STD

1. Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is another common bacterial STD, also known as “the clap.” Many people with gonorrhea develop no symptoms. But when present, symptoms may include:

• A white, yellow, beige, or green-colored discharge from the penis or vagina
• Pain or discomfort during sex or urination
• More frequent urination than usual
• Itching around the genitals
• Sore throat
• Thick, cloudy, or bloody discharge from the penis or vagina
• Pain or burning sensation when urinating
• Heavy menstrual bleeding or bleeding between periods in females
• Painful, swollen testicles in males
• Painful bowel movements
• Anal itching

If left untreated, gonorrhea can lead to serious health problems. It’s possible for a mother to pass gonorrhea onto a newborn during childbirth, which can cause serious health issues in the baby.

2. Trichomoniasis

Trichomoniasis, also known as “trich,” is caused by a tiny protozoan organism that can be passed from one person to another through genital contact. When symptoms do develop, they may include:

• Discharge from the vagina or penis
• Burning or itching around the vagina or penis
• Pain or discomfort during urination or sex
• Frequent urination
• In women, trich-related discharge often has an unpleasant or “fishy” smell
• Clear, white, greenish, or yellowish vaginal discharge
• Discharge from the penis
• Strong vaginal odor
• Vaginal itching or irritation
• Itching or irritation inside the penis
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Painful urination

If left untreated, trichomoniasis can lead to:

• Infections of the urethra
• Pelvic inflammatory disease
• Infertility

3. Hepatitis

Hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C are all contagious viral infections that affect your liver. Hepatitis B and C are the most serious of the three, but each can cause your liver to become inflamed. Some people never develop signs or symptoms. But for those who do, signs and symptoms may occur several weeks after exposure and may include:

• Fatigue
• Nausea and vomiting
• Abdominal pain or discomfort, especially in the area of your liver on your right side beneath your lower ribs
• Loss of appetite
• Fever
• Dark urine
• Muscle or joint pain
• Itching
• Yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)

4. Chlamydia

A certain type of bacteria causes chlamydia. Many people with chlamydia have no noticeable symptoms. When symptoms do develop, they often include:

• Pain or discomfort during sex or urination
• Green or yellow discharge from the penis or vagina
• Pain in the lower abdomen
• Painful urination
• Lower abdominal pain
• Vaginal discharge in women
• Discharge from the penis in men
• Pain during sexual intercourse in women
• Bleeding between periods in women
• Testicular pain in men

If left untreated, chlamydia can lead to:

• Infections of the urethra, prostate gland, or testicles
• Pelvic inflammatory disease
• Infertility

If a pregnant woman has untreated chlamydia, she can pass it to her baby during birth. The baby may develop:

• Pneumonia
• Eye infections
• Blindness

5. HPV (human papillomavirus) and genital warts

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a virus that can be passed from one person to another through intimate skin-to-skin or sexual contact. There are many different strains of the virus, some of which are more dangerous than others. The most common symptom of HPV is warts on the genitals, mouth, or throat. The signs and symptoms of genital warts include:

• Small, flesh-colored or grey swellings in your genital area
• Several warts close together that take on a cauliflower shape
• Itching or discomfort in your genital area
• Bleeding with intercourse

Some strains of HPV infection can lead to cancer, including:

• Oral cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Vulvar cancer
• Penile cancer
• Rectal cancer

While most cases of HPV don’t become cancerous, some strains of the virus are more likely to cause cancer than others.

6. Syphilis

Syphilis is a bacterial infection that often goes unnoticed in its early stages. The first symptom to appear is a small round sore, known as a chancre, which can develop on your genitals, anus, or mouth. It’s painless but very infectious. Syphilis affects your genitals, skin, and mucous membranes, but it can also involve other parts of your body, including your brain and heart. The signs and symptoms of syphilis may occur in three stages — primary, secondary, and tertiary. Some people also experience latent syphilis, in which blood tests are positive for the bacteria but no symptoms are present.

• At first, only a small, painless sore (chancre) may be present at the site of infection. As the disease worsens, symptoms may include:
  • Rash marked by red or reddish-brown, penny-sized sores over any area of your body, including your palms and soles
  • Fever
  • Enlarged lymph nodes
  • Fatigue and a vague feeling of discomfort
  • Soreness and aching

Without treatment, syphilis bacteria may spread, leading to serious internal organ damage and death years after the original infection.

Signs and Symptoms: Syphilis has three stages, and the symptoms vary by stage.

• Primary Syphilis: A small, firm, and round sore (chancre) forms at the site from where bacteria entered the body (penis, vagina, anus, or mouth). The chancre usually appears around three weeks after exposure and typically heals and disappears within 3 to 6 weeks.
• Secondary Syphilis: This stage arises after the healing of the chancre. A rash appears on the trunk and covers the full body. The rash may be red or reddish-brown. Other symptoms may include sore throat, muscle aches, fever, headaches, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, and patchy hair loss. These symptoms may disappear in a few weeks or return many times. If not treated, it can progress to a latent stage with no symptoms.
• Tertiary Syphilis: This can occur many years (even 10 to 30 years) after the onset of the infection, after the latent asymptomatic stage. Symptoms can include:
  • Rash
  • Fatigue
  • Fever
  • Headaches
  • Joint pain
  • Weight loss
  • Hair loss

Some signs and symptoms of late-stage syphilis include:

• Lack of coordination
• Numbness
• Paralysis
• Blindness
• Dementia

If left untreated, late-stage syphilis can lead to:

• Loss of vision
• Loss of hearing
• Loss of memory
• Mental illness
• Infections of the brain or spinal cord
• Heart disease
• Death

7. Neurosyphilis

At any stage, syphilis can affect the nervous system. Neurosyphilis may cause no signs or symptoms, or it can cause:

• Headache
• Behaviour changes
• Movement problems

8. HIV

HIV can damage the immune system and raise the risk of contracting other viruses or bacteria and certain cancers. If left untreated, it can lead to stage 3 HIV, known as AIDS. In the early or acute stages, it’s easy to mistake the symptoms of HIV with those of the flu. Early HIV signs and symptoms usually disappear within a week to a month and are often mistaken for those of another viral infection. During this period, you're highly infectious. More persistent or severe symptoms of HIV infection may not appear for 10 years or more after the initial infection. The early symptoms can include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Aches and pains
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Nausea
• Rashes

As the virus continues to multiply and destroy immune cells, you may develop mild infections or chronic signs and symptoms such as:

• Swollen lymph nodes — often one of the first signs of HIV infection
• Diarrhoea
• Weight loss
• Fever
• Cough and shortness of breath

Late-stage HIV infection signs and symptoms include:

• Persistent, unexplained fatigue
• Soaking night sweats
• Shaking chills or fever higher than 100.4 F (38 C) for several weeks
• Swelling of lymph nodes for more than three months
• Chronic diarrhoea
• Persistent headaches
• Unusual, opportunistic infections

These initial symptoms typically clear within a month or so. From that point onward, a person can carry HIV without developing serious or persistent symptoms for many years. Other people may develop nonspecific symptoms, such as:

• Recurrent fatigue
• Fevers
• Headaches
• Stomach issues
• Infections of the urethra, prostate gland, or testicles in males
• Pelvic inflammatory disease in females
• Infertility

9. Pubic lice (crabs)

“Crabs” is another name for pubic lice. They’re tiny insects that can take up residence on your pubic hair. Like head lice and body lice, they feed on human blood. Common symptoms of pubic lice include:

• Itching around the genitals or anus
• Small pink or red bumps around the genitals or anus
• Low-grade fever
• Lack of energy
• Irritability

You might also be able to see the lice or their tiny white eggs around the roots of pubic hair. If left untreated, pubic lice can spread to other people through skin-to-skin contact or shared clothing, bedding, or towels. Scratched bites can also become infected.

10. Herpes

Herpes is the shortened name for the herpes simplex virus (HSV). There are two main strains of the virus, HSV-1 and HSV-2. Both can be transmitted sexually. It’s a very common STD.

• HSV-1: Primarily causes oral herpes, responsible for cold sores. However, HSV-1 can also be passed from one person’s mouth to another person’s genitals during oral sex, causing genital herpes.
• HSV-2: Primarily causes genital herpes.

The most common symptom of herpes is blistery sores. In genital herpes, these sores develop on or around the genitals; in oral herpes, they develop on or around the mouth. Herpes sores generally crust over and heal within a few weeks. The first outbreak is usually the most painful, and outbreaks typically become less painful and frequent over time.

If a pregnant woman has herpes, she can potentially pass it to her fetus in the womb or to her newborn infant during childbirth. This so-called congenital herpes can be very dangerous to newborns. That’s why it’s beneficial for pregnant women to become aware of their HSV status.

11. Genital herpes

Genital herpes is a highly contagious STI caused by a type of herpes simplex virus (HSV) that enters your body through small breaks in your skin or mucous membranes. Most people with HSV never know they have it, because they have no signs or symptoms, or the signs and symptoms are so mild they go unnoticed. When signs and symptoms are noticeable, the first episode is generally the worst. Some people never have a second episode, while others can have recurrent episodes for decades.

When present, genital herpes signs and symptoms may include:

• Small red bumps, blisters (vesicles), or open sores (ulcers) in the genital and anal areas and nearby regions.
• Pain or itching around the genital area, buttocks, and inner thighs.
• Ulcers can make urination painful, and there may also be pain and tenderness in the genital area until the infection clears.

During an initial episode, you may have flu-like signs and symptoms such as:

• Headache
• Muscle aches
• Fever
• Swollen lymph nodes in the groin.

In some cases, the infection can be active and contagious even when sores aren't present.

12. Vaginitis

Vaginitis is an inflammation of the vagina that can result in discharge, itching, and pain. The cause is usually a change in the normal balance of vaginal bacteria or an infection. Reduced estrogen levels after menopause and some skin disorders can also cause vaginitis.

The most common types of vaginitis are:

• Bacterial vaginosis: results from a change of the normal bacteria found in your vagina to overgrowth of other organisms.
• Yeast infections: usually caused by a naturally occurring fungus called Candida albicans.
• Trichomoniasis: caused by a parasite and is commonly transmitted by sexual intercourse.

Symptoms

Vaginitis signs and symptoms can include:

• Change in colour, odour, or amount of discharge from your vagina.
• Vaginal itching or irritation.
• Pain during intercourse.
• Painful urination.
• Light vaginal bleeding or spotting.

Characteristics of Discharge

Have vaginal discharge? The characteristics of the discharge might indicate the type of vaginitis. Examples include:

• Bacterial vaginosis: might develop a greyish-white, foul-smelling discharge, often described as a fishy odour, which may be more noticeable after sexual intercourse.
• Yeast infection: main symptom is itching, but there might be a white, thick discharge that resembles cottage cheese.
• Trichomoniasis: can cause a greenish-yellow, sometimes frothy discharge.

Diagnosis

To diagnose vaginitis, your doctor may:

• Review your medical history, including your history of vaginal or sexually transmitted infections.
• Perform a pelvic exam, using an instrument (speculum) to look inside your vagina for inflammation and abnormal discharge.
• Collect a sample for lab testing to confirm what kind of vaginitis you have.
• Perform pH testing using a pH test stick or paper. An elevated pH can indicate either bacterial vaginosis or trichomoniasis, but pH testing alone is not a reliable diagnostic test.