If you think you have a sexually transmitted disease/infection and you are too ashamed to get medical help you may be tempted not to do anything, hoping your symptoms will go away.  However, sexually transmitted diseases/infections (STD/STIs) are very serious and don’t go away on their own.

      STD/STIs travel from one person to another through any type of sexual contact such as oral, anal and vaginal sex.  They can also be passed from a mother to her baby while she is giving birth, or while she is breast feeding her baby. 

     The best precaution to take is abstinence.  The next best option is “safer sex” with condoms during any sexual contact.  Condoms are readily available in many varieties.  Couples should communicate openly and honestly about their use and about each other’s needs.  You also need to educate yourself about the symptoms and dangers of the various diseases.

     STD/STIs include syphilis, gonorrhea, genital herpes and warts, pubic lice, scabies mites, chlamydia, and AIDS or HIV infection.  Symptoms of these diseases vary and sometimes there are no obvious signs.  With the exception of AIDS, be aware of unusual discharge from the vagina or penis, sores, blisters, bumps or wart-like growths around the genital area.

      What can you do if you think you have some signs of a STD/STI?  Treatment at public clinics is free and confidential, even for minors.  Syphilis and gonorrhea can be cured by penicillin or other antibiotics.  Genital herpes needs immediate medical help, not only for the disease itself, but also for the pain caused by the sores.  Genital warts are increasingly common in sexually active women and men.  Sometimes, they may be visible as bumps on the skin’s surface, but often they are too small to see without a professional examination.  Effective treatments are available, but the virus that causes these warts may persist for a long time.  If you are a woman, it’s particularly important to seek treatment for herpes and genital warts because of the increased risk of cervical cancer.

      Chlamydia infects the sexual organs of both genders.  Infections can cause serious complications.  Symptoms vary and if you suspect you may be infected, call your public health clinic or family physician, now.  The cure is simple, but when left untreated the result can be a serious situation that can include future problems with fertility.

       Pubic lice and scabies mites are not truly STD/STIs, but rather, are parasites that live on a person’s skin or hair.  While you may be anxious if you have them, they’re really not as serious as some of the diseases we’ve already talked about.  Usually they are passed from one person to another through sexual contact, but they, unlike other diseases, can sometimes be transmitted from a contaminated toilet seat or by using clothing, towels, or the bed of an infected person.  A health care provider can prescribe lotions or shampoos that will get rid of these minor, though annoying, problems.

      The diseases we’ve talked about are serious.  Local health departments, libraries and sometimes your school have books, pamphlets, and brochures that can give you more detailed information.  Read up on them and consider abstinence or, at the very least, “safer sex.”  Your future may depend on it!