Hello everyone! Hope you all are doing good by the grace of Almighty. Today I'll continue from my last blog Concept and Objectives of Reductive Health. If you have not gone through it please be sure to go through it. As this topic is a part of my previous post, so that will help you to better understand this topic.
Before proceeding I would like to say that my reach in this platform is quite limited, If you go through this post please drop a comment with your valuable feedback. I'll consider that a Big Upvote from you. I'll surely try to improve with time.
What is the term STD actually mean ?
The term STD stands for Sexually Transmitted Disease. Well most of you had already knew that. By the name of the disease/diseases one could get a idea that these diseases are exclusively related to sex, and yes you're right. But not always! ah quite interesting right? Can one get infect from these diseases without having sexual intercourse/Lovemaking? The answer is YES! We will go into that and clear most of your doubts regarding it in this blog.
In simple language the general term Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) is applied to any of the large group of diseases that can be spread by sexual contact. The contact is usually vaginal, oral, and anal sex. But sometimes they can spread through other intimate physical contact. This is because some STDs, like herpes and HPV, are spread by skin-to-skin contact. Few also transmit through fusion of blood or other body fluid from one infected person to another person. Sharing needles, surgical instruments, transfusion of bloods or even from an infected mother to the foetus STDs can be transmitted. STDs are also called as Veneral Disease (VD) or Reproductive Tract Infections (RTI).
Though all persons are vulnerable to STDs, but their incidences are high among persons in the age group of 15-24 years. According to Western Statistics 1 out of 4 teenagers have STD. STDs are dangerous because they are easily spread and it is hard to tell just by looking who has STD.
Symptoms :
early symptoms include itching, fluid discharge, slight pain, swellings, etc. in the genital region. Later complications include pelvis inflammatory disease (PID), abortions, still births, ectopic pregnancies, infertility or even cancer of the reproductive tract.
Some important STDs and common techniques for their detections :
| STD | Causative agent | Detection Technique |
|---|---|---|
| 1.Chlamydiasis | Chlamydia trachomatis | Clinical, gram staining of discharge, antigen detection, nucleic acid hybridization |
| 2.Gonorrhoea | Neisseria gonorrhoea | Gram staining of discharge, culture |
| 3.Trichomoniasis | Trichomonas vaginalis | Microscopic examination, culture |
| 4.Genital herpes | Herpes simplex virus | Clinical, antigen test, PCR |
| 5.Syphilis | Treponema pallidum | antibody detections such as VDRL |
| Chanchroid | Hemophilus ducrei | Clinical, culture |
| 6.genital warts | Human papilloma virus | Clinical, antibody detection, culture |
| 7.AIDS | Human immunodeficiency virus | Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay |
How common are STDs ?
As I mentioned earlier STDs are common among young people. There were 26 million sexually transmitted diseases in 2018 in the United States and around half of these infections are in people between the ages of 15 to 24. So why are young people are at greater risk of getting infected? Let us discuss the reasons. Well there are several reasons:
- Many young people are hesitant to talk openly and honestly with a doctor or nurse about their sex lives.
- Some young people have more than one sex prtner
- Young women's bodies are biologically more prone to STDs
- Some young people do not get their recommended STD tests.
What can you do to protect yourself?
The surest way to protect yourself against STDs is not to have sex. That means not having any kind oral, anal or vaginal sex. It is better to say NO than to be get infected from STDs. Now that seems not a good solution from many of us. Let's find other ways-
If you do decide to have sex , you and your partner should get tested for STDs beforehand. Make sure to use a condom to prevent from getting infected. For more information regarding condoms please be sure to go through my Previous post
Before you have sex, talk with your partner about how you will prevent STDs and pregnancy. If you think you are ready to have sex, you need to be ready to protect your body. Your partner should always respect your right to say no to anything that does not feel right. It is always better to ask your doctor or nurse about STD testing and vaccines against HPV and hepatitis B. Avoid mixing alcohol and or recreational drugs with sex. If you use drugs or alcohol, you are more likely to take risks, like not using a condom or having sex with someone you normally would not have sex with.
Can STDs be treated :
Most of the STDs are completely curable if detected early and treated properly, except for hepatitis B, genital herpes and AIDS; but one can take medicines to help with the symptoms. If you are ever treated for an STD, be sure to finish all of your medicines, even if you feel better you finish it all. You should ask the doctor about testing and treatment for your partner, too. You and your partner should avoid having sex until you've both been treated. Or else you guys will continue to pass the STD back and forth. It is possible to get an STD again even after being treated, if you have sex with someone who has an STD.
What happens if you don't treat an STD :
Some curable STDs can be dangerous if they are left untreated. Curable STDs like chlamydia and gonorrhoea can make it difficult or even impossible for a woman to get pregnant. One also increases their chances of getting infected by AIDS if they have an untreated STD.
STDs are never to be ignored. Don't be afraid to have a open and an honest conversation regarding it with your partner or your parents or to a trusted adult. If you're confuse and need advice, they are the one you should concern the matter with. After all, they were young once too.
