Be wise to sex infections and how to prevent them

Adults are urged to get tested once a year for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or whenever they change their partner. Here is the lowdown on some of the most common STIs, how to test for them and their cures

Particularly prominent in teenagers and young adults, chlamydia is one of the most common STIs in the country.

In fact, just under half (49%) of STI diagnoses in 2016 were chlamydia.

If left untreated it can cause infertility in woman and in rare cases in men, it can cause pain and swelling in the testicles. The symptoms There are usually no symptoms (or very mild ones) for chlamydia, so it can go undetected unless you get tested.

For the few women who do get symptoms they can vary from abnormal discharge from the vagina, bleeding when they haven’t got a period to burning and pain during urination.

Men might also feel burning or pain when they urinate or have discharge from the tip of the penis. The test Fortunately the test for chlamydia is relatively simple, you can even get testing kits online to save waiting at the doctors or local GUM clinic.

To test for chlamydia they can either take a urine sample or take a swab – you can do these yourself without having to be examined by a doctor or nurse. They then take the sample to a lab to see whether any chlamydia bacteria are present. The cure Chlamydia is fairly easy to cure – you just need to take a course of antibiotics. Remember that if you are still sexually active your partner will also need to be treated as chlamydia can easily come back through contact with an infected partner. Prevention As chlamydia can be passed on through vaginal, oral and anal sex it is important to use a condom whenever you have sex.

Women can also use a dam, which covers female genitals during oral sex.

You can also prevent chlamydia by not sharing your sex toys with anyone else. Now with the rise of “super-gonorrhoea”, we hope this one catches your attention.

Gonorrhoea is a bacterial infection which has about 36,000 new diagnoses reported each year. It can occur in the throat and the genital areas.

While the most common form we’re going to talk about is treatable, if you catch ‘super-gonorrhoea’ you might not be so lucky. This mutation of the gonorrhoea bacteria is resistant to the most commonly used antibiotics and is very difficult to treat. The Symptoms One in 20 of men and 50% of women don’t know that they have it and won’t experience any symptoms.

The people who do have symptoms can feel a burning sensation when urinating and can have a white, green or yellowish discharge from the vagina or penis.

Abnormal vaginal bleeding and pelvic pain are also both symptoms that women may have gonorrhoea.

For men, they can experience swollen or painful testicles. The test Gonorrhoea is a tested by either a urine sample or a swab, which is then analysed to see if any of the bacteria are present.

You can get tested at your local sexual health clinic, or get a testing kit sent to your home online if you don’t have time to go into the clinic. The cure Intramascular antibiotics are required for the treatment of gonorrhoea, but you need to abstain from any sex until the infection has gone.

Remember you can be re-infected – so make sure your partner is tested and treated too. Prevention You can prevent gonorrhoea by using a condom during oral, anal and vaginal sex – all of which can spread gonorrhoea.

Another good way is to get into the habit of making sure you, and any new partners are tested when you start a new relationship.

Even if you trust someone, it is possible that they won’t know they even have gonorrhoea. Herpes is a viral infection which can be present around genital areas and the mouth.

There are two different types of herpes and it is estimated that there are one million new infections each year.

Herpes is not necessarily sexually transmitted. The cold sores that people get around their mouth is caused by the herpes virus. The symptoms Like many STIs, many people have no symptoms.

The most well-known symptom of herpes is cold sores and blisters around the mouth – this is usually caused by the Herpes Simplex 1 virus.

Herpes Simplex 2 typically causes sores and blisters around the genital area.

Both viruses can spread to either area, though.

During the first outbreak of herpes you might also experience flu-like symptoms, with headaches, a fever and swollen glands. These symptoms are not always present, though. The test Herpes can be detected by swabbing the blisters – you can get these done at your local GUM clinic, or if you can’t find time, contact an online service which can post you a testing kit and send you the results. The cure Herpes has no cure – the virus stays in the body and may cause recurrent outbreaks.

The good news is that herpes does not cause serious problems.

There are antiviral medications which can treat the symptoms and suppress outbreaks, however, and reduce the likelihood of it spreading to any partners. Prevention If your partner has herpes you can reduce the risk of infection by using protection to cover any infected areas and avoid contact with any herpes sores.

This advice was given by Ajay Jadhav from The STI Clinic in London.