Bacterial Vaginosis / Vaginitis

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*unprotected vaginal or anal intercourse, unprotected manual sex, vaginal intercourse wearing a condom that was also used for anal intercourse
* nonsexual activities such as wiping improperly after a bowel movement or the use of antibiotics

Prevention:
*Avoid activities which could lead to the introduction of the bacteria to the vagina
* vaginal intercourse wearing a condom that was also used for anal intercourse
*wipe from front to back after urinating or bowel movements.

note:
Douching may increase the risk of acquiring BV.

*diagnosed by an examination of a sample of vaginal fluid under a microscope, either stained or in special lighting, to detect the presence of the organisms associated with BV
*Diagnosis is based on the absence of lactobacilli, the presence of numerous "clue cells" (cells from the vaginal lining that are coated with BV organisms), a fishy odour, and/or decreased acidity or change in pH of vaginal fluid

Treatment:
Women can be treated with antibiotics such as metronidazole or clindamycin. Generally, male sex partners are not treated.

* treated with antibiotics such as metronidazole or clindamycin. Generally, male sex partners are not treated.
*BV is associated with premature delivery, low birth weight, and pelvic inflammatory disease
* You can give vaginitis infections to your sexual partner(s).
* Uncomfortable symptoms will continue.

Chlamydia
NGU

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Women

* Discharge from the vagina.
* Bleeding from the vagina between periods.
* Burning or pain when you urinate (pee.)
* Pain in abdomen (belly,) sometimes with fever and nausea.

Men

* Watery, white or yellow drip from the penis.
* Burning or pain when you urinate (pee.)

Spread during vaginal, anal and oral sex with someone who has chlamydia or NGU.

Prevention:
U using condoms for vaginal intercourse or anal intercourse

* diagnosed by a urine or tissue sample.

Treatment:
* by antibiotics under the care of a physician

Cytomegalovirus (CMV)

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*body fluids through general nonsexual contact, vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse, blood transfusions or sharing IV drug equipment, bone marrow stransplants or from mother to infant during pregnancy, birth or via breastfeeding

Prevention:
Condoms provide protection against CMV during vaginal, anal, and oral intercourse, but it can also be spread by kissing or by nonsexual contact.

*diagnosed by a blood test, urine test or a chest x-ray

Treatment:
*Symptoms may be managed with antiviral medications, but treatment is not generally successful during a pregnancy

Genital Warts(HPV)

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Spread during vaginal, anal, and oral sex with someone who has genital warts.

Prevention:
Condoms offer some protection, but because condoms do not cover the entire genital area, it is limited.
* dental dams/condoms during oral sex can offer protection.

Gonorrhea

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Women

* Thick yellow or white discharge from the vagina.
* Burning or pain when you urinate (pee) or have a bowel movement.
* Abnormal periods or bleeding between periods.
* Cramps and pain in the lower abdomen (belly.)

Men

* Thick yellow or white drip from the penis.
* Burning or pain when you urinate (pee) or have a bowel movement.)

*Spread during vaginal, anal, and oral sex with someone who has gonorrhea.

Prevention:
safer sex - using latex barriers like condoms, dental dams, and gloves

Diagnosis: by the microscopic examination of urethral or vaginal discharges and possibly cultures taken from the throat or rectum as well.

Treatment:
*Your doctor can give you one of many antibiotics to treat gonorrhea.
*Its curable, but you can get it again. If you are treated, all your sex partners should also be treated to make sure you are not re-infected from them.

Hepatitis A & E

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*found in the stool (feces) of persons with HA.
*spread by putting something in the mouth (even though it may look clean) that has been contaminated with the stool of a person with hepatitis A (kissing after rimming)

Prevention
*Hepatitis A vaccine is the best protection for H A - not for H E.
*Always wash your hands with soap and water after using the bathroom, changing a diaper, and before preparing and eating food.

Diagnosis: laboratory testing. infected persons should also be evaluated by their doctor for liver disease.

Treatment:
*Short-term protection against hepatitis A is available from immune globulin. It can be given before and within 2 weeks after coming in contact with HAV.
*There is no specific treatment for Hepatitis A. Rest is recommended during the acute phase of the disease when the symptoms are most severe.
* People with acute hepatitis should avoid alcohol and any substances that are toxic to the liver, including acetominophen (Tylenol)

Hepatitis B & D

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* Symptoms show up 1-9 months after contact with the hepatitis B virus.
* Many people have no symptoms or mild symptoms.
* Flu-like feelings that don't go away.
* Tiredness.
* Jaundice.
* Dark urine, light-colored bowel movements
*joint pain

* Spread during vaginal, anal, and oral sex with someone who has hepatitis B.
* Spread by contact with infected blood.

Prevention
*Hepatitis B vaccine is the best protection. 3 shots
*use latex condoms

*Diagnosis: laboratory testing. HBV infected persons should also be evaluated by their doctor for liver disease.

Treatment:
*Adefovir dipivoxil, interferon alfa-2b, pegylated interferon alfa-2a, lamivudine, and entecavir are five drugs used for the treatment of persons with chronic hepatitis B.

Herpes Simplex I &
Herpes Simplex II

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*HS I usually infects the mouth
*HS II usually infects the genitals

*HS I is not limited to the mouth area. It can also sometimes cause genital-area or anal-area lesions, navel, nipples and eyes.

* Symptoms show up 1-30 days after having sex.
* Some people have no symptoms.
* Flu-like feelings.
* Small, painful blisters on the sex organs or mouth.
* Itching or burning before the blisters appear.
* Blisters last 1-3 weeks
* Blisters go away, but you still have herpes. Blisters can come back.

*both types can be transmitted sexually (through kissing and oral sex as well as through skin and genital contact)
*herpes can be spread from ANY affected part of the body: penis, vulva, anus, nipples, mouth, lips/face, etc.
*If virus from an active sore is on a hand or an object, it can be transmitted that way
*It can even be transmitted from hand to eye

Prevention:
*safer sex - using latex barriers like condoms, dental dams, and gloves
*Condoms offer some protection, but because condoms do not cover the entire genital area, it is limited

*diagnosis is made by sampling of an active sore

Treatment:
*Herpes symtpoms and outbreaks can be reduced with medication, but the disease still remains in the body even when treated

* You can give herpes to your sexual partner(s).
* Herpes cannot be cured.
* A mother with herpes can give it to her baby during childbirth.

During an active herpes episode, whether the first episode or a repeat one, you should follow a few simple steps to speed healing and avoid spreading the infection to other places on the body or to other people.

Keep the infected area clean and dry to prevent other infections from developing.

Try to avoid touching the sores.

Wash your hands after contact with the sores.

HIV/AIDS

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* Spread during vaginal, anal, and oral sex with someone who has HIV.
* Spread by sharing needles to inject drugs, or for any other reason.
* Spread by contact with infected blood.

Prevention:
*safer sex - using latex barriers like condoms, dental dams, and gloves

*Diagnosis: blood test or oral swab test.

Treatment: there are many out there see your health care professional

Molluscum

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*Uncommon disease that causes small, round, raised bumps in the genital area.
* Easily treated
* Few if any complications

They are hard, small, flesh-colored round bumps that form in the genital region. The bumps may be from 1/16" to _" inches in diameter. There are usually a few to many of them present. They are small, dome-shaped, and they have a slight indentation in their center.

The time from contact to the appearance of the sores can be between one week to six months with the average being two to three months.

What causes Molluscum?

They are caused by a virus. They may be transfered both sexually and may also occur non-sexually transmitted in children and in some adults such as wrestlers.

Diagnosis:

treatment:

There is no medicine that a person can take for molluscum but they can be destroyed by physical means such a cutting them out with a small scalpel blade or putting an acid on them. If they are left untreated, they will go away by themselves within a year or two. We usually recommend treatment because they can be spread to others.

Pubic Lice aka Crabs

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*Itching in the pubic area. The itching is caused by an allergic reaction to the lice bites
*usually starts within 5 days after infection.
*Some people get blue spots where they were bitten

*spread through sexual contact
* pubic lice have been spread through contact with bed linens, towels, or clothes because lice can live for 24 hours off a human body.

Prevention:
*there are no known ways to protect from public lice, including condoms.

Diagnosis: Self diagnosis is possible, but difficult. May require microscopic examination of a skin scraping or biopsy.

Treatment:
*There are lotions and shampoos that will kill pubic lice. You can get these from a doctor or at a drug store. Follow directions for use
*must also clean anything that might have lice on it

Trichomoniasis

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*A vaginal infection caused by a sexually-transmitted parasitic organism.
*This is the most common STI
*half of infected women will not have any signs at all.
*Symptoms may develop in the first month after infection, but some signs may not show up for six months.
* a bad smelling discharge from the vagina that is yellow or green and may look frothy
* This is usually accompanied by vaginal itching and redness, pain during intercourse, pain during urination, or a frequent urge to urinate

Males:
*are less likely to have symptoms
*pain during urination and ejaculation, discharge from the urethra, or a frequent urge to urinate.
*this infection can progress to prostatitis, urethritis, epididymitis, or sores on the penis.

*it needs a warm and damp environment to live, so it cannot live on toilet seats, but it can live in the vagina, urethra, or bladder.
*This parasite does not usually grow well in the anus or mouth.
*Trichomonas is usually sexually transmitted when there is penis-vulva or vulva-vulva contact
* it may rarely be passed by sharing damp towels, washcloths, or bathing suits.

Prevention:
*safer sex - using latex barriers like condoms, dental dams, and gloves

*Diagnosed by microscopic examination of vaginal discharge and/or a genital exam

Treatment:
*prescribe antibiotics such as metronidazole or clindamycin for infected people and their sexual partners
* This will usually cure the infection, but a second set of antibiotics is sometimes needed.

Scabies

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*Scabies can be transmitted with non-sexual activities like holding hands or touching infested towels.
* However, most cases of scabies come from sexual contact because sexual contact gives the mites a lot of time to move from one person to the other.

Prevention:
It is very hard to protect against scabies. If you know someone with scabies, it is best to avoid any sort of physical contact with that person because the mites may be anywhere on their body.

*Diagnosis: Self diagnosis is possible, but difficult. May require microscopic examination of a skin scraping or biopsy

Treatment:
Best managed by a dermatologist.

Syphilis

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* Symptoms show up 3-12 weeks after having sex.
* A painless, reddish-brown sore or sores on the mouth, sex organs, breasts or fingers.
* Sore lasts 1-3 weeks.
* Sore goes away, but you still have syphilis.

2nd Stage

* Symptoms show up 1 week to 6 months after sore heals.
* A rash anywhere on the body.
* Flu-like feelings.
* Rash and flu-like feelings go away, but you still have syphilis.

*Syphilis is passed when someone touches a sore on a person who has syphilis. These sores are can be on the person's mouth, penis, vagina, anus, or skin.

Prevention:
*safer sex - using latex barriers like condoms, dental dams, and gloves

Diagnosis by microscopic examination of fluid from sores, blood tests, and/or examination of spinal fluid.

Treatment:
A single dose of penicillin can cure a person who has had syphilis less than one year. If a person has had syphilis for more than a year, a longer treatment is necessary. If a person is allergic to penicillin, there are other antibiotics the doctor can use to treat them.