Almost every one of us has become aware of venereal diseases which are very contagious and transmitted through sexual contact with an infected partner. The sexual activities that can transmit the disease are:
· Vaginal penetration
· Oral sex
· Anal penetration
There are various kinds of venereal diseases and while almost of them are transmitted through sexual activity, there are some that can be transferred through skin contact.
Some venereal diseases do not show any signs and symptoms and they are the hardest ones to control as the infected person is not even aware that he or she already carries the virus.
The most common venereal diseases are:
· Yeast infections
· HIV/AIDS
· HPV (Genital warts)
· Syphilis
· HSV (Genital herpes)
· Gonorrhea
Signs and Symptoms:
HIV/AIDS
HIV infection is the early onset which could progress to AIDS if unchecked. The virus attacks the immune system making it vulnerable to all kinds of infections even those seemingly harmless ones. The first sign would be flu-like symptoms such as headache, general fatigue, fever, joint pain, sore throat, and swollen lymph nodes in the groin or armpit.
HPV (Genital warts)
Burning or tingling sensation during urination with pain around the genitalia are the common symptoms. Warts and lesions in the skin make an appearance around the genital area accompanied with muscle pain.
HSV (Genital herpes)
Extremely painful sores and blisters in the genital area accompanied by backaches, muscle pain, and fever. A burning sensation is felt during urination and sexual contact.
Yeast infections
There is a severe itching sensation in the genital area followed by copious thick cheese-like discharges from the vagina. There is burning sensation during urination and pain is felt during sexual contact.
Syphilis
A painless sore in the genital area would be the first symptom. The second stage would be flu-like symptoms with fever, muscle pain, fatigue, and swelling of the lymph nodes which goes away after a few days. This could make the infected person unaware that he or she has the infection, but the virus lies dormant in the system and could be transmitted to other sexual partners. The end stage of the disease if untreated would be blindness, dementia and eventually, death.
Regular testing for the presence of venereal diseases is a must especially for people who are sexually active with multiple partners. Unsafe sex practices are also the way one can get infected. Prevention is the best solution or a monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner is another.
Abstinence would be the best option but if it is not safe sex practices should always be the first line of defense. Since there are venereal diseases that can be transmitted even through skin contact like Chlamydia which could infect the eye from a hand of an infected person, the only way is through STD testing. This would not only be an advantage to an infected person but also a responsible way of containing the spread of the virus.