Sexually Transmitted Diseases can be deadly if not addressed in their early phases. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are 1 million new cases of STDs that is being recorded every day, however, many cases go unreported because of the stigma around them and no access to affordable healthcare across the world – so, the actual numbers are said to be even higher. California is one of the cities in the US that have had a record number of STD cases that makes it in the top 10 states having the highest number of cases in the United States.
What are STDs?
Diseases are medical conditions that make our body sick exhibiting some symptoms that may or may not go away depending on the type of infection. Some diseases tend to go away without causing damages to your long-term health, but some can be very nasty. Such diseases include Sexually Transmitted Diseases that have the primary mode of transmitting from one person to another via sexual contact 0 including oral, anal, and vaginal sex. Sometimes they can also transmit non-sexually like exchanging used sex toys without washing, using a razor blade that is already used, coming in contact with vaginal/penis fluids like genital touching, and accepting blood donations from unscreened donors.
Types of STDs
When it comes to STDs, there’s no need to worry as not all of them are HIV-like contagious, and worrisome. There have been breakthroughs in medicine that have found cures for some of the bacteria causing STDs like Chlamydia and Gonorrhea. However, there’s still no good news for viruses causing STDs like HIV and Herpes. According to Healthline, there are more than a dozen types of STDs that cause infection in both men and women. But not all of them are commonly seen or cause severe complications. Following are six types of STDs that have a major toll on the young and adults who practice sex with random strangers:
- Chlamydia
- Gonorrhea
- Syphilis
- Herpes
- HIV
- Trichomoniasis
STDs in California, US
Among the most common STDs, the following are the three types of STDs that have the highest prevalence in California and the surrounding.
Chlamydia
Chlamydia is a very common type of STD across the globe and ranks as the number one type in the United States having the highest number of cases every year. Chlamydia is caused by a bacteria called Chlamydia trachomatis. Chlamydia gets into your body primarily through sexual contact with the infected person. Though the symptoms do not show up as soon as you had sex with an infected person, it can take anywhere between a few days to several weeks for the symptoms to appear.
When the symptoms appear, the following are the common Chlamydia symptoms in men and women
- Abnormal genital discharges
- Urge to urinate
- Pain while urinating
- Excess vaginal bleeding in women
Gonorrhea
Neisseria Gonorrhea is the name of the bacteria that causes Gonorrhea infection. Gonorrhea and other bacteria causing STDs (including Chlamydia) can also transmit via orally if you had oral sex or touching your mouth or eyes unwashed after having sex with the infected person.
Following are some of the common symptoms of Gonorrhea.
- Fever
- Pain in the joints
- Pain while urinating
- Unusual genital discharges
- Swelling and pain in the testicles
- Pain during sexual intercourse
Syphilis
Similar to Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, Syphilis is caused by another type of bacteria called Treponema Pallidum that progresses slowly in multiple stages and leads to severe symptoms including neurological disorders in the final stages. Following are some of the common symptoms of Syphilis seen in both men and women.
- Headache
- Hair loss
- Fatigue and tiredness
- Joint pain
- Neurological and muscular disorders
- Blindness
- Deafness
- Paralysis
Syphilis progresses in 3 stages and the symptoms vary accordingly. The phases are termed the primary stage, secondary stages, and tertiary stage. Syphilis is one of the STDs that are responsible for sores which are also called “chancre sores”. Leaving Syphilis can lead to HIV/AIDS in the long term.
Symptoms of STDs
The symptoms and signs of any STD can be hard to assess and get treated which makes sense for the reason for being it widespread. STDs do not initially show symptoms like other infections such as allergies where your body immediately reacts causing some signs like sneezing and rashes when you come in contact with some substance that your body triggers allergic reactions. Signs of STDs can be different depending on the type of STD you have acquired. However, the following are some of the most commonly seen symptoms in most of the STDs:
Symptoms in women
- Abnormal vaginal discharge
- Pain during urination
- Painful sexual intercourse
- Pain in the lower abdomen
- Heavy menstrual bleeding
Symptoms in men
- Dark penile discharge
- Burning sensation or irritation while urinating
- Swelling and pain in the testicles
- Itching in the anus
- Penile irritation
- Painful and irregular bowel movements
Common symptoms
- Loss of weight
- Fever
- Headache
- Joint pain
- Jaundice
- Diarrhea
- Cough
- Unusual sweat during the night
- Fatigue
- Soreness in throat
Can STDs be cured?
Sexually Transmitted Diseases are more than a dozen and they all have different causing agents which makes cure a little complicated. Bacteria causing STDs like Chlamydia and Gonorrhea can be cured with the help of antibiotics. On the other hand, a virus causing STDs like Herpes and HIV cannot be cured, because the dynamic nature of the virus o cure has yet been discovered. Thus, if you are diagnosed with HIV or Herpes then it is likely to stay with you forever.
What happens if STDs are left untreated?
When you leave other diseases such as the flu untreated, they tend to go away on their own without any treatment. Some may need home remedies or over-the-counter treatment, but you get the picture. However, that’s not the case with STDs. The invaded bacteria and viruses need to be terminated with the help of drugs. Medications will be prescribed when you are diagnosed with an STD.
If you see symptoms of STDs and leave them untreated, then there are higher risks of causing long-term damages to your health. Leaving an STD untreated can lead to severe health complications such as infertility in both men and women, PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Diseases), and Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) in women – a kind of infection that damages their reproductive system. Some STDs like HIV can also lead to other diseases like cancer and tuberculosis if left untreated for a long time.
It is highly recommended to get tested and take your medications to the full course to avoid long-term consequences.