Sexually transmitted diseases - a term applied to diseases that can be obtained through sexual contact with a carrier of infection. The concept is general, includes several types of diseases provoked by pathological microbes, viruses. The disease can cause protozoa and fungi. The first manifestations are usually noticeable in the reproductive system, but without adequate treatment, the disease can spread to the mucous membranes of other organs.
General view
You can suspect infection if the reproductive organs are disturbed by secretions that are non-standard in color, smell and consistency, if ulcerated, inflamed areas form on their surfaces. Many sexually transmitted diseases provoke pain during urination.
Such pathologies do not go away on their own. Without the right therapeutic course, there is a risk of serious consequences. The greatest risks are associated with infection of pregnant women, since the mother can transmit the pathology to the fetus. A child is born with impaired visual system functionality; meningitis and pneumonia are possible. There is a risk of congenital blood poisoning.
Against the background of sexually transmitted diseases in women, inflammatory processes can begin in different organs of the reproductive system and located nearby in the pelvic area. Sexual diseases can cause conception outside the uterus, the inability to become pregnant, and carry a child. Children can be born dead, there is a risk of spontaneous interruption. Men infected with such pathogens can also face the problem of fertility, sexual impotence. To avoid serious consequences, at the first signs of infection, you must come to the doctor to determine the optimal therapeutic course.
Herpes
Perhaps the most common sexually transmitted disease is herpes. On average, doctors say, women are diagnosed more often than men than six times. Infection can be suspected by the appearance of ulcers, vesicles on the reproductive organs. Typically, the area of localization is the groin, anus. Bubbles may disappear, then reappear.
Such a disease is dangerous not only for an adult. If an infected woman becomes pregnant, a herpetic virus can interfere with fetal development. Infection of a man can be suspected by the appearance of small non-healing wounds, rashes on the foreskin. Genital head may be affected. The area itches, hurts, burns. Some describe the sensation as tingling. Discomfort intensifies during urination. Usually, with herpes, swelling of the lymph nodes is observed.
Gonorrhea
Infection with a venereal disease is possible with intimate contact with the carrier of gonorrhea. Doctors have established: if a healthy woman is in contact with a sick man, the probability of infection is 100%, but in the opposite situation is much less. Gonorrhea affects the work of the urinary and reproductive systems, intestines. Possible damage to the mucous membranes of the oral cavity, visual organs. Sometimes with gonorrhea, joints and other parts of the body suffer.
A sign of a sexually transmitted disease, the first to attract the patient’s attention is the discharge from the reproductive organs of a specific color (yellowish, greenish). Character - purulent mucus. With tripper, the temperature rises, shivering, the act of urination is given with pain. However, the disease does not always manifest itself from the very beginning. There is a variant of the secretive flow in the primary stages. It is easier to cure a tripper if you can contact a doctor in a timely manner. If the course is started when the disease has already substantially developed, it is highly likely that organ damage will not be able to level. The treatment itself will be very difficult.
HIV infection
Regarding this sexually transmitted disease, prevention is currently receiving a lot of attention, as prominent scientists in our world consider HIV to be the epidemic of the current century. The complexity of the disease is that you can get it not only sexually. True, the attribution of HIV to sexually transmitted pathologies is rather arbitrary. Any modern person should know the signs and manifestations of infection. As soon as there is a suspicion of infection, you need to see a doctor in order to establish a diagnosis. If he confirms, the doctor will explain how to live further so that the decrease in the quality of life is minimal.
Signs of a sexually transmitted disease:
- heat reaches 40 degrees;
- sweat glands are actively working;
- the patient loses weight;
- breathing is disturbed.
HIV provokes baldness, skin on the face becomes inflamed, stool is broken, lymph nodes swell. Such symptoms can be observed for years, periodically the condition improves, then worsens again. With HIV, there is a high probability of infectious diseases that are not characteristic of people with normal immune status. There is a risk of blood poisoning. With HIV, the risk of developing neoplasms and diseases of the musculoskeletal system is higher.
HIV is attributed to sexually transmitted sexually transmitted diseases, since the predominant percentage of infections occurs precisely in intimate contacts with a sick person. You can get an infection with all types and methods of interaction. Possible infection by blood transfusion. The mother can pass the virus to the embryo. But HIV is not transmitted by domestic means, therefore, dishes, bedding, linen of the patient are safe, as well as shaking hands with him, if the integrity of the skin is not broken.
Diseases: unpleasant and dangerous
What sexually transmitted diseases can cause a "fishy" smell, spreading from the female genital organs? As a rule, the reason is gardnerellosis. This disease begins if gardnerells enter the body, and the immune system cannot take control of the development of the colony. In addition to a smell similar to that characteristic of rotting fish, pathology manifests itself as inflammatory foci localized on the vaginal mucosa. Symptoms become stronger after intimate contact.
Another common problem among skin and sexually transmitted diseases is the appearance of warts, genital warts. These are such pinkish growths that look like cauliflower. As a rule, the first manifestations can be seen on the reproductive organs a couple of months after infection. Often they are localized on the vaginal mucosa, actively grow in the skin folds of the inguinal region, between the buttocks. If you start treatment on time, you will probably be able to achieve a complete cure.
Syphilis
If there is a suspicion of infection with a human sexually transmitted disease, an analysis for syphilis is prescribed one of the first. You can get sick through sexual contact with a carrier of treponema. If it is possible to detect infection at the initial stage, it is likely that the disease will be able to be defeated quickly and without special difficulties. But this applies only to the first few months from the moment a harmful microorganism enters the human body. Often this period is asymptomatic. Latent syphilis can last for decades. If the microorganism begins to actively develop, the genitals are the first to suffer - gangrenous processes develop here. Syphilis is dangerous for the heart, liver, and disrupts the central nervous system.
Of course, usually it’s not enough to ask your partner “Are you sick with sexually transmitted diseases?”, And yet doctors advise you to have contacts strictly with those people whose safety and health can be sure. It is easy to get syphilis, an intimate act with a carrier of the disease is sufficient. However, this is not the only way - you can get infected through objects used in everyday life, kisses.
Syphilis is one of the most common dangerous sexually transmitted diseases. The main ways to kill the pathogen - treatment with high temperatures, alkaline and acid solutions. Lemonade and sour milk are dangerous for syphilis. You can suspect a disease by the appearance of redness. More often the focus of localization is the reproductive organs. Over time, a solid chancre appears in this area - a dense formation. Its size is up to a centimeter. The process is accompanied by swelling of the lymph nodes.
Trichomoniasis
People are used to thinking about this sexually transmitted disease: treatment can be practiced at home. No special help from a doctor is required. In fact, this is not so: although the symptomatology is not very pronounced, and the pathology itself seems insignificant, an unsuccessful approach to eliminating it, delaying it with adequate treatment is highly likely to provoke complications.
Symptoms of a sexually transmitted disease: burning, itching in the reproductive organs. In women, it manifests itself in the vagina, on the external skin integument. It is possible to suspect something was wrong by disrupting the discharge: yellowish whites, rather liquid, often foamy, are disturbing. Blood inclusions are possible. The discharge has an unpleasant odor.
Additional symptoms of a sexually transmitted disease: discomfort in the lower abdomen, lower back. The pain intensifies during intimate interaction, urination. There is a chance of such severe pain that sexual contact is impossible. If the pathogen spreads to the uterus, there is a risk of prolonged bleeding.
This sexually transmitted disease in men manifests itself by burning, itching in the genital area. The act of urination causes pain. Transparent or white selections (with a shade of gray) are possible. As a rule, observed in the morning, small in volume - just a drop. Over time, ulcerated areas, swelling, and wounds appear on the genitals. The elimination of symptoms without special treatment means the transition to the next phase. Damage to the internal organs of the reproductive system occurs. A man becomes a carrier that can infect a woman, and destructive processes occur in the prostate. There is a risk of infertility.
Chlamydia
As can be seen from medical statistics, this is perhaps the most common sexually transmitted disease. The disease is unpleasant, and chlamydia, pathological microorganisms, can provoke it. Doctors say that chlamydia is diagnosed on average three times more often than gonorrhea. A sick man suffers from inflammatory processes in the channels for urine excretion, the work of the testicles, prostate gland is disrupted. Perhaps spread to the intestines and joints. In women, chlamydia can cause foci of inflammation in different parts of the reproductive system, and the risk of pregnancy is increased with the fetus secured outside the uterus. Higher chance of spontaneous interruption.
Sexually transmitted disease in women manifests itself as secretions containing mucus and pus. The substance is translucent, may be watery. The act of urination is accompanied by soreness, itching. Possible increase in temperature, in the groin - swelling, redness.
What to do?
In the portfolio of medical clinics you can sometimes find frightening photos: sexually transmitted diseases not only leak heavily, but also lead to negative consequences, not always reversible. In order not to know first hand how it looks and what provokes, you need to be as responsible as possible when choosing a partner. If infection is suspected, you should contact a specialized clinic.
In our country there are dispensaries, the staff of which provides free assistance in identifying infection, identifying the disease, and choosing treatment. There are points where assistance is provided anonymously. Such services are provided not only by public, but also private clinics.
If there is a suspicion of a sexually transmitted disease in a man, you need to visit a urologist, andrologist. Doctors will prescribe studies to identify what the problem is. You need to contact them at the first symptoms - the presence of secretions on your underwear, soreness, burning during urination. If you are concerned about pain during sexual intercourse, do not hesitate to go to a specialist. If the symptoms worsen, baldness is worried, ulcers and spots form on the mucous membranes of different organs, you need to visit a doctor as urgently as possible - there is a risk of severe damage to the body.
Attention to all the nuances
Even if there is no symptom that allows infection to be suspected, it is reasonable to take an analysis for sexually transmitted diseases if the person suggests that he was in a situation involving an increased risk of getting the pathogen. Sufficiently accurate results can be obtained if you go to the clinic one and a half or two weeks after contact with a person who is presumably with an STD. Specialists will take swabs from the mucous membranes of the genitals. In organic substances, Trichomonas, gonococcus, and agents that cause syphilis can be found. If the result is positive, the patient in time learns about the disease and can begin its treatment. If there is a suspicion of syphilis, appoint a re-examination, taking a break between analyzes of the order of two months. This will give the most accurate information.
If there is an assumption that HIV infection has occurred, the examination should be addressed 3-6 months after interacting with a potential patient.
All other STDs are detected if the patient is treated with symptoms characteristic of the disease.
Types, Types, and Categories
The health problems described above are not a complete list of sexually transmitted diseases. Of those encountered relatively often, it is also worth mentioning cytomegalovirus, papillomavirus, candidiasis. The modern classification of sexually transmitted diseases involves the inclusion in this group of some intestinal, skin pathologies: pubic lice, infection with mollusks, scabies. This classification is due to the transmission of the disease during sexual intercourse.
It is possible to suspect that an infection has occurred due to itching, burning and the presence of bleeding. If a woman has spotting between the menstrual cycles, you need to visit a doctor as soon as possible, since the consequences can be irreversible. In general, it is not easy for an average person to distinguish different sexually transmitted diseases from each other. Although each of them has its own unique characteristics, most of the manifestations are similar. This imposes restrictions on the possibility of self-medication: different pathogens require a completely different approach to solving the problem, so you can choose a therapeutic course, prescribe medications only after confirming the diagnosis.
Forms and stages
Like many other pathologies, sexually transmitted diseases are acute, chronic. The first option is possible if the infection occurred relatively recently, the body's immunity is rather weak, so the symptoms are bright. If you pay attention to the portfolio of clinics specializing in sexually transmitted diseases, photos of patients suffering from the acute form of such pathologies can sometimes even get scared - the signs and manifestations seem so unsightly. This is largely due to the psychological barrier, subconscious protection against infection: the rejection reaction occurs as a method of preventing contact with the patient, and therefore, receiving an infectious agent.
However, vivid manifestations are characteristic only of the period of acute course. If the disease is not treated, the symptoms will be smoothed over time, so some even assure themselves that a full recovery has occurred. The opinion is categorically erroneous: the disease simply goes into a chronic stage. Some manifestations remain, but they are expressed rather weakly, do not attract attention.
The chronic stage is extremely insidious. A person does not suspect that he is a carrier of infection, and can infect his sexual partners. In addition, there is a risk of relapse. However, a pathological agent that develops in the internal organs violates their functionality, which sooner or later will lead to serious consequences. Statistics show that men are more likely to be carriers of infection without suspecting this, infecting perfectly healthy women before. Since the symptoms of the fair sex are more pronounced, ladies often turn to the doctor to determine the diagnosis and start treatment, while men consider themselves healthy.
To treat is important and necessary
Venereology - a field of medicine specializing in sexually transmitted diseases, methods for their elimination, prevention. Its roots lie in eras far from our days. Of course, the term itself did not exist then, but even the ancient Chinese, Indian, Greek, Egyptian scientists described sexually transmitted diseases and found ways to combat it. Particular attention of people was attracted by those diseases, the development of which endangered human life itself.
Currently, medicine has gone far ahead in comparison with those times. , , , . . , . , .
Only a qualified doctor specializing in this field can trust STD treatment. Do not underestimate these pathologies. The fight against them drags on for a long time, and the course of treatment itself is usually not easy. Medicines that are effective in such cases can provoke side effects, and some microorganisms show resistance to medications used by doctors. All this is the reason for the strict prohibition of self-medication.
Special cases and conditions
The greatest dangers are associated with a situation when sexually transmitted diseases are found in a pregnant woman. Doctors recommend already at the stage of pregnancy planning to undergo an examination for infection and to cure all the pathologies that doctors will find. With this responsible approach, the likelihood of malfunctions in the development of the fetus is minimal, which means that the child will be born healthy and full.
If sexually transmitted diseases are detected during the period of bearing a child or breastfeeding, it is important to start treatment in a timely manner under the supervision of a doctor. It is necessary to check for infection not only the mother and her constant sexual partner, but also the child. Statistics show that chlamydia in newborns is closely associated with an increased risk of pneumonia and bronchitis. Eye diseases or brain infection are possible. There is a high probability of a baby dying before birth.
According to doctors, the most dangerous for pregnant women are cytomegalovirus, chlamydia, and herpetic viruses. In most cases, the mother infects them with the child during gestation and birth. The difficulty lies also in the limited number of drugs that can be used to eliminate infection during pregnancy. In order not to harm yourself and the child, you need to be treated strictly under the supervision of a doctor.
A complex approach
If sexually transmitted diseases are detected in a person who is in constant sexual intercourse with another, the treatment will bring success only if both are subjected to it. It is known from statistics that women who suffer from unpleasant symptoms are more likely to see doctors, while men consider themselves to be completely healthy. In fact, both people are most likely sick, just the anatomical features are such that the disease manifests itself brighter among the fair sex.
If only one person in a couple comes for treatment, and the second neglects to take tests and take a course, you should not expect effectiveness from such a program, since the infection will constantly occur on a new one. To avoid such a “vicious circle”, it is important to insist that a regular sexual partner visit a doctor even if there are no manifestations of a health problem. If there is no permanent partner, during treatment and after it you need to carefully avoid casual relationships and intimate contacts. As a rule, they account for the overwhelming percentage of cases of infection.
The most effective way to prevent infection is to abstain from sexual intercourse, but this approach is too radical and in practice is suitable only in a small percentage of cases. In addition, the lack of an intimate life can cause hormonal imbalance and other diseases, so doctors do not recommend resorting to it. The best solution is maintaining hygiene, maintaining a permanent relationship with one person, as well as the use of barrier contraception.