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STIs and Symptoms
Common STIs are described below. It is very important to know that many people with an STI will not have any visible symptoms. That is why it is important to get tested every time you change sex partners or your partner changes sex partners. You should also get tested if you find out that one of your partners (whether your current partner or one of your partners in the past) has an STI, or if you notice any of the signs described in the sections below. Here, you will find information on the following STIs:
Chlamydia
Chlamydia is one of the most common STIs and it can have serious long-term effects. It is spread through oral , vaginal and anal sex - even if you aren't showing signs of infection. Using oral dental dams and condoms properly stops the infection from spreading. It is also a good idea to make sure you and your partner get tested because you may not even know you have it. Using protection and getting tested are both ways to make sex safer and to show yourself and your partner respect.
Signs that females might have chlamydia:
- New or unusual discharge from the vagina;
- Burning feeling when peeing;
- Pain in the lower stomach, sometimes with fever and chills;
- Pain during sex.
Most females with chlamydia don't have any noticeable symptoms. This makes it extra important to get tested when you are sexually active.
Signs that males might have chlamydia:
- Watery or milky "drip" from your penis;
- Itchiness inside your penis;
- Burning feeling while peeing;
- Pain or swelling of the testicles
When chlamydia is caught early and treated properly, it can be cured quickly with antibiotics. You'll need to follow all treatment instructions carefully and be sure to have a follow-up visit with your nurse or doctor to make sure all signs of the infection are gone.
If you don't treat chlamydia, it can seriously affect your life. Girls may develop long-term lower stomach pain, be unable to become pregnant or have major complications during pregnancy and guys may become sterile.
Pregnant women can pass chlamydia on to their babies during birth. Getting tested when you are pregnant will not only make sure you are healthy, but protect your baby as well.
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea (also known as "The Clap") is one of the most common STIs. It is spread through oral , vaginal and anal sex - even if you aren't showing signs of infection. Using oral dental dams and condoms properly stops the infection from spreading. It is also a good idea to make sure you and your partner get tested because you may not even know you have it. Using protection and getting tested are both ways to make sex safer and to show yourself and your partner respect.
Symptoms of gonorrhea, if you get them, will usually show up three to five days after being infected. However, you can be infected with gonorrhea and show no symptoms at all. This is especially true for females, although many males don't show any symptoms either.
Signs that females might have gonorrhea:
- New or different discharge from your vagina;
- Burning feeling when peeing;
- Pain in your lower stomach, sometimes with fever and chills;
- Pain during sex.
Signs that males might have gonorrhea:
- Discharge from your penis (thick, creamy, and yellow-green in colour);
- Burning feeling when peeing;
- Painful or swollen testicles.
When it is caught early and treated properly, gonorrhea can be cured quickly with antibiotics. You'll need to follow all treatment instructions carefully and be sure to have a follow-up visit with your nurse or doctor to make sure all signs of the infection are gone.
If you don't treat gonorrhea, it can seriously affect your life. Females and males may become sterile.
Pregnant women can pass gonorrhea on to their babies during birth. Getting tested when you are pregnant will not only make sure you are healthy, but protect your baby as well.
Syphilis
Syphilis is a very serious STI that is passed from one person to another through unprotected oral, anal or vaginal sex. Using oral dental dams and condoms properly stops the infection from spreading. It is also a good idea to make sure you and your partner get tested because you may not even know you have it. Using protection and getting tested are both ways to make sex safer and to show yourself and your partner respect.
Syphilis, in both males and females, develops in four stages.
- In Stage One, a painless sore called a chancre (pronounced kanker) may appear between 9 and 90 days after contact with an infected person on the penis, inside or around the vagina, or inside the mouth or anus. These sores are often easy to miss, so you might not know if you have ever had one.
- In Stage Two, which is about six weeks to six months after infection, flu-like symptoms may be felt and a rash appears over the entire body and is most noticeable on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. You might not realize these are syphilis symptoms, so you may not think you have it.
- There are no symptoms during Stage Three, but the infection is spreading in your body during this time, which can last up to 3 years!
- In Stage Four, which might not happen for years after you are first infected, untreated syphilis can cause blindness, brain damage, heart disease, paralysis and even death.
If you are pregnant, you can also pass on syphilis to your unborn baby. This is called congenital syphilis. Babies born with syphilis may be blind, deaf or have developmental delays. Their bones may not develop normally, or they may be stillborn. Getting tested when you are pregnant will not only make sure you are healthy, but protect your baby as well.
You can pass on syphilis to your sexual partners during every stage of the infection. Since the signs of it are easy to miss, you might not even know you have it.
Syphilis can be treated at every stage, but you have to get tested to know you need treatment. Once you know you have syphilis, you can get treatment, and, if you catch it early enough, it is curable with antibiotics. You'll need to follow all treatment instructions carefully and be sure to have a follow-up visit with your nurse or doctor to make sure all signs of the infection are gone.
Trichomonas
Trichomonas (also called "Trich") is caused by a parasite in the vagina (females) or urethra (males and females). Using oral dental dams and condoms properly stops the infection from spreading. It is also a good idea to make sure you and your partner get tested because you may not even know you have it. Using protection and getting tested are both ways to make sex safer and to show yourself and your partner respect.
Symptoms usually begin to show 3 to 21 days after infection occurs.
Some signs that girls might have trichomonas:
- Changes in what is coming from your vagina: an increase in the amount you produce, if it becomes thinner or more frothy, or if it smells different;
- Soreness, itching, and inflammation in and around the vagina;
- Pain when peeing;
- Pain when having sex.
Most guys with trichomonas have no signs or symptoms, but sometimes guys notice irritation or pain inside their penis, a mild discharge or slight burning after they pee or ejaculate.
Trichomonas can be cured with antibiotics. You'll need to follow all treatment instructions carefully and be sure to have a follow-up visit with your nurse or doctor to make sure all signs of the infection are gone.
HPV
HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) is the most common STI worldwide. There are over 100 different forms of this virus, grouped into two main categories. "Low-risk" types, which can cause genital and anal warts, and "high risk" types, which can lead to pre-cancerous growths and cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina, penis, anus, head and neck.
Most people will have some form of HPV in their lifetime, often without any symptoms. A lot of times, the virus will go away on its own without you ever knowing about it. Other times it will disappear only to appear again later on.
HPV is spread by contact with the penis, scrotum, vagina, vulva or anus. It can be passed on even when the infected partner has no signs or symptoms. It is also possible to get more than one type of HPV. There is no way to fully protect against HPV. Oral dental dams and condoms are the best way to protect yourself, but areas that aren't covered can still get the infection.
Some signs that females might have HPV:
- Pinkish, red, gray or white warts on your vagina and/or anus;
- Burning, itching, pain or bleeding around your genitals.
Some signs that males might have HPV:
- Large, soft growths on your penis or around the anus;
- Warts on the penis;
- Bleeding and/or secretion from the penis;
- Decreased force when you pee.
Testing for the HPV virus itself is not widely available and the virus itself cannot be treated. The biggest risk of HPV is cancer of the cervix. Because cervical cancer does not have symptoms until it is in advanced stages, it is very important that females get a PAP smear every year to check for early signs of cancer. This is another way to respect yourself - taking care of your body will help you live a long, healthy life.
HPV may also be passed on from pregnant women to their unborn babies. Talk to your doctor and/or nurse if you are concerned about this risk.
Although there is no cure for HPV, treatment is available for the warts. Talk to your nurse or doctor about what is appropriate for you.
For more information about HPV, check out this link:
http://www.hpvinfo.ca/hpvinfo/teens/index.aspx
Genital Herpes
Genital herpes is a painful STI that causes sores on or around the penis, vagina and/or anus. It is caused by the herpes simplex virus. There are two types of herpes simplex virus. Type 2 usually causes only herpes infections around the genitals, but it can also cause herpes infections around the mouth. Type 1 usually causes only herpes infections (cold sores) around the mouth, however, it can also cause herpes infections around the genitals. Therefore, if you or your partner has a herpes infection, either around your mouth or on/around your genitals, you can spread this infection to your partner's mouth or genitals.
Genital Herpes is most often spread when sores are visible. However, you can catch genital herpes from your partner even if you can't see sores on their body. Since oral dental dams and condoms only cover a small part of the body, they do not fully protect against genital herpes. Your best defense is to get tested with your partner before you decide to have sex. Getting tested shows respect for your health and your partner's health.
It usually takes a few days to a week for symptoms of herpes to be noticed. If infected with herpes, both males and females will notice a tingly or itchy feeling in the genital area. Soon after, there will be a cluster of tiny blisters. When the blisters burst they leave behind painful sores around the penis, vagina and/or anus.; these sores last two to four weeks.
There is no cure for herpes. Some people will only have one outbreak, but others will continue to have them throughout their life. Some people who are infected may never develop any symptoms. If you are diagnosed, your nurse or doctor can prescribe certain medications that will help you manage this infection and reduce the frequency and length of outbreaks.
To protect yourself against genital herpes, always use condoms or oral dental dams during sex and avoid all sexual contact with a person who has sores on or around their mouth or genitals.
A mother can pass the herpes virus onto her baby during delivery, which can possibly further cause a life-threatening infection in the central nervous system of the baby. Getting tested when you are pregnant will not only make sure you are healthy, but protect your baby as well. If you are pregnant or become pregnant and you have herpes, tell your doctor.
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B (also called Hep B) is an STI that damages the liver. It is spread by having unprotected oral, anal and vaginal sex. Using oral dental dams and condoms properly stops the infection from spreading. It is also a good idea to make sure you and your partner are both vaccinated against Hepatitis B. Using protection and getting tested are both ways to make sex safer and to show yourself and your partner respect.
Most people will show no signs of being infected with Hepatitis B. For those that do show signs, they will likely experience "flu-like" symptoms, like tiredness, aching joints, stomach pain, loss of appetite and nausea. It may take 45 to 180 days after infection for symptoms to appear.
There are two stages of a Hepatitis B infection. When a person is first infected, it is called an "acute" (short-term) infection. Many people will recover from this stage in a few months as their bodies build immunity to the virus and fight off the infection.
Those people whose bodies can't fight off the infection develop "chronic" (long-term) Hepatitis B. Hepatitis B becomes a chronic infection after six months. People who develop chronic Hepatitis B are at higher risk for liver failure, liver diseases, and cancer of the liver. There is medication available to help manage chronic hepatitis. If you're infected, talk to your nurse or doctor about what options are available to you.
There is no cure for Hepatitis B but there is a vaccine, so talk to your nurse or doctor about the vaccination. The Hepatitis B vaccine is routinely given to infants in Nunavut.
HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS (Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is a lifelong infection that is most commonly spread through unprotected oral, anal and vaginal sex. Using oral dental dams and condoms properly stops the infection from spreading. It is also a good idea to make sure you and your partner get tested because you may not even know you have it. Using protection and getting tested are both ways to make sex safer and to show yourself and your partner respect.
Not everyone develops signs or symptoms of having been infected with HIV. But sometimes, between six weeks and three months, the body may begin to show signs or experience symptoms. These signs or symptoms may include fever, rash, muscle aches and swelling below your jaw and under your arms. Most people newly infected with HIV will not show any of these signs so get tested to make sure you're not infected.
There are two stages to this disease. The first stage is HIV which weakens the immune system making it harder for the body to fight off infections and viruses to keep us healthy. HIV cannot be cured, but it can be controlled for many years with anti-viral medication and a healthy lifestyle.
Even with proper treatment, HIV often weakens the body's immune system and develops into "full blown" AIDS. Once HIV develops into AIDS, the health of the infected person deteriorates rapidly and therefore they can get sick very easily. Once the immune system becomes very weak, an illness this person gets may eventually lead to death.
Pregnant women with HIV/AIDS may pass the infection onto their babies if they do not get the proper medication/treatment. If you are living with HIV/AIDS and are carrying a baby, you should tell your nurse, doctor, maternal care worker or midwife to make sure that you and your baby stay healthy.
Scabies and Pubic Lice (Crabs)
Scabies and Pubic Lice are transmitted both by sexual and non-sexual contact. Both are tiny bugs that live on the skin. You can catch scabies or crabs through close physical contact with a person that has them, or by sharing bed linen, clothes or towels with an infected person. You can prevent the bugs from spreading by avoiding close physical contact with someone you know is infected. Since oral dental dams and condoms only cover a small part of the body, they do not protect against Scabies and Pubic Lice.
You may have scabies if you feel itchy over your whole body -- especially at night. A rash, caused when the female bug digs into the skin to lay eggs, usually appears in the folds of skin around the penis or vagina, between the fingers, and on the wrists, elbows and lower stomach.
You may have crabs if you feel itchy around your genitals and see small, light brown bugs crawling on your skin. If the bugs have laid eggs, you'll find oval-shaped "shells" on your pubic hair that are hard to pick off.
Scabies and crabs are treated with special creams, lotions or shampoos you can buy at your local drugstore or get from your local health centre.