| In a society where free sexual expression has become our prerogative, the ripples of unadulterated assertion of our sexuality have caused a big influx of people having to deal with the realities of sexually transmitted diseases.
These days we can’t afford “free loving’’ as a staggering 400000 people are affected by STDs each year. The most common of these among sexually active adults are Gonorrhea, Chlamydia and HIV.
Gonorrhea
Also known as clap, drip, GC, and is caused by the Neisseria gonorrhea bacteria that thrive in the moist areas of the cervix, urethra, mouth, or rectum. Gonorrhoea spreads through unprotected sexual intercourse but can also spread from the genitals to the mouth during the course of oral sex. A mother with gonorrhoea can give it to her baby during childbirth.
Symptoms
Symptoms usually appear within 2-21 days and allot of people don’t display any symptoms at first. The most common of these symptoms include a thick yellow or white discharge from the vagina, penis, or rectum, men may also experience burning a sensation during urination. Other symptoms that affect the rectal area include itching, discharge and sometimes painful bowel movements.
Treatment
Gonorrhea is treated with antibiotics as it is a bacterial infection. It is usually required that you return for further tests two weeks after you have started the treatment to make sure that the bacteria has been completely eliminated. It is recommended that you inform all your recent sexual partners that they need to get tested as well. This might seem like and embarrassing thing to do but leaving Gonorrhea untreated could lead to damage to the reproductive organs or the infection could spread to other organs causing other implications.
Chlamydia
Chlamydia is one of the fastest spreading sexually transmitted diseases in the UK. It is caused by Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria, and usually spreads when people have unprotected oral, vaginal, or anal sex. Chlamydia can also be spread from mother to child during birth.
Symptoms
Symptoms for most people usually appear within 7-21 days after infection and some people don't even experience any symptoms which make it difficult to detect. The symptoms usually include a watery, white discharge from the vagina, penis or rectum. Some men may experience a burning sensation when you urinate or have bowel movements. Tenderness in the testicles is also a common occurrence.
Treatment
Treatment consists of antibiotics and it is recommended that you go back to your GP to make sure that the infection has been treated successfully. Genitals can be harmed if Chlamydia is left untreated and it can also spread to other organs. So it is best to get treatment as soon as possible.
HIV (AIDS)
AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and is a potentially lethal sexually transmitted disease. The HIV virus invades the body and attacks the immune system breaking it down with the end result of the patient developing AIDS. AIDS makes the patient vulnerable to all kinds of other diseases and bacteria that might not seem harmful to healthy individuals.
HIV is transmitted through bodily fluids like semen, vaginal discharge, and blood and breast milk. HIV usually spreads through having unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex, breast feeding, blood transfusions, breast feeding, use infected needles during drug abuse scenarios or in hospital and from a mother to her child during child birth.
Symptoms
Symptoms start several months to several years after contact with the virus. And include fever, diarrhoea, night sweats, unexplained loss of weight, white spots in the mouth, purple bumps on the skin and on the inside mouth of the mouth, rectal or nasal area.
How do you treat HIV (AIDS)?
They use an HIV antibody blood test and if the virus is detected they usually start patients on a course of anti-retroviral treatments to slow down the spread of the virus in the body. Even though AIDS is incurable and potentially lethal, allot of people having to deal with these realities can still lead normal lives. Information about this disease is freely available and there are allot of support groups and specialized clinics who can advise people on treatment options.
It might sound clichéd but the best cure is ultimately prevention so to avoid the disruption a sexually transmitted disease can cause in your life, avoid having unprotected sex with too many different partners and always wear a condom. |
