for an active outbreak or a blood test can assess for antibodies. demonstrating exposure. Although there is no cure for HSV, treatments are available which can relieve symptoms of an outbreak, shorten the duration of the outbreak and suppress outbreaks and therefore lessen the possibility of transmission.
iv. SYPHILIS
Syphilis is a bacterial infection that is often unnoticed in its early stages. It can cause a small, painless, yet very infectious sore called a chancre.
v. HIV
The human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, damages the immune system. This can increase the risk of contracting other infections and develop certain cancers. Appropriate treatment can slow progression as well as reduce a transmission to a sexual partner.
Verbena does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and is not a medical provider. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.