Suppose you have itching, swelling, redness around your vagina or penis, unusual discharge from your penis, or pain in your lower abdomen. In that case, you should see your doctor or a health clinic.

 

Most conditions have different signs, but here are the most common ones:

Chlamydia

Most of the time, chlamydia infection in the genital area of a woman doesn’t cause any symptoms. But there may be vague signs like cystitis, a change in the vaginal discharge, or mild pain in the lower abdomen. Men with chlamydia often have a urethral discharge from the penis. They may also have urethritis, an inflammation of the tube that goes from the bladder to the tip of the penis or the line from the testes to the penis (epididymitis). The pain may disappear, but the infection can still be passed on to another person.

Herpes genitalis

Many people who get the virus that causes genital warts don’t have any apparent symptoms. Because of this, it can take a long time to figure out what’s wrong with them. But if there are signs, they could be small white spots or lumps hidden inside the vaginal or anal canal.

Genital herpes

Genital herpes is a condition that, like genital warts, often has no symptoms and can go undiagnosed for a long time. There may be flu-like symptoms, itching, burning, or tingling around the genital area, small blisters filled with fluid that burst and leave sores, and pain when urinating.

Gonorrhoea

Gonorrhea is an infection that can affect the genitalia, the anus, the rectum, and the throat in both men and women. About half of the women who get gonorrhea and more than 90% of the men who get it have symptoms, such as a thin, watery discharge from the vaginal or penis tip that can look yellow or green and pain when they urinate.

Syphilis

A small sore on the penis or vagina is often the first sign of syphilis. Up to six months after the first signs, you could still have flu-like symptoms like aches, shivering, and rashes in other places.

HIV

When they first get HIV, many people don’t have any signs or symptoms. On the other hand, some people get a flu-like illness 3–6 weeks after exposure to the virus. You can only find out if you have HIV by taking a test. Over time, having HIV makes the immune system weaker, making it harder to fight off some infections.

Urethritis that is not specific

Men can get non-specific urethritis, which is an STD. It hurts the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the tip of the penis. This is called urethral discharge.

Trichomoniasis

Trichomoniasis is a genital infection caused by the bacteria trichomonas vaginalis (TV). Often, there are no signs or symptoms of this condition. However, a yellow or green discharge from the vagina and pain may be signed. Most of the time, men are carriers and don’t have any symptoms.

Pubic lice

If you have pubic lice, your skin may itch, and you may find black powder (the lice’s waste) and white eggs in your underwear.

Scabies

You can get scabies anywhere on your body, but sometimes it’s hard to see the signs. There can be itching (especially at night), a rash, and tiny spots weeks after the first contact.

Thrush (Candidiasis) 

When you have thrush, you may have a lot of itching around your penis or vagina, a thick, white discharge, and tiny white spots around your genitals.

STDs are infections that can be passed from one person to another through close sexual contact. STDs can be spread through:

• We are having unprotected vaginal sex, unprotected oral sex, unprotected anal sex, or genital contact with an infected partner.
• Oral sex puts you at a much higher risk of getting diseases like gonorrhea and syphilis than HIV. But new studies show that the risk of getting HIV through oral sex is more elevated than was thought before.

How to Tell If You Have STD?

Most sexually transmitted infections (STDs) are first found when symptoms appear. Then they are confirmed with blood, urine, and other tests. The results of an STD test are never shared with anyone.

In a swab test, a piece of absorbent material, like a cotton bud, was attached to a stick and used to take a sample of secretions from the vaginal or penile areas. The model is then sent to a lab to be looked at.

Some STDs, like pubic lice, don’t need to be tested because the symptoms are apparent. Other STDs are hard to figure out because they have few or no noticeable symptoms. For example, chlamydia doesn’t always cause symptoms, so it’s often not found until it causes problems like pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), ectopic pregnancy, or infertility.

Here is a brief overview of how the most common STIs are treated. Most of these STIs have their entries in health encyclopedias that give more information and advice.

Chlamydia is easy to treat with antibiotics in a single dose or over a couple of weeks.

Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) is easy to eliminate by taking antibiotic pills.

When gonorrhea is caught early, it is treated with a single dose of antibiotics. If there are problems, more treatment will be needed.

Non-specific urethritis (NSU) is easy to treat with antibiotics. Still, it takes time for the urethra to heal from the damage caused by the infection.

No treatment eliminates the virus that causes genital herpes, so it stays in the body. Antiviral drugs can help ease the symptoms. Self-help steps can reduce signs or stop outbreaks from happening. For example, you could avoid stress, rest, stop smoking, drink less, or stay out of direct sunlight.

It’s easy to get rid of pubic lice. Lice and their eggs have to be killed with shampoos, creams, or lotions.

It’s easy to treat scabies. A special lotion is put on and washed off all over the body 24 hours later. This is done twice or three times. Even though there is no cure for AIDS, drugs can stop HIV and keep the immune system working as long as possible. AIDS-related illnesses can also be treated, and dietitians, physiotherapists, counselors, and support groups are available to give advice.

In its early stages, syphilis is easy to treat with two weeks of antibiotics. Later stages of the infection can also be treated, but damage to the heart or nervous system may be permanent.

Candidiasis, or thrush, is easy to treat with pessaries (tablets put in the vagina), tablets, or cream. Men who have thrush often use creams to treat it.

You can quickly remove genital warts by painting them with a medicine or freezing them with a spray. But some people need more than one treatment, and if warts come back, they will need more treatment.

The best way to avoid sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is to practice safe sex. The male condom is the best way to protect against STIs. But you can never be sure that a potential sexual partner doesn’t have an STI, and the more sexual partners you have, the more likely you are to get one. Before having sexual contact with a new partner, it is a good idea for both of you to get tested for STIs.

If you have any of the above symptoms and think you might have an STI, you should go to your local health clinic so they can check you out and look into it. You should also make sure your partner knows about STIs and their effects, and if they need to, you should encourage them to get tested.

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