Contracting sexually transmitted diseases only happens if you have a physical intimate sexual contact with someone who is infected. It is passed on via oral sex, anal sex, or vaginal intercourse. STD can also be spread through non-sexual contact like an infected mother transmitted to an infant before, during, or after childbirth, breastfeeding, blood donation, or donor tissue.
At times, sexually transmitted diseases do not manifest any signs and symptoms at all. However, it may include vaginal discharge, penile discharge, rash around the genital area, ulcer or on around genitals, itchiness, pain with urination, pain with ejaculation.
Some of the sexually transmitted infections like syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis are curable but herpes, hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS, and HPV are treatable but not curable.
How do you know if you have STD?
The symptoms vary from person to person, depending on the severity of the infection, what type of infection is present, and what stage it is in. Symptoms can range from no signs at all to severe. Symptoms may develop days after engaging to sexual activity and sometimes, it can take weeks.
The first signs of infection are usually an abnormality in the genital area. People who are infected know that there is something wrong because of the possible presence of rashes, itching, discharge, or pain. Apart from the manifestation of signs and symptoms, the only way to diagnose if you contracted STD is to get tested.
It can be confirmed through a series of tests such as blood test, urine samples, and fluid samples.
How to treat STD?
There are two types of sexually transmitted infection: viral or of bacterial origin. Typically, sexually transmitted diseases caused by bacteria is generally easier to cure. Viral infections can be controlled but not always cured. Viral STD remains in the body for the remainder of lifetime.
Treatment can either be the two:
- Antibiotics – Bacterial STDs can be cured with antibiotics. Beginning an early treatment proves to be effective. Do not wait for the disease to be severe before you start taking antibiotics. (For the list of antibiotics available, you can get here.)
- Antiviral – Antiviral drug can keep the infection at bay, but it will not totally eradicate the virus. Antivirals can manage the symptoms and lessen the risk of infection. However, the infected person can still transmit virus to another person despite taking antivirals.