The Importance of STD Testing

Sexually Transmitted Diseases can be as embarrassing as they are painful and inconvenient. But your first concern in matters of health should always be to your own well-being. STDs can be dangerous when undiagnosed or untreated, so if you think you may be suffering from one, it is important to get yourself tested as quickly as possible. Even if you are not experiencing symptoms of disease but believe you may be carrying an infection, you should get yourself tested as a means of protecting your prospective sexual partners. Diseases like Human Papillomavirus (HPV) do not affect men but can be devastating to women.

Recognizing Infections

One of the keys to identifying an STD is being able to recognize the symptoms. This is a list of common STDs and their symptoms:

Chlamydia. The most common STD in the United States, chlamydia affects about 2.3 million Americans. Men often experience an infection of the urethra along with white discharge that can result in painful urination. Women have similar symptoms, which often moves up into the genital tract. Chlamydia can be effectively treated with antibiotics. If untreated, however, chlamydia can destroy reproductive processes and can have a myriad of other negative health problems.

Gonorrhea. The second-most common STD in the US behind chlamydia, gonorrhea is marked by yellowish discharge, frequent and painful urination, and in women, discomfort in the lower abdomen, irritation of the genitals, and unusual bleeding. Many women do not exhibit symptoms, so it is important to get yourself checked if you think you may be infected.

Syphilis. Although thought to be almost eradicated, syphilis has recently been on the rise again. Syphilis can often be hard to diagnose, as its early symptoms are often mild and confusable with other illnesses. Early on, a skin lesion (called a chancre) appears between 10 and 90 days of after exposure, on the point of contact. Secondary syphilis occurs 1-6 months later, and can involve rashes and other vague conditions such as fever, sore throat, headache, weight loss, and general malaise. The disease can then go into a latency period, which can last as long as a decade or, in rarer instances, even longer. By then, the infected person can exhibit tumor-like growths called gummas, a breakdown in mental facilities similar to dementia, and dangerous hear problems. Fortunately, syphilis is easily curable with antibiotics, but because of the difficulty of recognizing it in oneself, it can go undiagnosed. If you suspect that you may have syphilis, you need to get yourself checked as soon as possible.

Herpes. A virus, herpes is incurable and will persist throughout the sufferer’s life. If you contract herpes, you will suffer from cycles during which blisters develop on the point of contact that last between a couple days to three weeks. The virus then goes into remission, during which the blisters disappear. The cycle is then repeated. It is highly contagious and, while incurable, can be treated through medication.