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Family Planning Center
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Click on one of the links below to learn more! Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted bacteria that is spread by having sexual intercourse with someone who has it. Symptoms appear from 1 to 3 weeks after exposure. Chlamydia is difficult to diagnose for several reasons. Many people, especially women, are unaware that they have an infection because they have no symptoms, also known as being asymptomatic. If the infection, however, is left untreated, it could lead to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) and possibly cause infertility. Symptoms:
Treatment:Chlamydia is curable with the right antibiotics. Tetracycline, Doxycycline or Erythromycin and/or Zithromax are the recommended drugs. Penicillin will not kill Chlamydia. It is important that all the prescribed medicine be taken. Otherwise, more persistent strains of the infection can result. Abstaining from sexual activity until cured is important. Your partner must also be treated. Prevention:
REMEMBER: Chlamydia can be a dangerous infection. It is very important that you and your partner get treatment if you have Chlamydia. Gonorrhea, also known as "the clap" is an infection which may be found in the reproductive systems of both men and women. Gonorrhea is caused by the bacteria called Neisseria Gonorrhea. A woman who has intercourse just one time with an infected partner is almost certain to become infected. A man who has intercourse with an infected partner has a 1 in 4 chance of becoming infected. Gonorrhea can also lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and/or an increased risk of infertility. It is also possible to get Gonorrhea of the throat, during oral sex, if a partner has Gonorrhea Symptoms:When there are symptoms of Gonorrhea, they usually appear within 3 to 5 days after infection, though it may be anywhere from 1 to 30 days after infection. Your clinician will not be able to tell if you have Gonorrhea just by examining you. A special lab test must be done on a sample of your discharge. It may take up to 2 weeks to get the results of this test.
Treatment:Gonorrhea can be cured with antibiotics. After you have been treated, if your Gonorrhea culture is positive, you will have to be re-tested for Gonorrhea in about 2 weeks. Prevention:
Remember, Gonorrhea can be a dangerous infection. It is very important that you and your partner get treatment if you have Gonorrhea. Herpes is a virus, which means that it can be controlled but not cured. Herpes is a viral infection that is divided into 2 types. Herpes Simplex Virus Type I generally occurs above the waist and is more commonly known as cold sores or fever blisters and canker sores. Herpes Simplex Type II generally occurs below the waist and is called Genital Herpes. Once you have been infected, the virus remains in the body for life, but you may or may not develop active symptoms (sores) again. Herpes can only be transmitted by direct contact with active herpes viruses. Each herpes sore contain hundreds or thousands of tiny viruses. If enough of these viruses touch an area where the skin is thin (the mouth, genital, or eye areas) or where the skin is broken, cut or scratched, the virus enters the body and another herpes virus begins. This can happen on your own body if you touch a herpes sore and then touch a skin area that will let the virus in. It can happen on someone else's body in the same way. How is Herpes Spread?Herpes is spread during sexual or close body contact (oral, penis, and/or vaginal contact), usually in the presence of sores or blisters. Type I can be spread below the waist and Type II can be spread above the waist, again, usually in the presence of sores or blisters. The blisters may occur in the mouth, anal area, or genital area. A person does not have to have a visible sore to spread the virus. Symptoms:Usually within 2 to 10 days after contact you may develop painful blister-like sores. The first infection is often extremely painful. Light skinned people may have large red sores while dark skinned people may have gray sores. These sores usually last about 7 to 14 days and may cause pain when you urinate. If the infection comes back after the first episode there are usually small clusters of sores and they may be itchy than painful. A return of herpes sores usually lasts only a few days, but may remain up to 10 days. Other symptoms that may occur in both men and women are swollen glands, fever, and an overall achy feeling. After a couple of years the recurrences usually happen less often; sometimes they stop altogether. Recurrences:Recurrences usually do not last as long as the first infection (the average is 5 to 10 days) and there is not as much discomfort. Different people, however, have different recurrence patterns. Right now, no one knows why. One person might have twelve, while another person might have no pain or discomfort. Someone else might have many of the same symptoms as the first infection. Sunlight, surgery, injury, menstruation, some foods and medications, illness, and stress may be related to recurrences. Of these factors, illness and stress are mentioned most often. Good health habits (sleep, diet, exercise) help the body fight herpes, just as they help fight colds, flu, and other illnesses. Similarly, stress lowers the body's resistance to illness. So, it makes sense to avoid stress whenever possible. Three things are necessary before a new herpes can begin on your own body or on someone else's. There must be:
Diagnosis & Treatment:The diagnosis of herpes is made by an examination and/or cultures of the blisters performed by your clinician. Currently there is no cure for herpes. There is treatment for your outbreaks and discomfort. This should be discussed with your clinician. To prevent further infection, do not scratch the sores if they itch and keep the area clean. Avoid tight fitting clothing and wear cotton underpants. If urination is painful, go to the bathroom sitting in a bathtub of warm water or on the toilet while pouring warm water over the infected area. Dry the area well. Intercourse should be avoided until sores are healed. You may be given oral and/or topical medications. Remember that the sores do go away, but the virus does not. It enters nerve cells close to the area where the sores were and stays there. There are no symptoms or signs that the virus is present. The virus could become active at this point without any symptoms. This is called "asymptomatic shedding". The amount of virus is much less than during symptomatic outbreaks, but may be sufficient to spread the infection to a partner. Your responsibility is to inform your partner(s) if you have herpes sores or if you have had herpes in the past. Genital Warts, also known as venereal warts, are caused by the virus Human Papiloma Virus (H PV). It can also be called condyloma. Genital warts are transmitted through direct contact with warts through vaginal, oral, or anal sex. Genital warts are highly contagious and can spread enough to block the vagina and/or rectal openings. Females with genital warts have an increased risk of developing cervical cancer. Men with genital warts have an increased risk of developing genital cancer. A condom is not effective at preventing genital warts, if the warts are not covered by the condom, a female condom may be a better choice. Symptoms:In both men and women, soft, itchy warts may be found in and around the vagina, penis, and the anus. They may appear 2 weeks to 3 months after exposure. Diagnosis is made through visual examination and possibly after application of acetic acid. Treatment:There is no cure, but warts can be removed. If warts are small, they can be dried up with an application of Podophyllin, a dark liquid, or with Trichloracetic acid, a clear liquid. It may require several treatments. Warts may also be frozen or burned off, or removed through laser surgery. Abstain from any sexual contact or use a condom until removal is complete and for 6 to 9 months after treatment. Syphilis is a bacteria. There are three stages that occur with Syphilis.
Treatment:Antibiotics can cure the disease, but medication cannot undo damage that has already been done. These need to be dealt with individually. If untreated, there is an increased risk for HIV infection, brain damage, heart disease, nerve damage, and other incapacitating health problems. Trichomoniasis, also known as trich (pronounced "trick") is an infection of the genitals. It is caused by a tiny parasite called trichomonas vaginalis. Trich is a very common infection. You usually get trich by having sexual intercourse with someone else who has it. But, it can also be passed from person to person on washcloths, towels, bathing suits, and almost any moist object that has trich onit. It is very easy for sexual partners to get the infection from each other. Symptoms:The symptoms of a trich infection usually appear within 4 to 28 days of contact with an infected person. These symptoms may include:
About one quarter of women who have trich have no symptoms, even though the trich parasite shows up on their pap smear. Men who have trich usually have no symptoms so they often don't know they have trich. This means a man may give the infection to his partner without either of them knowing it. You can't tell for sure whether you have trich, even if you have the symptoms listed above. Only your clinician can tell whether you have a trich infection after doing a clinical exam and looking at your discharge under a microscope. Treatment:Antibiotics can cure trich. Remember to take all of the medication. It is also important that your partner be treated as well. Your clinician will probably recommend that you do not have sexual intercourse while you are being treated for trich. If you do have sex, be sure to use condoms, or you will be infected again or infect your partner. Pubic Lice, also known as "crabs" are tiny parasites which live in the pubic hair around the vagina or penis. The lice are very small, about the size of the head of a pin. Often you get pubic lice by having sexual intercourse with someone who has them. But pubic lice can live off the body for 24 hours and the eggs can live off the body for 6 days. This means that you can get pubic lice by coming in direct contact with lice that have fallen off somebody else. This can happen if you share clothing or a bed with an infected person. Treatment:Your clinician will give you a cream, lotion or shampoo such as Kwell. This is an insecticide. Follow the instructions on the label carefully. It is very important that you wash all the medication off your skin and hair after the specified time. At the time that you treat yourself, it is important to change your clothes, towels, and bedding. Because the egg can live for a week off the body, you should boil, iron, or dry clean any clothes, towels or bedding that may have come in contact with the lice. The lice and their eggs are killed by heat and chemicals used in dry cleaning. If your partner is infested, he/she will also need treatment. Bag items that can not be laundered for 2 weeks. You should not have sex while you are being treated for pubic lice so that you don't pass the infection on to someone else. HIV / AIDS HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a slow acting virus that causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). There is no cure for this. HIV is transmitted through sexual contact with an infected person and it slowly destroys the immune system. AIDS is when a person infected with HIV starts to show symptoms. Transmission:There are 2 categories with a few subcategories under each that need to be present for HIV to be contracted. A simple equation to remember this is: FLUIDS (1) + OPENINGS (1) = HIV The fluids include vaginal secretions, semen, blood, and mother's milk. The openings include oral, anal, penis, vaginal, nose, and eyes. These are all mucous membranes. HIV can also be transmitted through needle sharing with an infected person, blood transfusion (which is rare now), a mother's milk, and if a mother gives birth when she is infected. There is a 3 to 6 month window period to find out if a person is HIV positive. This does not mean that a person has AIDS now, but that he/she does have the virus that causes AIDS. HIV can be present in a person's body up to 8 to 10 years before even experiencing any symptoms. When AIDS becomes effective or opportunistic (showing symptoms), a person may experience colds, sore throats, fever, tiredness, nausea, night sweats, and other flu-like symptoms. There is no cure for HIV/AIDS, but there are treatments. For more information on any of these STDs or statistics, click on these web sites:
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