Method Of Transmission
- STD is likely to spread through sexual intercourse or any type of sexual contact like oral sex, anal sex and vaginal intercourse. Some types of infections can easily spread via direct skin-to-skin contact also.
- Using condom in sex does not guarantee that you may not get infection. But the possibility is drastically reduced by using it.
- Infections like Hepatitis can spread through blood. A person receiving the blood of infected person would get infected with hepatitis.
When To Contact Your GP
- Regular screening is advisable for both men and women who have additional sex partners. Complete medical evaluation is to be done if you think that you might have an infection.
- By postponing it you are likely to transmit the infection to your partner also.
- You need not wait for the symptoms to appear before checking with your doctor, because there can be infection without any symptoms.
Diagnosis
Blood test is to be done for checking the presence of bacteria/virus or other parasites. After completing the physical examination, your GP would order for blood sample and listen to other symptoms like vaginal discharge/itching/burning pain. Report of the blood sample can confirm his diagnosis.
Treatment
Most of the infectious diseases from sex is curable and can be completely treated. The more the delay in diagnosing the infection, the more will be the damage. Before giving any medication your GP would make sure of the diagnoses.
Treatment of STD differs with the causative factor. For bacterial infection, your doctor would prescribe strong doses of antibiotics. In severe cases antibiotic injection would be given to manage the symptoms. Topical creams that contain antibiotics are recommended to manage pain and itching. Viral infections can be treated with antiviral drugs. However it cannot be completely cured in some cases but the symptoms can be managed.
Follow up
- Do complete the course of medication given by your doctor even the symptoms have disappeared.
- For any type of STD you need to follow the instructions of your doctor in making visits to the hospital regularly. Relapse is always possible in many infectious diseases and make sure that the harmful element is completely removed from the body.
- To sum up, the sooner you pay visit to the clinic, the sooner will be the recovery. By delaying the check-up you are passing on the infection to others.
- In case of any doubt, do not hesitate to tell your partner and insist for his/her checkup also.
How Can You Prevent STD?
- STD can be easily prevented if you are alert /careful and practice safe sex.
- Avoid having sex with strangers and multiple partners.
- Postpone having sex if you are of young age. If you become sexually active at young age, you are at high lifetime risk by getting infected.
- Go for regular screening and insist your children also to get screened.
- Educate your daughter/son about the consequences of STD so that they would think twice before having sex.
- Insist on using condom each time you have sexual intercourse.
- Vaginal douching should be avoided since you are removing the good bacteria inviting more trouble.
- For some infectious diseases like HPV and hepatitis vaccination is available.
- Lastly you can prevent getting STD if you can limit yourself with one sex partner alone who maintains unisex with you only.