About Women's Health Issues

STDs or sexually transmitted diseases are diseases spread through sexual contact.  The diseases can be viral, bacterial or protozoal and often affect both a man and a woman, although often in different ways. Symptoms a woman has can be totally different from symptoms in a man.  Some STDs are easy to treat while others are completely incurable.  It’s important to know how to avoid an STD as such diseases can be not only uncomfortable but a few can be serious or fatal.

Chlamydia is transmitted through vaginal-penile intercourse.  In women, they rarely have symptoms but having the disease leads to infertility and blockage of the Fallopian tubes. In men, they get pain in the testicles, burning on urination and frequency of urination.  Men can also get eye inflammation and skin lesions.   In learning how to avoid an STD like Chlamydia, men need to learn to use condoms to prevent transmission of the disease.  The disease is completely treatable except for the infertility in women but the disease can be caught at another time if both sexual partners fail to be treated.

Genital herpes can be spread by skin to skin contact.  It manifests itself as small, reddened bumps that turn into blisters near the penis or vagina.  Women can get vaginal discharge along with fever, headaches and pain in the muscles.  There is pain on urination, localized itching, burning and localized swollen glands in the groin.  The symptoms can come and go. In order to avoid an STD like genital herpes, men should definitely use a condom for sexual activity and sex should be avoided when a person has an active attack.

Gonorrhea can affect men or women.  The main symptoms include burning or pain on urination, a yellowish or bloody discharge coming from the penis or vagina.  Men, however, often have no symptoms at all and can spread the disease easily.  To avoid an STD like gonorrhea, men should avoid sexual activity or wear a condom for protection when undergoing sexual activity of any kind.

Hepatitis B can be contracted through blood and sexual fluids.  It causes symptoms of fever, headache, aches in the muscles, stomach pains and jaundice.  Unfortunately, around 30 percent of victims have no symptoms whatsoever. The treatment of the disease includes taking medication that help the liver block the liver inflammation.  For some people, there is no cure for the disease.  To avoid an STD like Hepatitis B, partners must avoid blood contact and sexual contact without a condom if a person is infected with active hepatitis B.  For those with chronic hepatitis B, this is a lifelong thing.

HIV and AIDS are sexually transmitted between men and women, women and women, and men and men.  There may be no symptoms for up to ten years.  Symptoms include fatigue, weight loss, constant low grade fevers and night sweats.  Sufferers get frequent oral yeast infections.  More severe symptoms include red, purplish or brown blotchy skin lesions on or under the skin.  Women will get vaginal yeast infections, pelvic inflammatory disease and changes in their menses.  No cure exists.  To avoid an STD like HIV, there must be careful lack of contact of blood and bodily fluids during sex, including using condoms during sex.

Genital warts often show up as tiny, hard, painless bumps on the penis or in the vaginal area or around the anus.  They grow to be fleshy, cauliflower-like lesions that can get to be quite sizeable.  HPV, as it is called, is also a major risk factor for cervical cancer.  Learning how to avoid a STD like genital warts involves carefully avoiding sexual contact when one member is afflicted, particularly by using condoms.

If you think that you may have an std, then its important that you get tested as soon as possible to avoid any serious health problems. For confidential testing, click here.