Get the STD Picture

By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Feature Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Check out the first two words of "sexually transmitted diseases." If you're having sex, you may be at risk.
-----
JACQUES' NOTE:

Upon perusing this (long) article in my WebMD Neswletter, I became increasingly impressed with its high degre of importance in any individual's over-all wellness.

Although this Blog is titled "SuccessGroup7", I feel that Total Health and Peace of Mind definitely include knowledge, awareness and self-control where our sex lives are concernd.

And so, I thank WebMD.com for this incisive contribution to public and individual Health.

Sincerely,

Jacques Girard, Ph.D.
-----

Do you know as much as you think you do about STDs? It's easy to find out. Read through the list of symptoms below, then name that STD.


STD 1
It's been three weeks since I had sex with that guy who didn't have a condom. And now I've got something a lot like the flu. I'm running a fever, and my head hurts. I'm so tired I don't feel like doing much of anything. But the last time I had the flu, I didn't have these mouth sores -- or this red rash on my chest. If it's not the flu, what is it?

Answer:

It might be HIV. No, this isn't AIDS -- not yet, and maybe not ever. These are some common symptoms of acute HIV infection. In 50% to 80% of patients, HIV infection starts with these flu-like symptoms. There's nearly always fatigue, fever, and headache. Mouth sores and a rash on the trunk are a tip-off that this isn't the flu. But not everybody with acute HIV infection gets these symptoms.

If you come down with flu-like symptoms two to four weeks after sex with someone who might have HIV infection, see a doctor right away. A normal HIV test won't work. Standard HIV tests look for antibodies in the blood, and your body hasn't made any yet. But there are tests that can tell whether you're infected. If you do have HIV, you may wish to start treatment right away. Studies suggest that treatment during acute HIV infection may be much more effective than later treatment.

STD 2
On my last night in southeast Asia, my clients threw a party that got pretty wild. I had a lot more to drink than I'd meant to, and ended up sleeping with one of the women who worked in the bar. I didn't use any protection. Dumb. Real dumb. A few days after coming home, I came down with painful little bumps on my penis. Now the bumps have turned into pus-filled open sores with raggedy edges. The sores are soft to the touch. Today there's a pain deep under the skin on the inside of my thigh. I guess I'd better see my doctor. What's she going to say -- and what should I tell my wife?

Answer:

Can you spell chancroid? Chancroid [pronounced SHANG-kroyd] is a bacterial infection. It's spread by contact with the sores. Women may not notice the symptoms until the lymph glands in the thigh -- on one or both sides -- get swollen and painful. If not treated, these glands mat together and form a kind of abscess known as a bubo.

Chancroid is more common in Africa and in Asia. Fortunately, this is a curable infection. See a doctor. And you have to tell your wife. Even if a woman doesn't seem to have symptoms, she may have been infected and should get a checkup.