STD symptoms: Common STDs and their symptoms

If you have sex — oral, anal or vaginal intercourse and genital touching — you can get an STD, also called a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Straight or gay, married or single, you're vulnerable to STIs and STI symptoms. Thinking or hoping your partner doesn't have an STI is no protection — you need to know for sure. And although condoms are highly effective for reducing transmission of some STDs, no method is foolproof.

STI symptoms aren't always obvious. If you think you have STI symptoms or have been exposed to an STI, see a doctor. Some STIs are easy to treat and cure; others require more-complicated treatment to manage them.

It's essential to be evaluated, and — if diagnosed with an STI — get treated. It's also essential to inform your partner or partners so that they can be evaluated and treated.

If untreated, STIs can increase your risk of acquiring another STI such as HIV. This happens because an STI can stimulate an immune response in the genital area or cause sores, either of which might raise the risk of HIV transmission. Some untreated STIs can also lead to infertility.

STIs often asymptomatic

STIs often have no signs or symptoms (asymptomatic). Even with no symptoms, however, you can pass the infection to your sex partners. So it's important to use protection, such as a condom, during sex. And visit your doctor regularly for STI screening, so you can identify and treat an infection before you can pass it on.

Some of the following diseases, such as hepatitis, can be transmitted without sexual contact, by coming into contact with an infected person's blood. Others, such as gonorrhea, can only be transmitted through sexual contact.

Read the article and learn about common and possible STD symptoms and how serious they can be, then find a testing center near you.

STD Testing and Awareness Needed

STDs don’t always show symptoms. Most often, STDs in both men and women are asymptomatic. The best way to catch these infections, before damage is done or they are passed on to others, is through routine STD testing. Even when symptoms are present they are often vague and mistaken for other conditions. Here are a few of those easily dismissed STD symptoms:

Abdominal pain

Abdominal pain is a common, but vague, symptom that can indicate a variety of conditions. But in women, it can be a serious sign of STDs, particularly chlamydia. Pain is often located in the lower abdomen and can indicate that the infection has spread to other parts of the reproductive system. If experiencing abdominal pain, it’s important to test for chlamydia and gonorrhea to avoid complications.

Jock itch

Jock itch can be a common problem for many men. However, genital herpes outbreaks can be so mild that they're often mistaken for jock itch. This STD can be tricky to diagnose since symptoms are often mild (not everyone experiences those painful, textbook blisters) or nonexistent. In fact, up to 90% of those with genital herpes don’t know they are infected.

Abnormal vaginal bleeding

Sometimes abnormal vaginal bleeding is attributed to spotting from birth control pills or rough sex. Other times, it can be a symptom of an STD. Women experiencing this symptom should be tested for gonorrhea and chlamydia to rule out these infections.

Painful sex

Painful or uncomfortable sex happens. Sometimes it can be from a lack of lubrication but it can also signal the presence of chlamydia and gonorrhea, especially in women. Men may experience discomfort after ejaculation.

When it comes to STD symptoms, don't wait for them to show up. By that point, complications may be present. If there's a chance of exposure, even if you use condoms, have STD testing performed to be on the safe side.

Swipe right for STDs: Doctors say hookup apps increase infection rates

Utah has a problem, and nobody wants to talk about it.
Thanks, in part, to a growing use of “hookup” apps, doctors say they have seen rates of sexually transmitted diseases skyrocket over the past couple years.

Apps like Tinder, Down and Grindr could be partly responsible for gonorrhea rates in Utah being up in women more than 700 percent, they use as an example.

The numbers don’t lie, and gonorrhea rates jumped nearly 400 percent from 2011-2014. Men have seen a 300 percent increase, while rates among women have surged an incredible 714 percent.

Joel Hartsell of the Utah State Health Department is working with his team to figure out why. They’re using new questionnaires for people who test positive for STDs, for example, but that is only a piece of the puzzle.

Utah schools teach abstinence only, and that education, translates to what adults know when it comes to sex. Beltran doesn’t have a tough time talking STDs because it’s her job, but for others, the topic is tough to tackle. She believes a conversation needs to be started.

The reality of STDs is a tough sell. Everyone thinks it won’t happen to them, what Beltran wants people to know is that the risk is in the city, in suburban neighborhoods and rural Utah. It’s single people, married people and everyone in between.

In a state that doesn’t like to talk about sex, there seems to be a whole lot of it going on without much forethought of protection. Hudson believes that could be due to a choice saying, “If you put on a condom and go to that length, you are admitting you were actively cheating on your spouse or your partner. If you don’t put on the condom, it can be a mistake or lived in a bit of denial.”

Hartsell doesn’t dance around the issue adding, “These people who are stepping out are putting their spouses at risk.” If a man for example brings home chlamydia to his wife, she won’t necessarily see symptoms. Left untreated it can cause infertility.

That’s why Beltran has the ugly job of notifying unsuspecting spouses and partners of positive STD tests. That she says is the most challenging part of her job. “I have had to make calls to spouses of people exposed to HIV,” she says.

The state is now rushing to stop this alarming trend by bumping up its annual conference scheduled for the fall and meeting with doctors from across the state in mid-May to brainstorm solutions.

Read the complete article and learn more about confidential testing with Get STD Tested.

Not All STDs Are Curable

Unfortunately, not all STDs can be cured. Bacterial STDs like chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis can be cured through antibiotics. Now, while some symptoms of STDS come and go, it doesn’t mean you’re cured without medical treatment. However, viral STDs like herpes, hepatitis B, HIV, HPV, and genital warts are incurable but can be managed with appropriate treatment.

Read the article and learn more about confidential testing with Get STD Tested.

STDs Can Lead To Infertility And Cancer

STDs can be silent but deadly for your health. Chlamydia and gonorrhea are preventable causes of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and infertility. However, if untreated, women with chlamydia will develop PID or suffer a fallopian tube infection without any symptoms, which can lead to infertility. Meanwhile, certain high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV) can cause cervical cancer in women, while the HPV infection can lead to the development of penile cancers in men. Cancers of the mouth, throat, and anus can occur for both sexes.

Read the article and learn more about confidential testing with Get STD Tested.

You Can Get HIV From Tattooing Or Body Piercing

HIV can be transmitted from a tattoo or body piercing if the needles are not properly sterilized or disinfected. These instruments increase the risk if they are contaminated with blood or used inappropriately between clients. The CDC recommends these instruments be used on the skin once and then disposed of or thoroughly cleaned and sterilized.

Read the article and learn more about confidential testing with Get STD Tested.

You Can Get STDs In Your Eyes

STDs aren’t just exclusive to sexual organs and other parts of the reproductive system; they can also affect your eyes. Chlamydia and gonorrhea can infect the eye tissue if you touch parts of the body with your fingers that contain traces of the disease. These STDs are bodily fluids and can also get in the throat, mouth, and anus.

Read the article and learn more about confidential testing with Get STD Tested.

STDs Can be Transmitted Through Oral Sex

STDs can be transmitted through sexual activity, and that includes oral sex. Unprotected oral sex, by giving and receiving, can put partners at an especially high risk for gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, and hepatitis B. This can happen even if you have just one sexual partner. Wearing a condom or dental dam to cover the anus or female genitals during oral sex acts as a barrier to help prevent STDs from passing from one person to another, according to the American Sexual Health Association.

Read the article and learn more about confidential testing with Get STD Tested.

A Girl Is Four Times More Likely To Contract An STD Than Become Pregnant

Cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea are more common in those under the age of 25, even though they account for only an eighth of the population. In general, these young girls are four times more likely to contract an STD than to become pregnant, according to Laura K. Egendorf’s book Sexually Transmitted Diseases. This stems from the belief that this group is particularly vulnerable because they are sometimes persuaded not to use condoms. 

Read the article and learn more about confidential testing with Get STD Tested.

What’s the difference between genital herpes and genital warts?

Knowing the difference between genital herpes and genital warts is a chapter in STDs 101. But it’s easy to see why these STDs are often confused; both are viral STDs transmitted from skin-to-skin sexual contact that cause bumps, lesions or sores around the genitals. So what’s the difference?

Symptoms of genital herpes vs. symptoms of genital warts

First, it’s important to know both of these STDs can be asymptomatic. When symptoms are present, however, genital herpes is usually marked by painful, fluid-filled blisters around the genitals. These blisters will eventually break open, develop a crust and then heal after a few weeks. Sometimes, genital herpes symptoms can be so mild that outbreaks may be mistaken for jock itch or a yeast infection.

Genital warts, caused by the human papillomavirus, occur as raised, flesh-colored bumps. They can be small or occur as cauliflower-like clusters. Unlike genital herpes, these warts aren’t filled with pus or fluid, nor do they usually hurt, itch or burn.

STD testing for genital herpes and genital warts

Blood-based STD tests can diagnose genital herpes. STD testing for genital herpes should be performed with a type-specific test to determine which strain, HSV-1 or HSV-2, is causing symptoms.

Unlike herpes, there is no blood-based STD test to diagnose HPV or genital warts. When potential warts are present, a physician can do a physical exam though some warts may not be locate externally.

Differences in treatment for genital herpes and genital warts

While genital warts and genital herpes are predominately harmless, though neither are curable, proper treatment can reduce the chances of passing these infections on to partners. Genital warts must be frozen off or surgically removed by a doctor. A doctor can also prescribe a prescription cream, but over-the-counter warts removal should never be used to treat genital warts.

Genital herpes treatment is a little less invasive; this STD can be treated with daily antiviral medication that suppresses the herpes virus from resurfacing. Learn more about confidential testing with Get STD Tested.

Chlamydia Is the Most Commonly Reported STD In The U.S.

Chlamydia is the most commonly reported STD, but most people who have it don’t know it, since the disease is often asymptomatic. It can infect the penis, vagina, cervix, urethra, or the eye, with the highest rate of infection among 15- to 19-year-olds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease is transmitted via vaginal, anal, or oral sex, either with someone who has chlamydia, even if the male sex partner does not ejaculate.

Read the article and learn more about confidential testing with Get STD Tested.
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Fewer doctor visits for men means STD testing less often

Women often get their yearly STD testing, Pap test and birth control prescriptions once a year at the gynecologist. This has become the norm for many ladies since their teenage years. Unfortunately, there’s no similar protocol in place for men. When does the yearly STD test happen?

Anyone could guess that men go to the doctor less than women, but data backs up this assumption. Only 57% men have seen a doctor in the last year, compared to 74% of women. Even for the men who made it to their physician, many doctors don’t test for STDs unless prompted by telltale symptoms and only a scant 14% of doctors discussed sexual health.

It’s critical for men to take care of their health, including sexual health. It’s not just a woman’s thing! Many STDs--herpes, chlamydia, HIV--are asymptomatic, which causes them to go unnoticed and passed along to partners. It’s especially important for young men to keep their sexual health front and center on their radar; people under 25 represent half of all STD infections in the U.S.

Even if men don’t want to visit the doctor or don’t have health insurance, there are other options for STD testing and HIV testing. Get STD Tested allows men to order confidential STD testing online and visit a lab without an appointment. We understand that the painful swabbing may deter men from testing or visiting the doctor even more, so Get STD Tested uses only urine-based and blood-based STD tests. There are no excuses now!

So to all you men out there, when was the last time you had an STD test? 

Source: slate.com

INFOGRAPHIC: Understanding common STD symptoms

Check out our latest infographic, "Understanding Common STD Symptoms." As mentioned in the infographic, many STDs are asymptomatic. If there's a chance you've been exposed, don't wait for STD symptoms to appear. Have STD testing performed just to be safe! If you're worried about symptoms, check out our handy infographic for details.

Alaska has the highest rate of chlamydia in the nation

Alaska had the highest chlamydia infection rate in the U.S. between 2010 and 2013, and what many people don't realize is that the bacteria facilitates the transmission and acquisition of HIV. 

Read the article and find out about confidential testing with Get STD Tested.