Chlamydia
Signs & Symptoms
-
White discharge from penis or vagina
-
Pain when peeing and having sex
-
Lower tummy or back pain
-
Bleeding between periods
-
Pain or swelling in the balls
A lot of people don’t have any symptoms at all so they don’t even know they have it, or sometimes symptoms can be very mild and you don’t even notice them. If Chlamydia is left untreated it can affect your chances of having kids
Gonorrhoea
Signs & Symptoms
-
A green, yellow or white discharge from the penis or vagina that can be smelly
-
Pain or discomfort when peeing
-
Itching or discharge from the anus
-
Bleeding between periods
-
Inflammation of the foreskin
-
Pain or tenderness in the balls
Females are less likely to know they have gonorrhoea than males, but many people show no symptoms at all. If left untreated, Gonorrhoea can affect your chances of having kids.
Genital Warts
Signs & Symptoms
-
Warts can be flat, smooth, small bumps or large pink cauliflower like lumps on the genital areas. Can appear on their own or in groups
-
Lumps can appear around or inside the vagina, the anus, the penis, and the upper thighs
-
Genital warts are usually painless but can be itchy
You do not have to have sex with someone to get genital warts. Close skin-to-skin contact with the genital area can also spread infection. Not everyone has symptoms.
Genital Herpes
Signs & Symptoms
-
Tingling feeling and itching in genital areas
-
Small fluid filled blisters anywhere on the genital areas, on your bum or the tops of the thighs that burst and leave painful sores
-
Pain when peeing caused by your pee passing over the sores
-
Head and back aches
-
Flu like symptoms including swollen glands and fever
Once you have the Herpes virus in your body it will not go away but it does become dormant (goes to sleep) for long periods of time and will hide in the body. During this time you are not infectious and will have no symptoms. In some people the virus can flare up again and cause more discomfort and pain. If you have a cold sore on your mouth you should not give someone oral sex as you could infect them with the Herpes virus.
Pubic Lice (or crabs)
Signs & Symptoms
-
Itching in infected areas
-
Black powder in your underwear (lice droppings)
-
Brown eggs in your pubic or other body hair
-
Tiny specks of blood on your underwear or skin
Having pubic lice does not mean you’re not clean – it has nothing to do with personal hygiene. Pubic lice are passed by close body or sexual contact with an infected person. They cannot fly or jump and move by crawling from hair to hair. They can sometimes be passed by sharing towels or clothing, but this is rare, but you can’t catch pubic lice from a toilet seat.
Hepatitis B
Signs & Symptoms
-
Flu like symptoms
-
Vomiting and diarrhoea
-
Loss of appetite and weight loss
-
Joint pain
-
Jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin)
-
Liver damage
Some people have no symptoms, but can be carriers of the virus and can pass to others through saliva, blood or sexual contact.
Syphilis
Signs & Symptoms
Syphilis can develop in 3 stages:
Stage 1
-
1 or more painless ulcers 2 – 3 weeks after being infected on various parts of the body (some where you can’t see them) such as the lips of the vagina, the cervix, the urethra (where girls pee from), the clitoris, the anus and the foreskin.
-
The sores are very infectious and may take between 2 – 6 weeks to heal. If the infection has not been treated at this point it will have spread to other parts of the body and will now be 2nd stage syphilis
Stage 2
Can occur 3 – 6 weeks after the first stage
-
A non-itchy rash all over the body or just in patches, but is often seen on the soles of the feet or palms of the hand.
-
Flu like illness, tiredness, loss of appetite and swollen glands (which can last for weeks or months)
-
Flat wart like growths on the lips of the vagina and anus in both men and woman (which can be mistaken for genital warts)
-
White patches on the tongue or roof of the mouth
-
Hair loss
Treatment at any time during the first two stages of syphilis will cure the infection. If left untreated stage 3 will occur.
Stage 3
At this stage most symptoms dissapear but the infection will, after a number of years cause serious problems to the heart, brain, eyes, internal organs, bones and nervous system and will eventually lead to death. Treatment at this stage can cure syphilis but any damage caused to the heart or nervous system can’t be reversed
Thrush
Thrush isn’t always an STI and can occur naturally in the body after a course of antibiotics or wearing nylon knickers, but can be passed during unprotected sex.
Signs & Symptoms
-
Thick white discharge
-
Itching under foreskin or vagina
-
Pain when peeing or having sex
Thrush
Signs &
Symptoms
Thrush isn’t always an STI and can occur naturally in the body after a course of antibiotics or wearing nylon knickers, but can be passed during unprotected sex.
- Thick white discharge
- Itching under foreskin or vagina
- Pain when peeing or having sex
HIV
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
It is a virus that damages the body’s immune system so that it can no longer fight off certain infections.
How do you get it?
-
By having sex with someone who is HIV+ and not using a condom. HIV is found in seminal and vaginal fluids (The fluids that come out your body when you have sex.)
-
By blood contact such as sharing needles, making a blood brother pact, or getting a tatoo from an unqualified tatooist.
-
From breast milk (from an HIV positive mother to her baby)
This means that you can’t get HIV by talking to someone who is HIV positive, shaking their hand, drinking out of the same cup, eating off of the same plate or kissing them. Neither can you get HIV by going to the doctors, visiting the dentist, or donating or receiving blood as all blood products are screened in this country, although this might not be the same in other countries throughout the world.
You can get HIV if you are gay, straight or bisexual. You can also get it if you share sex toys. HIV isn’t fussy – if you don’t practice safer sex you could be putting yourself at risk.
AIDS stands for Aquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
AIDS is not an STI. AIDS is a condition that affects people that are HIV+. When a person is HIV+ their immune system is damaged and they can get certain illnesses. If they become ill from these illnesses, they could be classed as having AIDS but they can also get better and they would no longer be classed as having AIDS but they would still be HIV positive.
REMEMBER – You can protect yourself from HIV and other STI’s by practicing safer sex – ALWAYS USE A CONDOM.
Sexually Transmitted Infections or STI’s as they are more commonly known are passed from person to person when they have unprotected sex or, in some cases, close bodily contact. You can catch an STI if you are male or female, young or old. You can’t tell by looking at someone if they have an infection, and it can happen to anyone.
STI’s need to be treated by a doctor or at a sexual health clinic because they will not go away by themselves, no matter how long you wait or how clean you are. Sometimes the symptoms will go away, but the infection will still be in your body and will continue to do damage until it has been treated. You will also pass the infection to another person if you have unprotected sex with them. You can have more than 1 STI at any time, and you can also get an STI again even if you’ve had it before.
The only way to protect yourself is not to have sex or use protection. PROTECT YOURSELF – USE A CONDOM