Switched-On Magazine

We all want to know and understand the facts about sex and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).  We've all had plenty of lectures, speeches and discussions about sex and STDs.  Here is a quick refresher on the STD risks you are taking when you do decide to have sex.

So you're deciding to have sex for the first time with your boyfriend or girlfriend and you have no idea what to do.  You need to talk with your partner before doing anything.  Make sure you both are on the same page in terms of boundaries and limits - you shouldn't feel forced to do anything you don't feel comfortable doing.  When you both decide it is time to make that step in your relationship , make sure you have protection.  Please! This is very important. Please use protection.
But let's say one day, you notice something different - you think you might have an STD. You start to worry and worry, and think, "How did this happen - I discussed this with my partner, and I used protection . AHHHHHH!!! Whatever shall I do?!?!?!?!"

As a helpful guide, here are a list of some STDs, their symptoms and if they are curable or not .  PLEASE NOTE that this does NOT take the place of a medical consultation - if you think you have an STD, please visit your doctor and have it checked out.  This information is just that - information , NOT a diagnosis.

1.  Bacterial Vaginosis
   
   a.   A condition in women where the normal balance of bacteria in the vagina is disrupted and replaced by an overgrowth of certain bacteria.  It is sometimes accompanied by discharge, odor, pain, itching, or burning.
   
   b.   It is treatable with antibiotics.
   
2. Chlamydia
   
   a.   Common sexually transmitted disease which can damage a woman's reproductive organs. Even though symptoms of chlamydia are usually mild or absent, serious complications that cause irreversible damage, including infertility, can occur "silently" before a woman ever recognizes a problem. Chlamydia also can cause discharge from the penis of an infected man.
   
   b.   It can be cured by antibiotics.
   
3. Gonorrhea
   
   a.   A bacteria that can grow and multiply easily in the warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract, including the cervix, uterus, and fallopian tubes in women, and in the urine canal in women and men. The bacteria can also grow in the mouth, throat, eyes, and anus.
   
   b.   Medication can help cure the disease but can not prevent any damage.
   
4. Genital Herpes
   
   a.   Causes blisters on or around the genitals or rectum. The blisters break, leaving tender ulcers that may take awhile to the first time they occur. Other outbreaks can appear weeks or months after the first, but it almost always is less severe and shorter than the first outbreak.  Although the infection can stay in the body indefinitely, the number of outbreaks tends to decrease over a period of years.
   
   b.   There is no cure.
   
5. Syphilis
   a.   The primary stage of syphilis is usually marked by the appearance of a single sore.
   b.   Skin rash and mucous membrane lesions characterize the secondary stage.
   c.   The latent (hidden) stage of syphilis begins when primary and secondary symptoms disappear.
   d.   Easy to cure in the early stages.

If you read any of these symptoms and you believe you have them please go to the doctor to get tested.