3 Common Sexually Transmitted Diseases
You might have contracted a sexually transmitted infection and not even realise there is anything wrong. Many infections have minimal or no early symptoms but left untreated can store up problems further down the line. Here are the most common infections and the problems they can cause:
Chlamydia
This is the most common STI amongst the population, both young and old, male and female. The bacteria causing the infection travels between people via vaginal, oral and anal sex. It rarely has early symptoms so can go untreated for a long time. For those who do experience symptoms, it can cause huge discomfort and pain. Men could have discharge, itching, burning and painful testicles. Women might feel pain during sex, have an abnormal discharge or feel a burning sensation whilst urinating.
Long-term problems associated with the infection include infertility. In fact, Chlamydia is one of the main causes of infertility around the world. It can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in women and for men, swollen and painful testicles. Think about using Chlamydia Testing kits London for peace of mind in the comfort of your own home. You’ll find Chlamydia Testing kits London available online at greenwichsexualhealth.org
Genital Warts
As you would expect, these warts are found in the genital area but can also occur on other parts of the body. They are mostly found in clusters together and can be a variety of sizes. For women, the clusters tend to appear around the vulva or the vagina opening. They can also appear on the rectum, in the groin and inside the cervix. For men, the clusters form around the penis tip or the anus but can also appear in the urethra and around the scrotum.
Thankfully, these warts are fairly harmless and there’s no link to fertility problems. They might prove itchy and uncomfortable sometimes but don’t cause any long-term health issues.
Gonorrhoea
Also known as ‘the clap’, this STI is caused by bacteria called gonococcus. This particular infection normally manifests more symptoms initially in men than women. Symptoms usually appear quickly, some two weeks after infection. Men might feel pain when urinating, experience penile discharge and have swelling in the testicles. Only about half of infected women develop symptoms but these could include painful urination, an increase in discharge and irregular periods. If an infection is centred around the rectum, there can be bleeding, discharge, itchiness and pain on having a bowel movement.
The long-term outlook for gonorrhoea that goes untreated is pretty awful. Women can go on to contract pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility but also run the risk of ovarian abscesses forming. Men might develop very painful infections of the testes and prostate gland. Untreated gonorrhoea also greatly reduces male fertility.
The worst part though, is that both men and women are more susceptible to contracting something called disseminated gonococcal infections. This means the infection spreads to other parts of the body including the heart, joints and skin. Worst-case scenario is the resulting septicaemia which could occur, which is a potentially life-threatening blood infection.
