By Girls For Girls

Chlamydia

Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection caused by bacterium. It can spread infection to the urinary tract, cervix, and pelvis.

Chlamydia is a very common but serious infection. In females Chlamydia can cause potential fertility problems because of inflammation of the Fallopian tubes or cervix. Chlamydia is common among young people.

Chlamydia is usually transmitted by sexual contact. It can also be transmitted from a mother to her baby during birth. Chlamydia can cause the baby to have pneumonia when the baby is about 2-3 weeks old.

Symptoms in women can consist of:

Stinging feeling during urination
Unusual vaginal discharge
Pain in the lower abdomen
Pain during sexual intercourse
And sometimes bleeding between periods

Sometimes you may not have any symptoms early in the infection.

Chlamydia can be treated with antibiotics. If Chlamydia is not treated it could lead to serious problems like scarring of the fallopian tubes, tubal pregnancy in which the baby is growing in one of the fallopian tubes and not in the uterus; and infertility.

Genital Herpes

Genital Herpes is a common sexually transmitted disease. Genital Herpes is cause by the virus herpes simplex virus (HSV). There are two types of herpes simplex infections: HSV type -2 infection occurs in the genital area and HSV type -1 infections usually occur around the mouth. Oral sex can lead HSV type-1 to be given to the genital area. Herpes is very contagious through sexual contact.

Herpes simplex virus type 1 causes cold sores or fever blisters around the lips or mouth.

Herpes simplex virus type 2 is a sexually transmitted disease. HSV type 2 causes sores on or near the penis or vagina. Herpes can be passed person to person even if there's no sign of sores or blisters. A carrier of the virus may not even be aware that they are infected because there are cases where the sore may be hidden in the internal parts of the genital area and they may not be painful either.

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Health Awareness Connection

Symptoms:

In females, the sores may begin to appear around or in the vagina, on the cervix, on the thighs and buttocks, or around the anus.
You may also feel a burning sensation while you urinate
Difficulty urinating
You may also get a fever, headache, body aches, and swollen lymph glands in the groin.
Pain during intercourse

There is no cure for herpes. Herpes sores do heal on their own. There is treatment to reduce pain and speed up the healing process. Prescription medication like Acyclovir may help with severe pain.

A sitz bath which is sitting in warm water 2 to 3 times a day can also sooth the pain.

A way to prevent Herpes is not to spread the virus to other people, to be protected during sexual intercourse, and to tell your partners about your infection. Avoid sexual contact while you have sores present.

Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is another common sexually transmitted disease that can be spread to person to person during sex. Gonorrhea usually starts as an infection of the cervix.

Symptoms: Women sometimes may not experience any symptoms; symptoms start to appear 2 to 10 days after being infected with Gonorrhea.

Symptoms also include:

Thick, creamy, yellow vaginal discharge
Burning pain when urinating
Heavier than usual menstrual periods
Bleeding or spotting between periods
Abdominal pain
Feeling pain while having sex
Fever

How long gonorrhea lasts depends on the amount of time you've had the infection, whether the infection has spread to different parts of your body, and the number of times you have had the infection.

If the infection is not treated properly, the infection can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID can cause infertility and highhten your risk of having a tubal pregnancy. People with gonorrhea usually get tested for Chlamydia also.

To prevent yourself from getting gonorrhea the best way is not to have sex (abstinence) and to use condoms every time you have sex.

Other ways to protect and prevent yourselves from getting these infections and diseases is to get tested twice a year for STD's and other diseases if you are sexually active; girls should visit their gynecologist every year to receive a pap sear and a yearly pelvic exam to check for other serious problems.