What stds are there

There are vaccines to prevent HPV and hepatitis B. If your or your partner is allergic to latex , you can use polyurethane condoms. The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice.

Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health. Learn More Related Issues Specifics. See, Play and Learn Images. Resources Find an Expert. What are sexually transmitted diseases STDs? Who is affected by sexually transmitted diseases STDs? What are the symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases STDs? These resources include:. Treatment for pregnant women is monitored by their health professional to avoid complications.

It is important for you and an infected partner to complete all medical treatment for an STI to prevent the infection from returning. You may need to be rechecked after treatment is complete. Call your doctor if symptoms persist or become more severe or frequent. Home test kits for some STIs are available but it is recommended that you consult your health professional about any STI symptoms.

You can take measures to reduce your risk of becoming infected with a sexually transmitted infection STI. You can also reduce the risk of transmitting an STI to your sex partner. Delay sexual activity until you are prepared both physically and emotionally to have sex. Nearly two-thirds of all STIs occur in people younger than 25 years old. Sexually active teenagers are at high risk for STIs because they frequently have unprotected sex and have multiple partners.

Biological changes during the teen years also may increase their risk for getting an STI. Make sure your immunizations are up-to-date. There are many types of HPV. Some types of the virus can cause genital warts. Other types can cause cervical or oral cancer and some uncommon cancers, such as vaginal and anal cancer. For more information, see the topic Immunizations. STIs are a concern worldwide. It is important to practice safer sex with all partners, especially if you or they may have high-risk sexual behaviours.

It is especially important that pregnant women who are at risk for STIs practice safer sex because an STI can affect their baby fetus. An STI may threaten the life of your baby or cause serious long-term problems or disabilities for your baby. Preventing a sexually transmitted infection STI is easier than treating an infection after it occurs.

Condoms can protect you against sexually transmitted infections STIs. Even if you are protected against pregnancy by birth control pills or another method, use a condom to prevent STIs. Using condoms reduces the risk of becoming infected with most STIs, especially if the condoms are used correctly and consistently. Condoms must be put on before beginning any sexual contact or activity.

Use condoms with a new partner until you are certain he or she does not have an STI. Condoms are made of latex rubber , polyurethane, or sheep intestine. While latex and polyurethane condoms help prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections STIs such as HIV , sheep intestine condoms do not. Even if you are using another birth control method to prevent pregnancy, you may wish to use condoms to reduce your risk of getting an STI.

Female condoms are available for women whose partners do not have or will not use a male condom. Condoms do not prevent skin-to-sore contact in the genital area, so it is possible to spread an STI with genital contact.

It is important to have any symptoms in the genital area evaluated. Mouth barriers, such as a dental dam, can be used to reduce the spread of infection through oral sexual activity. You can discuss this with your dentist or health professional. Avoid douching if you are a woman, because it can change the normal balance of organisms in the vagina and increases the risk of getting an STI. Most spermicides contain a chemical called nonoxynol-9 N9. Health Canada warns that nonoxynol-9 in vaginal contraceptives and spermicides may irritate the lining of the vagina or rectum.

This may increase the risk of getting HIV from an infected partner. So although using a spermicide with a condom is more effective for birth control, using a spermicide may increase your risk for getting HIV. To prepare for your appointment, see the topic Making the Most of Your Appointment. You can help your health professional diagnose and treat your condition by being prepared for your appointment.

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British Columbia Specific Information A sexually transmitted infection STI affects both men and women, and is passed from one person to another during sex or intimate contact. Topic Overview Aside from colds and the flu, sexually transmitted infections STIs are some of the most widespread infections in the world. If you think you may have symptoms of an STI: Do not have sexual contact or activity while waiting for your appointment.

This will prevent the spread of the infection. Women should not douche. Douching changes the normal balance of bacteria in the vagina. Douching may flush an infection up into your uterus or fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease PID. Common sexually transmitted infections There are at least 20 different STIs.

Some of the most common STIs are: Chlamydia. Genital herpes. Genital warts or human papillomavirus HPV. Certain high-risk types of HPV can cause cervical cancer in women. Hepatitis B. When that happens, gonorrhea can cause serious health problems in the baby. Gonorrhea can usually be treated with antibiotics. Learn more about the symptoms, treatment options, and long-term outlook for people with gonorrhea.

Like head lice and body lice, they feed on human blood. A person might also be able to see the lice or their tiny white eggs around the roots of pubic hair. A magnifying glass can help you spot them. If left untreated, pubic lice can be transmitted to other people through skin-to-skin contact or shared clothing, bedding, or towels.

Scratched bites can also become infected. If a person has pubic lice, they can use over-the-counter topical treatments and tweezers to remove them from your body. According to the CDC , less than one-third of people with trich develop symptoms. When symptoms do develop, they may include:. Trich can be treated with antibiotics.

Learn how to recognize trich early to get treatment sooner. Herpes is the shortened name for the herpes simplex virus HSV. Both can be transmitted sexually. HSV-1 primarily causes oral herpes, which is responsible for cold sores. When this happens, HSV-1 can cause genital herpes. The most common symptom of herpes is blistery sores.

In the case of genital herpes, these sores develop on or around the genitals. In oral herpes, they develop on or around the mouth. Herpes sores generally crust over and heal within a few weeks.

The first outbreak is usually the most painful. Outbreaks typically become less painful and frequent over time. If a pregnant woman has herpes, she can potentially pass it to her fetus in the womb or to her newborn infant during childbirth. This so-called congenital herpes can be very dangerous to newborns. But medications are available to help control outbreaks and alleviate the pain of herpes sores.

The same medications can also lower your chances of passing herpes to your sexual partner. Effective treatment and safe sexual practices can help you lead a comfortable life with herpes and protect others from the virus. Get the information you need to prevent, recognize, and manage herpes. When they do cause symptoms, they often include a sore throat or sores around the mouth or throat.

Learn more about the potential symptoms and treatment options for oral STDs. Many STDs are curable. For example, the following STDs can be cured with antibiotics or other treatments:. Treatment options are often available to help alleviate symptoms and lower your chances of transmitting the STD to someone else.

Take a moment to learn more about curable and incurable STDs. In newborns, STDs can cause complications. In some cases, they can be life-threatening. Research suggests that Descovy is similarly effective in reducing the risk of getting HIV from sex. However, Descovy hasn't been studied in people who have receptive vaginal sex.

Using additional prevention, such as condoms, can lower your risk even more and prevent other STIs. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.

This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. More Information STD symptoms. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Adamson PC, et al. Point-of-care testing for sexually transmitted infections: A review of recent developments. Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine ; doi Sieving RE, et al. Sexually transmitted diseases among US adolescents and young adults: Patterns, clinical considerations and prevention.

The Nursing Clinics of North America. Sexually transmitted infections. Office on Women's Health. Accessed June 21, Overview of sexually transmitted diseases. Merck Manual Professional Version.