Common STDs: Symptoms, Risks, and Why Home Testing Kits Are Indispensable
The prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases is nowadays a real challenging problem worldwide. These infections, passed from person to person by sexual contact, happen more often than one might expect. The following paper is going to present symptoms and risks connected with the most widespread STDs, namely Human Papillomavirus-HPV, Herpes-HSV-1, HSV-2, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, HIV/AIDS, Trichomoniasis, Hepatitis B, and C. Also, it considers home testing as an option for early detection and effective management.
02 October 2024
5 min read
453
Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
HPV is the most common STD. Some types of HPV cause cancer, and others cause genital warts. Often symptoms don't appear until the virus has caused serious health problems. They may include warts on the genital area, mouth, or throat, and less frequently symptoms of cervical cancer, such as pelvic pain or bleeding.
Risks associated with HPV include the development of various cancers (cervical, anal, oropharyngeal) associated especially with long-term infection. A vaccine is available to prevent the most dangerous types of HPV.
Herpes (HSV-1 and HSV-2)
Herpes viruses come in two forms: herpes simplex virus type 1 (usually referred to as oral herpes) and herpes simplex virus type 2 (usually referred to as genital herpes). These viruses cause periodic outbreaks of bubbles and sores. Many people do not have symptoms of herpes; however, when symptoms appear, they include painful ulcers or blisters at the site of infection, fever, body aches, and swollen lymph nodes.
HSV-2 is particularly dangerous because it increases the chances of contracting other STDs, including HIV. Moreover, herpes infection can be passed onto the newborn from an infected mother during delivery, causing severe complications to the child.
Check Your STD Status in Minutes
Test at Home with Remedium Genital & Oral Herpes Test Kit
Chlamydia is a bacterial infection that is usually known as the 'silent infection' because so many women and men have no symptoms. Symptoms can be unusual discharge from the genitals, a burning feeling while urinating, and swelling of one or both testicles, causing pain in men. In women, it causes painful sexual intercourse.
If left untreated, chlamydia can cause women serious health problems, such as PID, that can make it difficult or impossible to become pregnant or result in a pregnancy developing outside of the Fallopian tubes (an ectopic pregnancy).
Another bacterial STD, Gonorrhea, shares many of the same symptoms as chlamydia. Symptoms for women include greenish-yellow or whitish discharge from the genitals, itching, painful urination, and vaginal bleeding between periods.
If left unattended, gonorrhea can lead to serious complications such as PID, infertility, and a higher susceptibility to HIV. Extremely rarely, it may also spread to the blood or joints, which can be fatal.
Syphilis is a multistage bacterial infection. Early-stage symptoms include a painless sore—called a chancre—at the infection site and a non-itchy skin rash. Late-stage syphilis can cause serious complications or death when the infection has spread to the heart, brain, or other organs.
Pregnant women with syphilis have a high risk of passing the infection to their unborn child; this can cause the death of the baby or severe physical defects, known as congenital syphilis.
HIV is a viral infection that attacks cells of the body's natural defense, and if not treated, it can lead to AIDS. The early symptoms are very similar to those after having the flu: fever, sore throat, and fatigue. As the disease progresses, other symptoms can include unexplained weight loss, night sweats, recurrent infections, and sores.
There is a lot of risk regarding HIV/AIDS due to the weakened immune system. Due to this condition, it is hard for the body to fight different kinds of diseases and infections, hence giving life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers.
Trichomoniasis is a parasitic STD that in most cases doesn't show symptoms. When they do appear, itching, burning, redness, or soreness of the genitals, discomfort during urination, and unusual discharge are all common symptoms.
If untreated, trichomoniasis can increase the individual's risk for other STDs, including HIV. In pregnant women, this may also lead to early birth or a low-birth-weight baby.
Hepatitis B and C
Hepatitis B and C are viral infections that cause inflammation of the liver. While many people with these infections do not show symptoms, when present, symptoms may include fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, yellowing of the skin and eyes, referred to as jaundice, and abdominal pain.
Chronic hepatitis B and C infection can result in cirrhosis and liver cancer—severe conditions that may diminish an individual's quality of life and even impact their life expectancy.
Check Your STD Status in Minutes
Test at Home with Remedium Hepatitis B & Hepatitis C Test Kit
Most of the time, STDs have no symptoms, or their symptoms can easily be ignored or mistaken for health problems. This creates the need for regular testing among those who are sexually active. Home test kits offer convenience, privacy, and speed in checking for STDs.
These usually require the user to take a sample of urine or blood, or a swab from the genital area, and then send it to a laboratory for testing. Advanced kits are even ready to provide the results within minutes.
Most of the STDs outlined in the context of this paper can be screened using home testing kits, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and trichomoniasis. Although they may not be as sensitive as a test carried out within a medical facility, they offer that key first step toward the detection and management of STDs.
For Men & Women
Results in Minutes
No Lab Needed
Private & Discreet
