More STDs (Continued)

STD 7
I moped around for more than a month after breaking up with my girlfriend. Just when I started feeling like seeing other women again, I noticed this cluster of moist little sacs of flesh near my vagina. Since then it got a bit bigger and turned whitish. It looks like a little cauliflower! I'm very embarrassed. How can I ever have sex with anybody ever again?

Answer:

The virus that causes genital warts spreads by direct skin-to-skin contact. It's called human papillomavirus, or HPV. There are several different kinds of HPV. Some kinds are linked to cervical cancer, although these HPV strains are less likely to cause warts.

Genital warts appear one to six months after HPV infection. There's no cure, but there are treatments. These treatments must be performed or prescribed by a doctor. DO NOT use over-the-counter wart remedies on genital warts. While treatment can make warts go away, they often come back.

It's common to be upset by genital warts. You should avoid sex until all warts are removed. Condoms can prevent HPV spread, but since they do not cover all of the skin that might be affected, they are not totally effective. Having genital warts does not mean your sex life is over.

Although there is no treatment for HPV infection, most people eventually clear the virus on their own -- usually within two years. If you have HPV infection, it's especially important to see your doctor for regular Pap tests to look for cell changes on your cervix that could develop into cancer.

There is an HPV vaccine for women. It will not cure HPV infection or speed clearance of the virus. But it will protect against the strains of the virus that most often cause cancer. The vaccine does the most good before a person becomes sexually active. That's why it's recommended for girls aged 11 to 12 -- and why it can be given as early as age 9.

STD 8
My girlfriend has a few little red bumps around her vulva, but they don't bother her and they didn't stop us from having sex. We use condoms -- but a few weeks back, a few of the same kind of bumps popped up on my groin. Now it's spread to my thighs. The area is a little tender, but it doesn't bother me all that much. I keep waiting for it to go away. Will it?

Answer:

Molluscum contagiosum, once a disease of childhood, is now sexually transmitted among adults. It's caused by a poxvirus called MCV. It can be spread through sexual contact, or by contact with other objects, such as towels, used by an infected person.

The bumps are small, waxy, and round -- often with a little depression in the middle. Each lesion lasts for about six to eight weeks. But since it spreads, it can take two years or more to go away by itself. Your doctor can speed recovery either by surgical or chemical removal of the lesions.

STD 9
We didn't have sex, I swear! OK, my boyfriend and I did sleep together in his bed -- with our clothes off. We spooned a lot, but we didn't go past second base. And that was over a month ago. Now I'm back at school but I've got this itch on my waist, my groin and the lower part of my butt. It's MUCH worse at night when I go to bed. There are some short, wavy lines on the skin, but the worst are these dozens of itchy bumps. There's no way this is an STD, is there?

Answer:

Sex isn't the only way to get scabies. In fact, this skin-mite infection is hard to get from a brief sexual encounter. But prolonged skin contact does spread infection. If it took a month for symptoms to appear, this must be the first time you've had scabies. People who get it more than once get symptoms in only one to four days.

The mites that cause scabies burrow just under the surface of the skin. Females lay eggs that hatch in a few days. The itching is caused by an allergic reaction. You can't get scabies from a brief contact, such as a handshake, but it spreads in households after prolonged contact with infested bedding, carpets, or furniture.

Your doctor can prescribe treatments that will kill the mites. Even after they're dead, you'll still itch for a while. Doctors usually prescribe corticosteroid ointments to relieve this itching. And don't forget that killing the mites means getting rid of mites hiding in your bed, clothing, etc.

(More to come...)