Teen sexuality

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are acquired during sexual intercourse (vaginal, oral, or anal) with an infected person. Adolescents have the highest rate of STDs of any age group - one in six sexually active teenagers contracts an STD each year. The infections are caused by different organisms, usually bacteria or viruses. Even a person who doesn't look or feel sick can be infected, so partners should always take precautions before sexual intercourse. All teenagers should learn the signs and symptoms of STDS.

The most common symptoms are warts, lumps, and sores in the genital region; discharge from the vagina or the penis or from the anus; a burning sensation when urinating; a sore throat; itching in the genital or anal region; and lower abdominal pain or pain in the groin. Some STDs are totally without symptoms but can still lead to internal complications when not detected and treated. Until she is eighteen or twenty, a young woman's cervix has immature cells that are more susceptible to diseases such as chlamydia and the papilloma virus (which can cause cervical cancer). If left untreated, some STDs are life-threatening.

Prevention
The most successful way to prevent acquiring or transmitting STDs is to not engage in sexual intercourse. However, those who choose to have sex can lower the risk of infection by always using a condom, even while engaging in oral or anal sex. Using the spermicide nonoxynol-9 along with a condom kills some STD-causing germs. It also reduces the risk to limit the number of different partners, to not have sex with an infected person, and to abstain from sexual intercourse if you have and are being treated for an STD.

Washing the genitals with soap and water and urinating right after sexual intercourse might eliminate some STD-causing germs before they cause infection. Women should not douche - most odours come from outside the vulva, so douching is not necessary for cleanliness, and it may actually spread infections. The chemicals in douches may also irritate a teen's vagina, upset the balance of healthy bacteria, and increase the risk of getting pelvic inflammatory disease.

Diagnosis and treatment
Most STDs can be diagnosed during a doctor's physical examination. He may test a culture of the secretions from vagina or penis, or perform a blood test. STDs caused by bacteria can be treated with antibiotics, but those caused by viruses have no definitive cure. However, early detection of STDs can limit how far and how fast they spread and progress.

STDS caused by bacteria

•Chlamydia has relatively few symptoms, especially in women. If there are symptoms, they usually include itching around the vagina, pain during sex, painful or frequent urination, or an odourless, yellow vaginal discharge. Other symptoms are a dull pain in the pelvic area and bleeding between menstrual periods. Chlarnydia can also cause pelvic inflammatory disease which causes infertility in women. Symptoms in males include painful urination and a watery, milky-coloured discharge from the penis.

•Gonorrhea (the clap or the drip), like chlamydia, has few symptoms in women, but when present they include white, green, or yellow vaginal discharge and painful urination. Men may experience a thick, yellow penal discharge and painful urination. Gonorrhea has been linked to pelvic inflammatory disease and arthritis.

•Syphilis shows the same symptoms in both sexes. The early signs include chancres (painless red sores) that appear on the areas of sexual contact-the genitals, anus, tongue, and throat. The glands near the chancre might swell. A few months later, a sore throat, fever, lack of appetite, or joint pain may occur. The sufferer may develop a scaly rash on the soles of the feet or the palms of the hands. After these symptoms have disappeared, there may be no signs for a few years. When the symptoms recur, the tertiary stage of syphylis affects the brain, the spinal cord, and the skin and bones. Syphilis also causes heart damage, blindness, and death.

STDS caused by viruses
•AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) results from infection with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), which lives in an infected person's blood and other body fluids. HIV attacks the immune system which protects against bacteria and infections. With a compromised immune system, people with HIV become susceptible to every infection and cannot easily recover from even a minor illness.

Most people who contract HIV have become infected in one of the following ways: from the blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and open sores of an infected person; from sharing a needle previously used by an infected person to inject drugs or to pierce or tattoo the body; from a transfusion of the untested blood of an infected person; by getting the blood of an infected person in an open, bleeding sore. Contracting HIV through exchanging saliva while kissing has never been known to happen. Because the virus cadt survive long outside the body, it isdt transmitted through casual contact such as touching, shaking hands, or hugging. The virus also cannot be transmitted just by swimming in a public pool, using public telephones, water fountains, or toilets , nor from insects such as mosquitoes.

Anyone who thinks he is at risk should consider getting tested for Hiv. A woman who is or suspects she became pregnant during unprotected sexual intercourse should get tested. An Hiv-infected mother may transmit the virus to her fetus or through breast-feeding the baby, but treatment during pregnancy can decrease the effects on the baby.

Most tests for the Hiv antibody are accurate if done three to six months or longer after the time a person might possibly have been infected. Anyone who is reluctant to reveal his concern to his family doctor can go to a clinic that provides anonymous testing. If, however, the test result is positive for HIV, the affected person must consult his doctor immediately to discuss the options for treatment. If the test result is negative for HIV, the person concerned must still take into account that the symptoms of AiDs can develop up to eight years after infection by HIV.

•Hepatitis B has the same symptoms for both sexes. They are fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, muscle pain, headaches, and dizziness. As the disease progresses, symptoms include loose, light-coloured stools, yellow skin and eyes, dark urine, and tenderness in the liver area. Hepatitis B may lead to liver cancer or liver failure.

• Herpes shows the same symptoms in men and women. The first signs are itching or tingling around the genitals. Small blisters may form in this area and burst, causing a burning feeling, especially during urination. Eventually, these sores turn into scabs. Other symptoms include fever, body aches, and swollen glands. Although herpes outbreaks may occur for many years, even a lifetime, they become less frequent and less painful with time.

•Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) may cause the growth of painless, soft, flesh-coloured warts around the genital area or on the cervix. Sometimes the virus causes warts that cannot be seen by the naked eye. HPV has also been linked to cervical cancer and cancer of the penis. Common treatments include burning the warts off with liquid nitrogen or laser surgery.

•Mononucleosis, caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, is a type of herpes virus. Although "mono" can affect anyone of any age, it is more common in teenagers and young adults and is usually spread by sharing beverages, by kissing, or by any activity that results in direct contact with infected saliva. Mono has a 30- to 50-day incubation period. Not everyone who is infected experiences the symptoms: a very sore throat, fever, fatigue, chills, enlarged lymph glands, and usually an enlarged spleen or liver. Less common are jaundice, rashes, and bleeding gums.

Your family doctor can request a blood test to detect the antibodies to the Epstein-Barr virus, which will confirm infection. She might also request other tests to rule out strep throat and meningitis which resemble mono. Because antibiotics are ineffective against a virus, the usual prescription for mono is lots of rest and plenty of fluids. Acetaminophen or ibuprofen can ease any pain and headaches. Mono goes through an acute stage lasting two weeks, but the fatigue may last for several months. Most people can resume normal activities after the acute stage, but should avoid strenuous activity until their doctor says they've recovered. Heavy lifting or contact sports could cause the spleen to rupture even if it isn't visibly enlarged.

•Trichomoniasis (trich) Caused by an organism called Trichomonas vaginalis, trich is acquired during unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected person. If left untreated, trich can cause a urinary tract infection. Men rarely have symptoms, and women can be infected for a long time before they experience any signs. Symptoms include a watery, yellowish or greenish, bubbly vaginal discharge, an unpleasant odour, and pain and itching during urination. Trichomoniasis can be treated with antibiotics.