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Sexually Transmitted Infections

Gerad Montgomery & Christina Olsen, Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing

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What are Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)? STIs are infections spread from one person to another during sex. Common STIs include:

Chlamydia: Bacterial infection. Most people do not have any symptoms. When there are symptoms they may include:

• Men - discharge from the penis, pain on urination.
• Women - discharge from the vagina, sometimes pain.
• If untreated, chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and cause sterility. PID symptoms may include chronic lower abdominal pain, painful intercourse, and vaginal discharge.
• Easily cured by antibiotics.

Gonorrhea: Bacterial infection

• In men - may cause burning when passing urine and a yellow discharge from the penis 2-5 days after infection.
• In women - often no sign of infection, some women may have a yellow vaginal discharge, low abdominal pain or irregular menstrual bleeding.
• If untreated, gonorrhea can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and cause sterility. PID symptoms may include chronic lower abdominal pain, painful intercourse, and vaginal discharge.
• Easily cured by antibiotics - patients often treated for chlamydia at the same time.

Trichomoniasis: Protozoal infection

• Women - causes bad-smelling, frothy yellow-green vaginal discharge, itching, redness.discharge and irritation of the vagina.
• Men - usually do not get symptoms but may also need to be treated to prevent re-infection.
• Antibiotics cure the infection.

Syphilis: Bacterial infection

• Women & men - causes a painless sore which disappears in 2-3 weeks. 2-4 months later other symptoms occur including a skin rash, loss of hair or moist bumps around the genitals or anus. Even if symptoms are gone, a person with untreated syphilis can infect others.
• If never treated can infect unborn baby and cause stillbirth or other problems.
• Cured with antibiotics.

Herpes: Viral infection

• Women & men - blisters, pain, itching in vaginal area or penis beginning one - two weeks after sex with infected person. Sometimes there is fever and swollen lymph nodes, and sometimes there are no symptoms.
• Even with treatment, the infection is never cured and may come back 4-5 times/year. Over time, these outbreaks decrease. Delivering a baby when sores are present can cause serious problems for the newborn baby.
• Antiviral medicine helps only if started within two days of symptoms starting.

Genital warts (human papillomavirus or HPV)

• Many people have no symptoms (but still spread the infection).
• Soft moist flesh-colored warts or swellings in genital area may appear weeks, months or even years after infection has occurred. May disappear without treatment.
• Treatment involves removing the warts.

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) leading to AIDS

• Once infected, a person remains infected, and infectious, for life.
• May have no symptoms for several years. Diagnosis by laboratory test.
• Most patients have a series of "opportunistic infections " because the virus gradually destroys the body's ability to fight infections.
• There is no cure and the infection eventually turns into AIDS.

Prevention of STIs

• Abstinence.
• One faithful sex partner.
• Condoms.
• Sexually active women of any age should have a yearly pelvic exam unless told otherwise by a gynecologist or specialist in women's health..

More information: http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/dstd/disease_info.htm