Myths and truths about SEXUALLY Transmitted Diseases
Myth If you're not sexually active, there's no danger of getting a yeast infection.
Truth You can get a yeast infection even if you're not sexually active. They usually occur without any obvious reason, although they are more likely to appear during pregnancy, while you're on oral contraceptives (the Pili), or while you're on antibiotic medication. Yeast infections also occur more frequently in people who have diabetes or a lower-than-normal ability to fight infections (caused by some diseases). Myth You can tell what kind of infection you have by the type of symptoms you're experiencing.
Truth Symptoms alone can't tell you what kind of infection you have. A doctor must perform tests and evaluate your symptoms to make a diagnosis and prescribe appropriate treatment.
Myth Douching prevents STDs.Truth Douching does not prevent STDs. It
may relieve minor discomfort. But if you douche regularly, stop doing so if you think you have an infection. Contac! your doctor right way. Myth It is easy to know whether you have
an STD.
Truth It's not always easy to tell. Many vaginal infections and STDs are silent - without symptoms. These include chlamydia, bacterial vaginosis, gonorrhea, herpes, warts and HI'!, the virus that causes AIDS. Without symptoms, you can't tell whether you are infected. See a doctor to know for sure.
Myth If Chlamydia has no symptoms, that means it is not serious.
Truth Chlamydia, which often has no symptoms, still can be serious. If left untreated, chlamydia can result in pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), an infection of the fallopian tubes or lining of the uterus. Tubal infections can lead to ectopic (tubal) pregnancy, infertility, or even death. Pregnant women infected with chlamydia can pass it on to their newborns, causing serious eye infections and pnuemonia. Myth Gonorrhoea doesn't cause any long
term complications.
Truth Gonorrhoea can cause long-term damage. The organism that causes gonorrhea can travel up the reproductive tract, resulting
in PID, which may lead to ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Fortunately, gonorrhoea is easy to treat and cure when caught early and treated by a qualified health-care professional.
Myth Syphilis is to difficult cure.
Truth Syphilis is easy to cure. If caught in
the early stages, a doctor can treat it with just one dose of medication. Later stages of syphilis can be treated and cured with greater amounts of medication, although complications that have already developed, such as damage to the nervous system and cardiovascular system, may not be reversible. |
