Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)

General information

 

STDs are very common diseases. Sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise worldwide, but some countries are at higher risk of contracting the disease than others. The risk of contracting the disease increases with the number of sexual partners. The chances of recovery are often good. Illnesses that are kept secret or ignored (and therefore not treated) are particularly dangerous.

Even with only mild symptoms of illness, a visit to the doctor should be made. Your family doctor may refer you to a specialist, depending on the type of illness, e.g. a doctor specializing in skin and venereal diseases, a gynaecologist, a urologist or a specialist in internal medicine. Going to the doctor on time shows information and responsibility. Attempting to treat the disease yourself can delay or conceal it, resulting in irreparable damage! In general, the earlier the disease is treated, the better the chances of recovery. Incidentally, the treatment is paid for by the health insurance company.

However, young people in particular often find it difficult to have intimate regions examined, and men in particular find it difficult to pay attention to their own body signals. Women may find it helpful to take a friend with them to the doctor. It may be helpful for both sexes to speak to someone they trust, or to speak anonymously online or over the phone.

Please talk to your partner, and possibly your ex-partner(s), if you have been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease.

Unprotected intercourse should be avoided during treatment, otherwise the so-called "ping-pong effect" occurs, in which the sexual partners infect each other again and again.

You should keep this in mind: with some diseases, the symptoms appear late or sometimes hardly at all, but the disease can still be passed on.

What STDs are there?

 

There are different types of STDs. Here is a brief overview of diseases that you can protect yourself against with safer sex.

One of the most well-known STDs is infection with the HI virus, which causes the disease AIDS. A detailed article about HIV and AIDS can be found here.

Thanks to safer sex, the classic sexually transmitted diseases are no longer as common today as they were in the days when there were no condoms (and safer sex was not an issue) - but you can still get infected with them today; in recent years there have even been more new infections.

The classic sexually transmitted diseases include: syphilis, Ulcus Molle, gonorrhea and venereal granuloma.

However, there are also some other, sometimes quite common, infections that can also be transmitted through sexual contact, e.g. chlamydia, genital herpes and HPV.

Safer sex also reduces your risk of contracting these unpleasant infections and parasites, which can usually be treated quite well with the right therapy:

  • Hepatitis A: Vaccination possible, is mainly transmitted through anal-oral intercourse
  • Hepatitis B: can be transmitted through any sexual contact
  • Hepatitis C: can be transmitted through contact with blood
  • Fungal infections: can be transmitted through any sexual contact and also occur, for example, with excessive personal hygiene or a weakened immune system
  • Mollusc warts: can be transmitted through oral sex
  • Diarrheal diseases: are mainly transmitted through unprotected oral-anal contacts
  • Threadworms: are mainly transmitted through unprotected oral-anal contacts
  • Trichomonas: most commonly transmitted through vaginal intercourse, but also through toy sharing
  • Pubic Lice/Head Lice: Transmission through close physical contact, or through bedding. They are easy to treat, but it is important to "treat" the textiles as well.