Sexually Transmissible Diseases

It's not the end of the world if you have an STD. Most can be easily treated

Sexually transmissible diseases (STDs) and some other diseases (such as HIV and hepatitis) can be transmitted between people when they have vaginal, anal, and oral sex. Some diseases, such as herpes, are also transmitted by close skin contact

You might feel embarrassed, but try not to worry. They deal with this all the time and are professionals.

Your own doctor can usually test and treat you, but for privacy reasons you may prefer to go to a Community Health Center, Sexual Health Clinic, or Family Planning Clinic. There is plenty of great doctors and nurses who will think you are smart for seeking their advice. If you try one place and don't like it, don't be afraid to go elsewhere if you have the choice, it's essential you find somewhere that gives you the service you want.

 

Chlamydia:

 

Chlamydia is one of the most common STDs but it easily cured if treated early. It's tricky because it's hard to know if you've got it or not.

Symptoms (Females)
Burning feeling when you urinate, an unusual vaginal discharge, pain in the belly. Often girls notice no symptoms.

Symptoms (Males)
Sometimes get pus from your penis and a burning sensation when you urinate. In guys its often called non-specific urethritis (NSU).

Risky when...
You have vaginal or anal sex without a condom.

What can happen
Untreated, chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) causing infertility.

Treatment
Usually a single dose of antibiotics, sometimes a 10 day course of pills. You get these from your doctor or health worker.

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Gonorrhoea:

Gonorrhoea (the clap) is really easy to catch. If you have unprotected sex just once with someone who has it, you've got a 50% chance of catching it.

Symptoms (Females)
May have pelvic pain or an unusual vaginal discharge, but there are often no obvious symptoms at all.

Symptoms (Males)
The main symptom is pain when urinating, as well as pus from your penis. Gonorrhoea of the throat can effect guys and girls and can cause a sore throat or sores around the mouth.

Risky when...
You have oral sex, vaginal or anal sex without a condom.

What can happen
If untreated it can lead to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease for males and females, and which can lead to infertility.

Treatment
Gonorrhoea can be cleared up with a one-off dose or 10 day course of pills from your doctor or health worker.

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Genital Herpes:

Genital Herpes is another common infection in Australia. There is no cure but there are treatments

Symptoms (Unisex)
Herpes causes painful, tingling, or itching blisters or ulcers. Other symptoms include aching muscles and fever.

Herpes Type 1
Usually forms cold sores around the mouth.

Herpes Type 2
Causes blisters around the genitals and anus.

Risky when...
You have vaginal or anal sex. If someone has a herpes sore (a cold sore) on their mouth. It can be transmitted to their partners genitals through oral sex. It is spread by direct contact with the infected area, so if a condom doesn't cover the area it can be passed on.

What can happen
While you can never get rid of the virus, the first attack is usually the worst, then the outbreaks should happen less often and be less painful as time goes on.

Treatment
There are medications to cut down the pain and help the blisters to heal faster. Some medications can help control the virus so that a person gets less sores, less often. See your health worker for them.

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Genital Warts:

Genital Warts are caused by a virus known as human papilloma virus (HPV). Two in three people in Australia carry the virus. Condoms cut down your chances of getting HPV, but because HPV can be passed through skin to skin contact, condoms are not 100% protection against the virus. If you do catch warts, they usually appear in 3 to 12 month's time.

Symptoms (Female and Male)
Warts are usually painless and start as small swellings on the penis or vagina, sometimes developing into cauliflower-like lumps, although some can be flat and hard to see. Even though heaps of people have it, the immune system usually keeps it under control, but the bad news is that some strains can lead to cancer of the penis or vagina.

A pap test takes about 5 mins. It looks for changes in the cervix that might turn into cancer. The cervix sits between the vagina and the uterus. If you have had sex you should have a pap test every two years. Many changes are not cancer but they still need treatment, and cancer that is found early can be cured.

Symptoms (Female only)
Warts can grow in the vagina so it's possible to have them and not know. It's important for a girl to get a Pap test every two years once she has started having sex to check for any signs of cell change that might lead to cancer.

Risky when...
You have anal or vaginal sex. Sometimes it can be passed on from the fingers to the genitals.

What can happen
If warts are untreated they can multiply so it's best to have them treated.

Treatment
The doctor can remove the warts, but the virus will still be there.

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Syphilis:

Syphilis (The Pox) is fairly uncommon but it still exists. If it's not treated it can stay in the body for many years and cause serious problems.

Symptoms (Unisex)
The first sign of syphilis is a sore that appears on the penis or vagina, anus or mouth between ten days to three weeks after sex with an infected person. It goes away in a week or two, but the bacteria are still in the body. The second stage is when a rash appears on the hands and feet, the face and other parts of the body.

Risky when..
You have vaginal, anal or oral sex without a condom.

What can happen
The rash might go away, but the infection is still in the body and a person may have no signs or symptoms for years before the third stage appears. At this stage there can be serious damage to the nervous system, the brain and blood system.

Treatment
Syphilis can be treated with special antibiotics prescribed by the doctor and cured if treated in the early stages.

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HIV:

Symptoms (Unisex)
Sometimes there is signs similar to the flu up to three weeks after becoming infected. Not all people get these symptoms. Sometimes people start getting illnesses 2 to 7 years after they are first infected. If people go for a blood test to see if they have the virus, sometimes it takes up to three months for it to show.

Risky when...

• You have anal or vaginal sex without a condom.
• You share needles and syringes, and other injecting equipment.
• You are HIV positive and pregnant, there is a risk to the baby.

What can happen
Some years after an HIV infection, a person's immune system can become so weak that it can no longer fight even common illnesses. When people get really sick from HIV the illness is called AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).

Treatment
There is no cure for HIV/AIDS, but the symptoms can be helped and the virus can be slowed down by using medication. There are also social support services which help with emotional and social aspects of living with HIV.

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Hepatitis B:

Hepatitis B targets the liver, which is responsible for filtering the blood and breaking down food and poisons in the body. It can be passed on through contact with blood, semen and vaginal fluid and spit.

Symptoms (Unisex)

• Darker urine, and pale feaces(poo).
• Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice).
• Fever and extreme tiredness.
• stomach pains and vomiting.

Risky when...

• You share any injecting equipment including tourniquet, tables or other surfaces, and when there is blood on hands and fingers (even where there is a tiny amount of blood).
• You have vaginal or anal sex without a condom.
• You get a tattoo or body piercing with equipment that hasn't been sterilised in an autoclave.
• You get a tattoo painted with ink from an ink pot used to tattoo someone else.
• Contact sports where there are cuts and grazes.
• Mother to child before and during child birth.

What can happen
95% of people get completely well. About 5% of people can't get rid of the virus and become carriers. Some people and up getting liver disease, which can lead to liver failure or cancer of the liver.

Treatment
Once infected, there is no complete cure, but hepatitis B has a vaccine. You can be nearly 100% certain you won't catch hepatitis B if you get shots against it, although it doesn't protect you from other kinds of hepatitis. Ask your doctor or community health center about the shots.

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Hepatitis C:

Hepatitis C is not commonly transmitted through sex, but it gets mention because it is affecting so many Australians and is passed on through contact with infected blood (similar to HIV and hepatitis B). The main risk is injecting drug use. If anyone has ever injected, they have a one in three chance of being infected. The chances get even higher the longer the person has been injecting.

Symptoms (Unisex)
Most people who are infected will have no symptoms at all at first, however some people will get:

• Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice).
• Flu-like symptoms soon after becoming infected.
• Tiredness, pain in the abdomen, nausea (feeling sick).
• Darker urine, pale feaces (poo).

Sometimes symptoms can take years to develop.

Risky when...

• There is contact with infected blood, and it gets into the blood stream.
• Sharing needles, syringes, swabs, spoons, filters, tourniquet, water or mix that has had a used fit in it, and not washing your hands immediately before and after injecting.
• Being tattooed, getting a body piercing, or having acupuncture (with acupuncture, make sure new, one-use, disposable needles are used for each client).

Some people got it form the blood transfusions before 1990 (the blood supplies are now screened for hepatitis C).

What can happen

• About 20% of people get well.
• About 80% of people become carriers. They may remain healthy or have long lasting liver inflammation. This can make you extremely sick and tired, and have a huge impact on your life.
• Some people will develop scarring of the liver (cirrhosis) which can take 15 years to develop. Some people will suffer serious liver illness, which can lead to liver failure or cancer of the liver.

Treatment
A drug called Interferon helps some people fight off the virus, however it doesn't work for everyone. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C and you can be infected over and over again, each time putting your liver under greater strain.

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