
HIV IN A NUTSHELL
September 28, 2024STIs are so often overlooked. People are sometimes very concerned about contracting HIV when the condom breaks, but they forget about the importance of prevention and treatment of STIs. If left untreated, STIs may cause real damage to the body. Particularly in women.
It’s quite unfair how women are often the victims of abuse, peer pressure, or intimate partner violence in which they are forced to have unprotected intercourse because their partners do not enjoy using condoms. Yet at the same time, women are the ones having to deal with more severe consequences as a result of untreated STIs. It’s horrible. Life is rough.
These consequences, of which I will be discussing later in the post, have the ability to impact on women’s mental, social and physical wellbeing.
But, before I get into that, It’s best I start with the basics:
STDS, STIs? Is there a difference?
No, they’re the same thing. STD is the old term, which stands for Sexually Transmitted Diseases. STI is the new term and stands for Sexually Transmitted Infections.
With regard to sexual health, the use of the word “diseases” has been thrown out because many of these sexual transmissions only cause an infection, and not a disease. Many people infected with these conditions are asymptomatic, and may be otherwise completely healthy.
STIs are infections that you may get after having sexual relations with another person. This includes all forms of sexual relations: vaginal, anal or oral sexual intercourse. They affect both men and women. They are spread by both men and women. The infection may go unnoticed, where you have minimal symptoms. But even if you have no symptoms, you may still be a carrier and transmit the infection to someone else.
Names of STIs:
- Gonorrhea
- Chlamydia
- Syphillis
- HIV
- HPV
- Herpes
- Pubic Lice
- Trichomoniasis
Many of these infections affect only the genital organs, but some of the infections affect other organs as well. This will be discussed later in this post.
It is also important to note that vaginal thrush is not a STI, and is not caused by sexual intercourse. It is common for women with weakened immune systems, such as Diabetes to be predisposed to thrush. Also, if you’ve recently completed a course of antibiotics, you may also experience vaginal thrush. This has no relation to STIs.
Signs and symptoms of STIs:
Signs and symptoms may develop approximately a week after infection. Men and women may experience different signs and symptoms even if infected with the same organisms, e.g. Gonorrhea will present differently in men, than it would in women.
Common signs and symptoms of STIs in women:
- Smelly vaginal discharge
- Lower abdominal pain / pelvic pain
- Sores in the genital area.
- Infertility
Common signs and symptoms in men:
- Penile Discharge
- Burning Urine
- Swelling of the scrotum
- Sores on the genital area.
Burning urine may be a sign of a STI, particularly in men, but in women it is more often caused by a bladder infection, which is not a STI. Bladder infections are easily diagnosed by urine testing.
Complications of STIs:
- Infertility: often caused by Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, due to Gonorrhea or Chlamydia
- HIV associated conditions: TB, and multi organ diseases. Please see further HIV posts.
- Genital Warts: caused by HPV.
- Cervical Cancer: caused by HPV.
It is important to note than the HPV strains which cause genital warts are often not associated with the same HPV strains that cause cervical cancer.
- Genital ulcers: often caused by Syphilis or Herpes.
- Pubic Lice
- Eye Blindness: may be caused by disseminated Syphillis
- Brain Infections: may be caused by HIV or Syphillis.
- Skin rashes: caused by Syphilis or HIV.
Treatment of STIs:
The treatment usually requires antibiotics. For Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Syphillis, antibiotics easily do the trick.
However, Herpes and HPV are viruses, and antibiotics do not offer any effectiveness. With Herpes virus if caught early enough, you may be able to get an oral antiviral tablet. Unfortunately with HPV, there is no oral medication which can treat HPV, Often many young girls are given HPV vaccines to prevent complications of HPV, such as cervical cancer, and or genital warts.
Genital warts itself may be treated by surgical excision or less invasive in-room procedures. Cervical cancer screening should regularly be done, by going for pap smears every few years.
The last and most important aspect of STI treatment is treating your partner. What is the point in getting STI treatment, if you will just get infected again? So encourage your partner to get treated as well.
Managing STIs is a lot simpler than people think. Majority of the time, you have to take medication for one day, and then DONE. You’re sorted. Occasionally, you test positive for something like Syphillis, and you require an injection once a week for three weeks. But then also, after 3 weeks: DONE.
I think this a small price to pay for the prevention of long-term complications like infertility or cervical cancer.
Which bring me to my last point: even though treatment is easy…
Prevention is always better than cure.
It’s always better to protect yourself from the infection that to be left treating it after you’ve developed symptoms. So, wear condoms, or abstain. And if that fails, there’s always STI prevention pills. Please feel free to WhatsApp message me if you require a consultation for STI prevention.
– by Dr S Jakoet