Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a group of pathologies transmitted by unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex. Most STIs are initially asymptomatic, leading to a risk of partner infection. Therefore, everyone who had unprotected sexual intercourse should be tested for skin and venereological diseases. More than 30 different bacteria, viruses and parasites can cause STIs.
The infection is usually sexually transmitted, but some STIs can be spread through contact with infected blood and tissues, during childbirth or breastfeeding.
Some STIs cause problems with getting pregnant. STIs acquired before or during childbirth can infect a baby. Symptoms of venereal diseases in men are less pronounced.
If you have any suspicious symptoms (itching, discharge), especially after unprotected sexual intercourse, you should see a doctor. Lack of treatment and self-medication can cause complications. The symptoms of STIs may subside over time. This means that the disease has entered a latent stage. Where to make STI tests be done? In any large medical center. Sexually active women should be tested annually for chlamydia and gonorrhea. After treatment of gonorrhea, the re-examination is required in three months. Smear for venereological diseases is a simple method of diagnosing STIs. It is used in urology, andrology, gynecology and venereology. Vaginal, cervical and urethral microflora are the material for examination. The price of tests for venereological diseases depends on the method of diagnosis. For diagnosing gonorrhea, herpes, chlamydia, ureaplasmosis, gardnerellosis, mycoplasma infection, HIV the method of polymer chain reaction (PCR) is used. The PCR test for STIs is more sensitive than microbiological methods and allows detecting infections with significant antigenic variability.
Early diagnosis and treatment reduce the likelihood of the disease spreading. Repeated unprotected sexual intercourse during the latent course of STIs leads to infection of partners. Duration of the incubation period depends on the specific disease. For example, the incubation period of syphilis can be up to six months.
The most common infections - syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis - are curable. Herpes, hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS and HPV are treated symptomatically, but usually are not treated completely. Venereologists, gynecologists and urologists treat STIs. The appropriate treatment regimen is prescribed by a specialist based on the results of the tests. Medicines are selected depending on the identified pathogen and the individual characteristics of a patient (drug allergy, chronic diseases). Antibiotics are prescribed for bacterial and parasitic infections that are sexually transmitted, such as gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, trichomoniasis. It is important to abstain from sex during the treatment. Antiviral drugs reduce the recurrence of herpes and can ‘paralyze’ HIV for many years. The earlier treatment is started, the more effective it is. Taking drugs with strict observance of the medication regimen makes it possible to reduce the number of viruses to almost undetectable levels.
Article writer - Natalya Korkh
Publication date: 21.04.2021
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