Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Infection
Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Infection
Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Infection
Infection’s
Chlamydia
Chlamydia is a bacterial infection (caused by tiny, living cells). The
bacteria are called chlamydia trachomatis. It is a common sexually
transmitted infection (STI) that is easily treated. But most people who have
chlamydia do not notice any symptoms so without routine testing it can
often go undetected.
sharing unwashed or uncovered sex toys with someone who has the
infection
Chlamydia can be passed on by sharing sex toys. Always cover sex toys
with a new condom and wash them each time they’re used.
women may get pain in the lower stomach and/or bleeding between
periods
You can also get chlamydia in your anus (bottom), eyes or throat. If
infected semen or vaginal fluid comes into contact with your eyes, you can
develop conjunctivitis. Both women and men can experience discomfort and
discharge in the anus. Infection in the eyes can cause eye redness, pain and
discharge. Chlamydia in the throat doesn’t normally have any symptoms.
What is gonorrhoea?
Having regular STI tests is one of the best ways to look after your
sexual health. If you are having sex with multiple partners, it’s even
more important to use condoms and get tested regularly even if you
don’t have any symptoms.
What are the symptoms of gonorrhoea?
You can also get gonorrhoea in your anus (bottom), eyes or throat. If
infected semen or vaginal fluid comes into contact with the eyes, you
can develop conjunctivitis. Both women and men can experience
irritation, pain, swelling or discharge in the anus or the eyes.
Gonorrhoea in the throat doesn’t normally have any symptoms.
Men usually need to provide a urine (pee) sample or a swab taken from
the end of the penis (urethra).
If you have had anal or oral sex, you may have a swab taken from the
anus (bottom) or throat.
If you have any symptoms these will usually improve in a couple of days,
although pain in your pelvis or testicles can take up to 2 weeks to
disappear. Bleeding between periods or heavy periods should improve
by your next period.
It’s important to not have sex again until you and your current sexual
partner/s have finished treatment and a healthcare professional says
you can.
Remember that if you’ve been treated for gonorrhoea you can get
infected again, so it’s important to go for regular tests.
Syphilis
What is syphilis?
Syphilis is a bacterial infection that spreads easily
through anal, vaginal and oral sex without a condom. It can also be
passed on through sharing contaminated needles and injecting equipment
and from mother-to-child during pregnancy. Syphilis infection is divided
into four distinct stages: primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary, and
there are different signs and symptoms with each stage of illness.
blood transfusions (this is very rare as most places test blood for
infections).
Pregnant women can pass the infection on to their unborn baby. This is
called congenital syphilis. It’s important that women test for syphilis
during pregnancy.
Syphilis cannot always be prevented, but if you're sexually active you can
reduce your risk by practising safer sex.
Using new condoms and dental dams correctly every time you have sex is
the best way to prevent syphilis. Remember that the condom or dental
dam must cover any sores or rashes or you won’t be protected.
You should avoid sharing sex toys and if you do share them, wash them
and cover them with a new condom before each use.
it’s also important that you’re able to talk about your sexual health with
your partner/s. This way you can let each other know about any
symptoms or infections, and discuss how you will have safer sex
together.
Symptoms of syphilis are often mild and it is easy to pass on the infection
without knowing you have it. Many people with syphilis won't notice any
symptoms for years.
Early symptoms
The first symptoms of syphilis usually develop around 2 or 3 weeks after
infection. The first thing a person may notice is a painless sore (called a
chancre) - usually around their anus or genitals. Not everyone
experiences this symptom. Chancres normally heal by themselves within
2 to 8 weeks, but without treatment the infection may progress to a
second stage.
Later symptoms
A few weeks after the early symptoms have passed, you might start to
feel ill. Later symptoms include a fever, headache or swollen glands. You
may also notice weight loss or small skin growths (similar to genital
warts) around your anus or genitals. Some people get blotchy red rashes
on their body, often on the palms of their hands or soles of their feet.
Latent stage
After this, a person may live with syphilis for years without any signs of
infection. This is known as ‘latent syphilis’ and can last for decades. If
syphilis is left undiagnosed and untreated, the infection will go on to
cause serious health problems.
Syphilis can be cured with antibiotics. However, it’s important that you
get tested and treated early on, as some health problems caused by late-
stage syphilis can’t be resolved.
Don’t have sex or close body contact with other people until you
and your current sexual partner(s) have finished your treatment.
You will need to be checked by a healthcare professional to make
sure the infection has cleared.
TRICHOMONIASIS
What is trichomoniasis?
It is easy to treat but most people don’t have any symptoms. If you’ve had
unprotected sex and are worried about trichomoniasis or other STI's it’s
important to get tested as soon as possible.
How do you get trichomoniasis?
If you get the infection when pregnant you can be more likely to give
birth prematurely. Your baby is also more likely to have a low birth
weight.
How do I prevent trichomoniasis?
Like all STIs, the best way to prevent trichomoniasis is to practice safe
sex and use a new condom every time. However, some people have the
infection in the area around the penis or vagina that is not covered by a
condom. This means sometimes the infection can still spread even if you
use a condom.
Regularly testing for trichomoniasis and other STIs will help you to stay
safe. This is especially important if you are having sex with multiple
partners. It’s really helpful to talk to your partner/s about your status and
decide how to have safer sex together.
Many people with trichomoniasis don’t have any symptoms. They can still
pass the infection on to others. If you do get symptoms, they normally
appear within a month of infection.
soreness, swelling and redness around the head of the penis and
foreskin.
How is trichomoniasis treated?
Without treatment, the infection can last for months or even years.
Don’t have sex until you and your current sexual partner/s have
finished your treatment. You will need to be checked by a
healthcare professional to make sure the infection has cleared. If
you have taken the one-day treatment, you will need to avoid
having sex for seven days afterwards. It's important to complete
the whole course of antibiotics.
Human papilloma virus (HPV) is the name for a group of viruses that
affect your skin and the moist membranes of your body. These include
the cervix (entrance to the womb), anus, mouth and throat. There are a
number of different strains of HPV. Most have no symptoms, go away by
themselves and don’t cause any health problems. Some types can cause
genital warts or lead to cervical, anal and other cancers. It is passed on
through any skin-to-skin contact of the genital area; vaginal, anal or oral
sex; and sharing sex toys. Most strains do not cause any problems but
some can cause genital warts, while other types can lead to cancer.
Genital HPV infections are very common and easy to catch. You can get
HPV from:
If you have HPV while pregnant you can pass the infection on to your
baby at birth, but this is rare.
How do you prevent HPV?
There are a number of things that can help decrease the risk of getting
HPV.
Vaccines are available to prevent certain types of HPV that cause most
cases of genital warts and cervical cancer, as well as some other cancers.
These are often offered to adolescent girls, men who have sex with men
and people with HIV. It’s best to have the vaccine before you start having
sex, although it’s sometimes possible to get the vaccine later in life. Ask a
healthcare worker to find out if you can get the HPV vaccine where you
are.
Using a new condom or dental dam every time you have vaginal, anal or
oral sex will help. But, HPV can affect areas not covered by a condom, so
you’re not fully protected.
Use a new dental dam or latex gloves for exploring your partner’s anus
with your fingers, mouth or tongue. Using latex gloves for fisting will also
help to lessen the risk.
Always cover sex toys with a new condom for each partner and wash
them after use.
Having regular STI tests is one of the best ways to look after your sexual
health. If you are having sex with multiple partners, it’s even more
important to use condoms and get tested regularly even if you don’t have
any symptoms.
HPV infections often have no symptoms, so you may not know if you have
it. Where symptoms do appear these will vary depending on the strain of
HPV.
One of the most common strains of HPV is genital warts. Many people
with this strain of HPV will not develop any symptoms or know that they
have it.
The warts may be difficult to notice if they are internal (inside the vagina
or anus).
Symptoms of genital warts can appear weeks, months or years after you
were in contact with the virus that causes them. If you have symptoms of
genital warts, it’s important to visit a health clinic to have them checked.
There's no treatment for the HPV virus and most infections do not cause
any problems. Treatment is needed if HPV causes problems like genital
warts or changes to cells in the cervix.
Genital warts (low-risk HPV): the sooner genital warts are treated, the
easier they are to get rid of. The warts can be removed using creams,
freezing or heating. This depends on the type of warts and where they
are located. You should always check with a healthcare worker before
using treatments for genital warts.
HERPES
What is
herpes?
Herpes can affect various areas of the body but is most commonly found
on the genitals, anus or mouth. The blisters heal with time, but the virus
that causes them cannot be cured. Herpes outbreaks will often reoccur.
How do you get herpes?
sharing sex toys that aren't washed or covered with a new condom
each time they are used.
The virus is most infectious when you have blisters, but it can be passed
on when someone has no symptoms. This is normally immediately before
or after an outbreak.
If you have genital herpes while pregnant you can pass the virus on to
your unborn baby. It’s important to speak to your healthcare provider as
soon as possible.
Herpes can also be transmitted by sharing sex toys. To reduce this risk,
avoid sharing your sex toys. Alternatively, make sure that they are
washed and covered with a new condom between each use.
Use a new dental dam or latex gloves for exploring your partner’s anus
with your fingers, mouth or tongue. Use latex gloves for fisting.
Having regular STI tests is one of the best ways to look after your sexual
health. If you are having sex with multiple partners, it’s even more
important to use condoms and get tested regularly. This is important
even if you don’t have any symptoms.
Many people with genital herpes won’t get any symptoms, or may get
symptoms for the first time months or even years after they were
infected.
The most common symptoms of herpes are small blisters that burst to
leave red, open sores. You can get herpes blisters on your penis, vagina,
anus, throat, on the top of your thighs and buttocks. You can also get
them around your mouth (where they're called cold sores).
For most people, the first blisters go away within a month. Although the
outbreaks clear-up by themselves, the virus stays in the body. This means
that people usually get blisters again – which is called having a
‘recurrent outbreak’. Outbreaks usually become shorter and less severe
over time.
If you think you have symptoms of genital herpes or have been at risk
of infection, you should speak to a healthcare professional.
There are different tests available. If you have symptoms, the most
common test is to take a swab from a blister. The fluid can be tested for
the herpes simplex virus. A herpes blood test exists but is not routinely
available.
If you have genital herpes you should be tested for other STIs. It’s
important that you tell your recent sexual partner/s so they can also get
tested and treated. Many people who have herpes do not notice anything
wrong, and by telling them you can help to stop the virus being passed
on.
The antiviral treatment is most effective when you take it within the first
five days of symptoms appearing. Avoid touching the blisters as this can
spread the infection. If treatment requires you to apply cream to a sore,
gently pat the cream on, being careful not to rub around the surrounding
area.
keeping the affected area clean using plain or salt water to prevent
blisters or ulcers from becoming infected
applying petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, to any blisters or ulcers
to reduce pain when passing urine
asking a healthcare provider to recommend painkilling creams
avoiding tight clothing because it may irritate the blisters and
ulcers.
Don’t have sex until you or your partner have finished your treatment,
and the blisters or ulcers have gone. Recurrent outbreaks are usually
milder than the first episode of genital herpes and over time they tend to
occur less often.
HEPATITIS B
What is hepatitis B?
Most adults with hepatitis B make a full recovery, even if their symptoms
are severe. Babies and children are more likely to develop a long-lasting
(chronic) hepatitis B infection.
How do you get hepatitis B?
having unprotected vaginal, anal and oral sex with someone who
has hepatitis B*
changing partners frequently and not using a condoms every time
you have sex
injecting drugs using contaminated equipment
* Some sexual activities are riskier than others, such as anal sex or any
type of sex where blood may be present.
You can stop the spread of the virus by using a new external
(male) or internal (female) condom or dental dam every time you
have vaginal, anal or oral sex. You should cover sex toys with a new
condom and wash with soap and water after use. It’s also a good idea to
use latex gloves and wash your hands after touching someone’s anus
(bottom) or handling used condoms and sex toys.
Having regular STI tests is one of the best ways to look after your sexual
health. If you are having sex with multiple partners, it’s even more
important to use condoms and get tested regularly, even if you don’t
have any symptoms.
You should never share needles and syringes or other items that may be
contaminated with blood, such as razors. Only have tattoos, body
piercings or acupuncture in a professional setting, and make sure new,
sterile needles are used.
Many people with hepatitis B don’t have any symptoms. If you do get
symptoms you may not notice them until two or three months after
infection. You can pass the virus on to others even if you don’t have
symptoms.
People who can’t fight off acute infection after six months can go on to
develop chronic hepatitis B. These include babies, young children and
people with a weakened immune system because of HIV. People with
chronic hepatitis B are at higher risk of liver failure, liver disease and
cancer of the liver.
How do I test for hepatitis B?
If you’ve got hepatitis B you should be tested for other STIs. It’s
important that you tell your recent sexual partner/s so they can also get
tested and treated.
How is hepatitis B treated?
Treatment for hepatitis B depends on how long you have had the virus.