Sexually Transmitted Infections

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Sexually transmitted infections are different types of diseases/infections you can get by having unprotected sex. There are lots of different STIs and the number of people that have them is going up.

You can't tell if someone has a sexually transmitted infection (STI) by looking at them. And because a lot of STIs don't have any symptoms you might not know if you've got one yourself. Also, you don't need to have sex with lots of people to get an STI. Having unprotected sex once is enough.

What's so bad about STIs?

It's very easy to catch an STI if you have unprotected sex, but the results can be more difficult to deal with. You can get symptoms like:

  • blisters and sores on the penis or vagina
  • discharge from the penis
  • smelly discharge coming from the vagina that can be green, yellow or white
  • intense pain when peeing
  • pain when you're having sex

A lot of STIs can be cured by a simple treatment and will go away. But some STIs are not curable, like genital herpes and genital warts. This also includes HIV which will eventually develop into AIDS and result in early death.

But, whatever type you get it's not a nice experience to know that you have been infected during sex. A nurse or doctor will also advise you to tell the people you've had unprotected sex with that they should get tested as well. For some people that part might be worse than the symptoms listed above.

The only way to avoid catching or passing on an STI is to use a condom every time you have sex. Any unprotected sex can pass on an STI, also if you're having oral sex (using your mouth) or anal sex.

Types of STIs

Some of the most common STIs are Chlamydia and genital warts. If you want to know more about the different types of STIs, try these links: