• Introduction
• Facts about Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• How do you get an STD?
• Symptoms of Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• Basic Treatments

Introduction:

Sexually transmitted diseases or STDs and sexually transmitted infections or STIs were once known as venereal diseases or VD. Learn the facts about STDs, STIs including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. It is an infection or disease passed from person to person through sexual contact. Diseases of sexually transmitted may be: Bacterial Vaginosis , Chlamydia, Genital Herpes, Gonorrhea, Hepatitis, HIV Infection and AIDS , Human Papillomavirus and Genital Warts, Syphilis , Trichomoniasis . 

Facts about Sexually Transmitted Diseases:

• Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) affect 12 million men and women in the United States each year.
• Anyone can become infected through sexual intercourse with an infected person.
• Many of those infected are teenagers or young adults.
• Changing sexual partners adds to the risk of becoming infected.
• Sometimes, early in the infection, there may be no symptoms, or symptoms may be easily confused with other illnesses.

How do you get an STD?

You can get and pass STDs through vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Trichomoniasis can also picked up from contact with damp or moist objects such as towels, wet clothing, or a toilet seat, if the genital area gets in contact with these damp objects. Some STDs cause no symptoms. But STDs can still be passed from person to person even if there are no symptoms.

Symptoms of Sexually Transmitted Diseases:

• Vaginal itching
• Pain when urinating
• Discharge with a fishy odor
• Abnormal vaginal discharge
• Burning when urinating
• Bleeding between menstrual periods
• Lower abdominal pain 
• Nausea
• Pain during sex
• Small red bumps, blisters, or open sores on the penis, vagina, or on areas close by
• Vaginal discharge
• Headache
• Muscle aches
• Itching, burning, or swollen glands in genital area
• Pain in legs, buttocks, or genital area 
• Extreme fatigue
• Rapid weight loss
• Frequent low-grade fevers and night sweats
• Frequent yeast infections (in the mouth)
• Vaginal yeast infections and other STDs
•  Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
• Menstrual cycle changes
• Red, brown, or purplish blotches on or under the skin or inside the mouth, nose, or eyelids
• Visible warts in the genital area, including the thighs. Warts can be raised or flat, alone or in groups, small or large, and sometimes they are cauliflower-shaped.
• Lesions on the cervix and in the vagina
• Yellow, green, or gray vaginal discharge (often foamy) with a strong odor
• Discomfort during sex and when urinating
• Irritation and itching of the genital area
• Lower abdominal pain in rare cases.      

Basic Treatment :

Different types of treatments are given for each STD. For some, treatment involves taking pills or getting a shot to kill the organism that caused the STD. Some STDs are viruses and cannot be cured, but treatment can ease the symptoms and stop more damage to your body. Treatments for viruses include pills, topical creams, freezing or burning of the infected area, or surgery. Treatment Tips

Take ALL the medicine you are given, even if you start to feel  better before the medicine runs out.

Talk to your health care provider (doctor or nurse) about when you can safely have sex again.

Remember, you don't want to infect your partner because he or she could give the disease back to you.

Never take anyone else's medicine or give yours to someone else. Never split prescription medicines with someone.

Go back to the clinic for more tests if you are asked to do this.

Tell the people you've had sex with that you've learned you have an STD and they need to be tested.