STD (continued)

STD 3
It can't be an STD -- can it? I still think of myself as technically a virgin. I did have sex -- but my lover only put his penis a little way into my vagina. And he doesn't have any symptoms. Maybe this burning feeling when I urinate will just go away. Won't it?

Answer:

Many sexually transmitted diseases can cause this symptom. The most common one is chlamydia [pronounced klah-MID-ee-ya]. Any genital, anal, or, less often, oral contact with infected body fluids can result in infection. In a way, you're lucky. Three-fourths of women -- and half of men -- don't have early symptoms of chlamydia. Left untreated, this bacterial infection can spread to the fallopian tubes. This can leave you unable to have children. There are tests. And there is a cure. If you're sexually active -- even if you don't go "all the way" -- you can still get STDs.

STD 4
Yuck. It's been about a week since I had sex. Boy, does my crotch itch. When I look down there, I've got a blue spot on the skin under my pubic hair. And there are lots of these teensy rust-colored dots. What gives?

Answer:

Those little rust-colored dots -- sometimes they're whitish-gray -- are lice. If you take a closer look with a magnifying glass, you'll see they look like little crabs. You can get crabs during sex. You can also get them by sleeping in the bed of an infested person. The little bugs have three forms: eggs, a larval stage called nits, and adult lice -- the ones that make you itch. The blue spots are a skin reaction to louse bites. Once you've identified crabs, you can get rid of them. But you'll have to get rid of all the eggs and nits that may have spread to your clothes, bed linens, and other items. After you kill off the lice, you'll continue to itch for a while. Hydrocortisone cream can help.

STD 5
I had anal sex with another guy. I put on a condom before sex, of course, but it broke. It's been a few days since then, and now I've got this yellow drip from the tip of my penis. Otherwise, I feel fine. Won't it just go away?

Answer:

There are several infections that can cause these symptoms. One of them is gonorrhea, known to many as "the clap." Many people with gonorrhea have no symptoms. Untreated, it can lead to serious infections. Anyone who finds out he or she has an STD should tell all of his or her sexual contacts so they can be tested and, if infected, treated. Antibiotic treatment cures gonorrhea. See a doctor.

STD 6
A few months ago, during foreplay, my husband noticed a cluster of blisters on the inner lip of my vagina. It turned into a sore that hurt for about a week and then crusted over and went away. Now it's months later, and I have a nasty blister on my butt. My husband doesn't get any blisters on his genitals, although once in a while he gets a cold sore on his mouth. I don't think it's an STD, do you?

Answer:

Herpes is a viral infection. It comes in two types. Herpes type 1 usually causes mouth sores; herpes type 2 usually causes genital sores. However, either virus can infect either place. Herpes can spread during sex, including oral sex. The virus that causes herpes travels up nerves and rests in nerve bundles. When it becomes active, it goes back down the nerves to the skin. The genitals connect to the same nerve bundle as the buttocks. Sometimes a person who has had a genital infection has a later outbreak on the buttocks or thighs.

Herpes outbreaks don't always look like blisters. Sometimes they look like sores, cuts, pimples, or a rash. Genital herpes outbreaks cause pain, aching, itching, burning, and/or tingling on and around the sex organs. Sometimes there can be painful urination and a discharge from the urethra, but this is uncommon.

There's no cure for herpes. But today there are anti-herpes drugs that make outbreaks less severe. They also can prevent new outbreaks and may even make it harder to give herpes to another person.

(To be continued)