What infections are classified as STIs?
Pathogens are divided into bacterial, viral and protozoal, and treatment depends on this. Bacterial and Trichomonas infections can be completely cured with a course of medications. Viral ones - herpes, HIV, human papillomavirus, hepatitis B and C - remain in the body, but modern schemes make it possible to keep them under control and protect the partner. It is also worth remembering that candidiasis and bacterial vaginosis are not STIs, although the complaints for them are similar.
- Chlamydia
- Gonorrhea
- Trichomoniasis
- Mycoplasma genitalium
- Syphilis
- Genital herpes
- Human papillomavirus, anogenital warts
- HIV, hepatitis B and C
Symptoms
Complaints are nonspecific, and the causative agent cannot be determined from them. Men are more likely to experience urethral discharge, pain when urinating, and increased urination. In women - unusual discharge, itching, pain during intercourse, spotting between periods and nagging pain in the lower abdomen. A significant proportion of infected people, especially women, have no symptoms at all, and the infection is detected accidentally during examination or already at the stage of complications.
- Unusual discharge from the genital tract or urethra
- Burning and pain when urinating
- Itching, redness, sores, blisters, warts
- Pain in the lower abdomen or scrotum
- Bloody discharge after intimacy
- Enlarged inguinal lymph nodes
- Complete absence of symptoms
When and what tests to take
Testing too early gives a false negative result because the pathogen takes time to be detected. For bacterial infections, a PCR smear is usually informative about two weeks after contact; for syphilis and HIV, blood is re-dated after 1.5 and 3 months. If you have symptoms, you need to be examined immediately, without waiting. Important: the test is taken before starting antibiotics, otherwise the result will be unreliable.
- PCR smear for chlamydia, gonococcus, trichomonas, mycoplasma genitalium
- General flora smear and microscopy
- Blood for syphilis
- Blood for HIV, hepatitis B and C
- Sowing with determination of sensitivity at a steady flow
- Examination of the partner to the same extent
Complications and why you shouldn’t delay
The infection, left untreated, rises from the urethra and cervix higher. In women, this leads to inflammation of the uterus and appendages, adhesions in the fallopian tubes, chronic pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancy and tubal infertility. In men - to prostatitis, inflammation of the epididymis and impaired sperm quality. Some infections are dangerous for the baby during pregnancy and childbirth, and the human papillomavirus is associated with cervical cancer, so regular screening is important even in the absence of complaints.
- Inflammatory diseases of the pelvic organs
- Tubal infertility and ectopic pregnancy
- Epididymitis, prostatitis, male infertility
- Reactive arthritis after chlamydia
- Infection of a child during pregnancy and childbirth
- HPV-related cervical cancer
Treatment and prevention
The regimen and duration are selected by the doctor for the specific pathogen: it is impossible to select an antibiotic “based on symptoms,” and an interrupted course leads to resistance and chronicity. Both partners are treated at the same time, even if the second’s tests are negative and there are no complaints, and sexual contact is excluded for the duration of treatment. After the course, the doctor prescribes control tests within the prescribed time frame. The best protection is a condom for any type of contact, regular examination when changing partners, and vaccination against HPV and hepatitis B.
- Treatment strictly as prescribed by the doctor, the full course
- Simultaneous treatment of all sexual partners
- Avoiding sex during treatment
- Control tests after the course
- Condom for vaginal, anal and oral contact
- Vaccination against HPV and hepatitis B
- Examination when planning pregnancy