Hesperian Health Guides
Chapter 18: Sexually transmitted infections
Contents
What are sexually transmitted infections?
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are infections that are passed from one person to another during sex. Anyone, including babies and children, can be affected by STIs. Some common STIs are gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomonas, syphilis, chancroid, herpes, hepatitis B, and HIV.
Any of the following can be a sign of an STI:
- bad-smelling discharge
- itching genitals
- painful genitals
- sores or blisters on the genitals
- pain in the pelvis or pain during sex
It is also very common to have an STI and have no signs at all. Many people have STIs but do not know it.
Untreated STIs can lead to very serious health problems, so anyone with an STI needs treatment as soon as possible. An untreated STI can cause a tubal pregnancy, cancer of the cervix, or infertility. An untreated STI in a pregnant woman can also cause a baby to be born too early, too small, blind, sick, or dead. A person who has one STI can more easily get another — including HIV.
This chapter covers the different STIs a woman can have by describing the signs of each infection and explaining how to treat and prevent them. It also covers how to recognize and treat some other common infections of the genitals that are not transmitted by sex.
How STIs are passed
To get an STI, a person must have close contact with someone who is already infected. The contact can be vaginal sex (penis in vagina), anal sex (penis in anus), or less often, oral sex (mouth on genitals or anus). STIs can sometimes pass from just rubbing an infected penis or vagina against another person’s genitals. Many people get STIs from people who have no signs of being infected.
STIs can be prevented by not having sex with anyone who has an infection. Using condoms also prevents STIs from spreading. To learn about preventing STIs, which is especially important during pregnancy, see Teaching women how to prevent STIs.
A baby in the womb can also get an STI from the mother’s blood during pregnancy or when it passes through the vagina during birth.
Treating STIs
Most STIs will be less of a problem or go away completely if the person is treated right away, but many women do not get treated. They may not know they are infected or not have money for treatment. They may feel embarrassed or ashamed, or fear that their husbands will think they had sex with someone else.
How you care for a woman who may have an STI can make a big difference. If a woman comes to you for help, do not tell anyone else what she told you. She may not seek your help again. Do not judge or criticize her. Answer her questions honestly and as best as you can. If you cannot treat her infection, try to help her find low-cost care nearby.
we'll just get infected again.
Remember:
- Treat STIs as soon as possible. Early treatment for STIs costs less and is more effective than later treatment.
- Treat partners too. Treating a woman for an STI will not help if her partner is still infected.
- Make sure people know they must take all of the medicine. Even after signs of infection go away, taking the rest of the medicine is necessary to cure the infection completely.