How do I know if I have a sexually transmitted disease (STD)?
In the first instance, it is necessary to know that this type of disease can occur in both men and women.
Some are quite common throughout the life of each individual; but not everyone is a carrier, nor does everyone have symptoms.
The risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases is becoming more and more latent. Being its main route of contagion intimacy, it is opportune to know that those who are sexually active must be aware of it.
Some common causes are as follows
Mainly, they are produced by microorganisms ( bacteria, parasites, fungi, viruses ) that can usually be treated and cured
These pathogens are transmitted through intimate sexual contact. Genital secretions are its main means of diffusion, promoting infection if condoms are not preferably used.
Likewise, they are secondary to having various sexual partners or previous history related to suffering from an STD.
Another worrying aspect is that they can be passed from mother to child during labor. At the same time, the generic application of blood transfusions without confirmatory serology or needles reused without being made for that purpose.
Most frequent symptoms and diseases
On occasion, affected individuals may have no signs or symptoms. Much of them are hidden from the naked eye, so care must be greater. In other words, you are in the presence of people who, although they are sick, do not seem so.
Basically, the symptoms can vary depending on the type of STD that is present. Essentially, the most common are:
Chlamydia
Treated varieties occur asymptomatically, but when clinical manifestations make their appearance, they are characterized by:
Pain on urination (when urinating).
Pelvic pain.
Testicular or vaginal pain.
Pain during the development of intercourse.
Foul-smelling genital secretions (in both men and women).
Syphilis
At the beginning of the disease, the staging of its symptoms is not splendid. In this regard, a first pathognomonic sign known as "chancre" is hardly evident. In particular, it is a skin lesion similar to an ulcer or sore, mostly in the genital area.
When syphilis worsens, it gives rise to other symptoms such as: pain, discomfort, swollen lymph nodes and a persistent skin rash anywhere on the body.
HPV (Human Papilloma Virus)
It is relevant to remember that this disease is one of the most common among the existing STDs, but usually does not combine clear symptoms.
Despite this, in the most advanced stages, painful genital warts called papillomas consolidate. Cutaneous-mucosal conditions that are directly related to bleeding during sexual intercourse, pain and general discomfort.
HPV is a virus that, depending on its serotype, describes a high oncogenic (carcinogenic) power. If not treated or suppressed in time, the recurrence of cervical cancer is a latent reality.
Herpes of the genital type
As in some of its namesakes, the presence of clinical manifestations is not common. Even so, it is advisable not to be overconfident, since not every organism is the same.
According to the medical literature, genital herpes causes: vesicles, ulcers and blisters on the genitals. Thus, it is a strong cause of pain in the affected genital parts, capable of spreading to the buttocks and part of the legs or thighs.
Gonorrhea
The symptoms usually appear late, they are mostly: bloody discharge (vagina or penis), pain when urinating, as well as burning. Likewise, heavy bleeding during the period or the opposite is an anomaly to be treated.
In men, inflammation of the testicles is a problem that some patients suffer from. However, the female gender is more prone to more varied and complex symptoms.
HIV
Its symptoms acquire a latent character, staging itself, even after 10 years. Depending on the degree of the disease, the complications may be greater or milder by then.
Therefore, they are: swollen or enlarged nodes for a long time. Fever, rash, weight loss, persistent fatigue, chronic diarrhea, unusual infections, and a bad cough.
trichomoniasis
Trichomoniasis expresses its characteristic symptomatology up to a week after its incubation. Usually, it presents with greenish or yellowish vaginal discharge, bad smell, irritation, itching, redness and pain when having sexual intercourse.
In another order of ideas, based on the parasitic load, the patient is capable of adopting an asymptomatic profile. As a result, it is advisable to carry out a thorough physical examination to determine the veracity of the matter.
Which gender is the most prone to STDs?
The female genital tract is usually more prone to contracting some type of infection, since it is exposed to pathogenic microorganisms.
The entire female genital ecosystem works under strict physiological standards that preserve its ideal properties. Some imbalance in the normal bacterial flora, in the pH or its anatomy, favors the proliferation of various diseases.
While it is true that women are more prone to STDs, it does not mean that men are exempt from blame. A large percentage of the cases talk about the worrying promiscuous life of masculinity, turning them into born carriers of STDs.
What diseases are transmitted from women to men?
Among the most common are: herpes, chlamydia, HPV, syphilis, gonorrhea ; It is worth mentioning that fungi are also transmissible. The signs or symptoms vary in appearance, taking into account that these spread outside the genital areas.
Therefore, it is necessary to protect yourself when having any type of sexual contact. Likewise, the transfer of the disease is not only due to strictly sexual connotations. In fact, saliva is, equally, a spreading agent of the pathogens in question.
Types of existing treatments
Treatments for STDs are as diverse as the symptoms, the most used for those caused by bacteria, fungi or parasites are antibiotics.
In the field of those caused by viruses, there is no cure, but there is a treatment that reduces the viral load.
Regardless of what, a professional in the field is the one who is in charge of dictating the appropriate treatment. As well as diagnosing if there is contagion of any disease, displaying the relevant tests. Point that will fluctuate according to the type of symptom or the type of STD.