Emancipation Proclamation
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The Creepy Crawlies
Issues too many Americans are embarrassed to deal with are Sexual Transmitted Diseases (STDs). This epidemic has affected the entire world, and we must take it seriously because it spreads at a very rapid rate and many have no cures and can result in death.
First, we must ask this question, what is an STD? An STD is an infection or disease passed from person to person through sexual contact. Second, how many people have STDs? The United States has the highest rates of STDs in the industrialized world. In the
United States alone, an estimated 15.3 million new cases of STDs report each year. Women suffer more frequent and more serious complications from STDs than men do. That means one out of every three people you see that has or had an STD. How do you get an STD? You can get and pass STDs through vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Trichomoniasis can also picked up from contact with damp or moist objects such as towels, wet clothing, or a toilet seat, if the genital area gets in contact with these damp objects. Some STDs cause no symptoms. However, STDs can still pass from person to person even if there are no symptoms. So keep in mind that even though you might not have symptoms or an outbreak, you still can pass it along.
Now to get into some of the symptoms of various STDs, BV, also known as bacterial vaginosis, normally have no symptoms. When symptoms do occur in women, you notice vaginal itching, pain when urinating, and discharge with a fishy odor. Bacterial vaginosis is the most common vaginal infection in women of childbearing age. It happens when the normal balance of bacteria in the vagina is disrupted and replaced by an overgrowth of certain bacteria. The vagina normally contains mostly “good” bacteria, and fewer “harmful” bacteria. BV develops when there is an increase in “harmful” bacteria and fewer “good” bacteria. The cause of BV is not understood. It can develop when something, like sexual contact, disrupts the balance between the good bacteria that protect the vagina from infection and the harmful bacteria that do not. It is not clear what role sexual activity plays in the development of BV, but BV is more common among women who have had vaginal sex. However, BV is not always from sexual contact. We do know that certain things can upset the normal balance of bacteria in the vagina and put you more at risk for BV such as having multiple sex partners, douching, not wearing a condom (lets face it, guys arent the cleanest species in the world; do not expect them to have a clean penis). We also know that you do not get BV from toilet seats, bedding, swimming pools, or from touching objects around you, so take that out of your book of excuses. There is a test to find out if you have BV. Your doctor takes a sample of fluid from your vagina and has it tested. Your doctor may also be able to see signs of BV, like a grayish-white discharge, during an examination of the vagina. BV is treated with antibiotics, which are medicines prescribed by your doctor. Your doctor may give you either metronidazole or clindamycin. Generally, male sex partners of women with BV do not need to be treated. You can get BV again even after being treated.
Chlamydia is the most frequently reported sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by bacteria (Chlamydia trachomatis) in the U.S. An estimated 2.8 million Americans get Chlamydia each year. Women are often re-infected, meaning they get the STD again, if their sex partners are not treated. Re-infections place women at higher risk for serious reproductive health complications, including infertility. Sexually active women and men can get Chlamydia through sexual contact with an infected person. Chlamydia can be passed during vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Because there are often no symptoms, people who are infected may unknowingly pass Chlamydia to their sex partners. An infected mother can also pass Chlamydia to her baby during childbirth. Babies born to infected mothers can get pneumonia or infections in their eyes, also called conjunctivitis. The more sex partners a person has, the greater the risk of being infected with Chlamydia. Chlamydia is easily confused with gonorrhea, another STD. Gonorrhea and Chlamydia have similar symptoms and can have similar complications if not treated, but the two STDs have different treatments. Chlamydia is known as a “silent” disease because 75 percent of infected women and at least half of infected men have no symptoms. If symptoms do occur, they usually appear within 1 to 3 weeks of exposure. Symptoms, if any, might include an abnormal vaginal discharge or a burning sensation when urinating. The infection is often not diagnosed or treated until there are complications. The infection first attacks the cervix and urethra. Even if the infection spreads from the cervix to the uterus and fallopian tubes, some women may still have no signs or symptoms. If you do have symptoms, you might have lower abdominal pain, low back pain, nausea, fever, pain during sex, and bleeding between menstrual periods. Men with symptoms might have a discharge from the penis and a burning sensation when urinating. Men might also have burning and itching around the opening of the penis or pain and swelling in the testicles, or both. The bacteria also can infect the throat from oral sexual contact with an infected partner. Only a doctor or nurse can diagnose Chlamydia. There are laboratory tests to diagnose Chlamydia. Some tests involve getting a sample from an infected site (cervix or penis) to be tested for the bacteria. A urine test can also tell if you have the bacteria. A Pap test is not a test for Chlamydia. A thing I just found out from researching this is that your well women check you get annually does not test for all possible STDs. So not going to be tested just because your gynecologist has not caught it is a stupid idea. Antibiotics are used to treat and cure Chlamydia. A single dose of azithromycin or a week of doxycycline is the most commonly used treatments. All sex partners should also be treated to avoid re-infection. You should not have sex until you and your sex partner(s) have finished treatment. There are safe antibiotics to cure Chlamydia during pregnancy. If untreated, Chlamydia infection can cause serious reproductive and other health problems. Like the disease itself, the damage that Chlamydia causes is often “silent.” In women, the Chlamydia bacteria often infect the cells of the cervix. If not treated, the infection can spread into the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries and cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This happens in up to 40 percent of women with untreated Chlamydia. PID can cause infertility, tubal pregnancy, pelvic pain; Untreated Chlamydia infections can also cause inflammation of the bladder.