Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

Anyone with an STI can pass it on to another person through contact with one's skin, genitals, mouth, anal area or bodily fluids. This includes vaginal sex, anal sex and oral sex. Even if you don't have symptoms, you may be carrying an STI. 

Symptoms range from vaginal discharge, mild irritation to severe pain. In some cases, you may not have symptoms and could still have an STI. 

STIs can affect your health and the health of other people with whom you're sexually active. 

You can get an STI if you: 

• Have a history of STIs 
• Have sex with one or more people
• Have sex with someone who has an STI 
• Have sex with someone who is having sex with multiple people 
• Use drugs shot into the vein or have sex with someone who does

There are a number of ways to protect yourself from catching an STI, including: 

• Knowing your partner’s sexual history  
• Using condoms every time you have sex
• Not engaging in sexual activities that could tear or break the skin
• Getting vaccinated to help protect you from hepatitis B and HPV

This is a bacteria-based STI. It appears in the mouth, reproductive organs, urethra and anus. Chlamydia doesn't always have symptoms, so it often goes untreated. If symptoms do appear, they can show up a few days or weeks after infection. 

Symptoms include: 

• Yellow discharge
• Painful urination 
• Frequent urination
• Vaginal bleeding between periods 
• Rectal bleeding, discharge or pain 

Yes. If you think you have chlamydia, your doctor can test a urine sample or take a swab from your vagina, mouth, throat, anus or the area around your cervix.

Your doctor can regularly screen you for chlamydia if you're younger than 25 or at risk. 

Your doctor will prescribe you an antibiotic for treatment. You should contact anyone you have had sex with in the past 60 days so that person can also get tested and treated for chlamydia.  

Don't have sex, of any kind, until you have completed treatment. It's important to have your doctor retest you three months after completing treatment.  

If chlamydia isn't treated, it can lead to complications, such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This can cause long-term problems. It can also affect if you can get pregnant in the future. 

If you believe you have chlamydia or there's a chance you could have it, contact your doctor right away. 

This is a bacteria-based STI. It appears in the mouth, reproductive organs, urethra and anal area. It often appears alongside chlamydia. Gonorrhea doesn't always have symptoms, so it often goes untreated.

If symptoms do appear, they can show up a few days or weeks after infection. Symptoms include: 

• Yellow discharge
• Painful urination
• Frequent urination
• Vaginal bleeding between periods
• Rectal bleeding, discharge or pain

Yes. If you think you have gonorrhea, your doctor can test a urine sample or take a swab from your vagina, mouth, throat, anus or the area around your cervix.

Your doctor can regularly screen you for gonorrhea if you're younger than 25 or at risk. 

Your doctor will prescribe one of two antibiotics. If a shot is available, one type of treatment includes one shot followed by a single pill. The second type of treatment includes two antibiotic pills. 

You should contact anyone you have had sex with in the past 60 days, so that person can also get tested and treated for gonorrhea. 

If gonorrhea isn't treated, it can lead to complications, such as PID. This can cause long-term problems. It can also affect if you can get pregnant in the future. 

If you believe you have gonorrhea or there's a chance you could have it, contact your doctor right away. 

While this virus is incurable, you can find a way to live comfortably with it as long as your doctor is aware of your condition.  

During the first outbreak (when herpes first flares up and you have symptoms) you may have: 

• Painful urination
• Painful clustered sores or fluid-filled blisters around the genitals or anal area
• Flu-like symptoms, such as fever, chills, muscle aches, tiredness and upset stomach

The first outbreak lasts anywhere from two to four weeks. The sores open, release fluid, crust and heal over a period of days. If you believe you have genital herpes or are at risk, contact your doctor right away. 

Yes. If you think you have genital herpes, your doctor can do one of two tests. If you have an outbreak at the time of your appointment, your doctor takes a sample directly from the sore and tests it for the virus.

If you don't have an outbreak, your doctor can take a blood sample. These tests will only tell you the type of infection you have, not how or when you caught the virus.

Antiviral medication and suppressive therapy can help lower the number of outbreaks. Taken daily, it can help stop outbreaks for a long time and lower your chances of giving herpes to someone else.

If genital herpes isn't treated, it can lead to continuous spread. If you're unaware you have genital herpes and give birth, your baby has a greater chance of getting it from you. 

If you have genital herpes, are pregnant and give birth vaginally, you can pass it on to your child. If you have an active outbreak, your doctor may opt to do a cesarean birth to lower the chances of passing it to your baby. 

For the safety of your baby, it's important to be honest with your doctor about your medical history. 

Hepatitis B is an infection caused by the hepatitis B virus. It affects your liver. Acute (sudden and serious) hepatitis happens in the first six months of infection. 

At first, there may be no symptoms or only slight ones. Chronic (long-term) infection happens if the virus stays in your body. 

This can be serious and lead to long-term health problems. Symptoms include:

• Tiredness
• Stomach pain
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea or vomiting 
• Pain in the muscles or joints
• Jaundice, yellowing of skin and/or eyes 

Yes. If you think you have hepatitis B, your doctor can do a variety of tests to look for antibodies.

These tests can tell if: 

• The infection is recent
• You previously had hepatitis B
• You're immune to hepatitis B 
• You had the hepatitis B vaccine 
• You’re a carrier (hepatitis B can be found in your body)

There is no cure for hepatitis B. With a case of chronic hepatitis B, your doctor can help you with your symptoms by prescribing you medication to help prevent liver diseases. 

If hepatitis B isn't treated, it can result in lifelong diseases, such as cirrhosis, a serious liver problem. Over time, the liver may even stop working. In extreme cases, chronic hepatitis infection can cause liver cancer. 

The immune system helps the body to fight illness. HIV is a virus that enters the body through bodily fluids and goes after the immune system, weakening it. If the immune system is weakened, it makes it harder for your body to fight off illness and infection. 

In the first two to four weeks after infection, many people have symptoms for several days or weeks. Symptoms include: 

• Rash 
• Sore throat
• Night sweats
• Mouth ulcers
• Swollen lymph nodes 
• Flu-like symptoms, such as fever, chills, muscle aches, tiredness and/or nausea

HIV is serious and can lead to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).  

Yes. There are three ways to test for HIV. They include: 

• Rapid tests
• At-home screening tests
• A screening test to look for antibodies and an antigen called p24

The screening test in a doctor's office can find p24 around three weeks after infection. Test results can take a few days. Rapid tests give results within one hour. Check with your clinic to see if rapid tests are available at the office. 

With a home test, you can test for antibodies and p24 by taking a sample of saliva or blood. It’s important to use a test approved by the FDA. These tests may not work until three to six months after catching HIV. Testing before this can result in a false negative.

Drug therapy programs can help people with HIV to stay healthy. The sooner treatment begins after infection, the better chance of maintaining long-term health with HIV. 

Getting treated also helps to lower the chances of passing HIV on to other people. As of now, there is no cure for HIV.

If HIV isn't treated, it can result in serious effects to your health. You're also more likely to pass it on to others. 

To help keep your baby free of HIV: 

• Avoid breastfeeding
• Give your baby anti-HIV drugs
• Schedule a cesarean if your level of HIV is high
• Take anti-HIV drugs prescribed by your doctor while pregnant, and during labor and delivery

If you have HIV, talk to your doctor about the right care plan for you and your baby. 

HPV is a virus or STI that causes cervical cancer.

In most cases, your system clears the body of HPV before causing disease. Although, it can cause genital warts and lead to certain cancers over time. HPV usually shows no signs or symptoms. 

Yes. Your doctor can test for HPV the same way a doctor tests for cervical cancer. The test identifies the presence of the virus and helps your doctor to find out what type you have. 

Depending on your results, your doctor may suggest one of the following: 

• Colposcopy
• Regular testing and exams
• Removal of abnormal cervical cells
• Making an appointment with a specialist
• Biopsy (taking a sample of tissue from your body and testing it) 

There are a number of treatments available to help prevent HPV from causing genital warts. They include: 

• Podofilox
• Imiquimod
• Salicylic acid
• Trichloroacetic acid 

If genital warts have already formed, your doctor can remove them with medication or surgery. Talk to your doctor to find the best care plan for you. 

There is no cure for HPV. Over time, the HPV cells try to spread to other healthy cells nearby. If HPV isn't treated, you can develop long-term problems, such as cancer. 

It's better to know about your health status, so you can work with your doctor to create a care plan that's right for you. 

Yes. Usually, doctors suggest that children get the vaccine around ages 11 to 12 and before age 26. The vaccine is more effective if a person gets the vaccine before coming into contact with HPV. 

Since the vaccine was first used in 2006, it's been found to lower HPV rates by:  

• 86% in female teens ages 14 to 19 
• 71% in women in their early 20s 

The vaccine has also helped lower rates of:

• Pre-cancer of the cervix in women
• Genital warts in young men and women 

This is a bacteria-based STI. It enters through a cut or direct contact with a chancre, a syphilis sore. Sores are found on the vulva, vagina, anal area or penis. 

Sores on the genitals make it easier to pass the disease along. It can also spread through contact with a rash in later stages. Symptoms change based on the stage of the disease. 

The stages of syphilis are:

• Primary stage
• Secondary stage
• Latent infection 

Syphilis begins as a painless sore. Without treatment, the sore will disappear in three to six weeks. Even though the sore will go away, you may have other symptoms. 

If you didn't get treated during the primary stage, it's important to get treated as soon as possible. Without treatment, you can still pass it on to others. 

You may also get secondary stage symptoms that can include one or more of the following:

• A rash on the bottom of your feet or palms
• Flat warts on your vulva
• Flu-like symptoms

In some cases, symptoms can go away for weeks or months. This doesn't mean the infection is gone. If your body is still infected, you can pass it on to others. 

Yes. Your doctor will usually do one or more tests that involve: 

• Taking a blood sample
• Swabbing any open sores to get a fluid sample

If you're pregnant, your doctor will screen you during your first visit. If you have a higher chance of getting syphilis, your doctor may test you again before you give birth. 

Your doctor will prescribe antibiotics based on how long you have had syphilis. They may also ask you to come into the office periodically to test your blood and make sure the treatment is working. 

Don’t engage in any sexual activity until you complete treatment. You should return to get tested afterwards, and anyone you have had sex with in the past 60 days should also get tested. 

If syphilis isn't treated, it can return years later as late-stage syphilis. This can cause neurological problems and tumors that can lead to brain damage, blindness, paralysis or even death. Syphilis can affect your brain at any stage. 

Trichomoniasis is a microscopic parasite called trichomonas vaginalis. A parasite is an organism that lives off another organism. If you have trichomoniasis, your chances of getting other STIs will increase.

Symptoms include:   

• Fishy vaginal odor
• Painful urination
• Yellow-gray or green vaginal discharge
• Burning, irritation, redness and/or swelling of the genitals

Yes. Your doctor will take a sample of vaginal fluid and place it under a microscope to look for a parasite. If the results are inconclusive, your doctor will need to do more tests. These tests include rapid antigen and nucleic acid amplification. 

Typically, a single dose of antibiotics prescribed by your doctor can treat the infection. 

You should contact anyone you have had sex with in the past 60 days so your partner can also be tested and treated for trichomoniasis. This can prevent the infection from being passed on or happening again. 

If trichomoniasis isn't treated, you'll keep having symptoms and the infection will stay in your body.