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STIs

Someone does not need to have a lot of sexual partners to get a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI).  Anybody who has unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex IS AT RISK.

Whether male, female, straight, gay, bisexual or lesbian, young or old - anyone having unprotected sex IS AT RISK

Unprotected sex means not using condoms.

STIs are also known as STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases).  Some of them used to be called VD (Venereal Disease) – named after Venus, the Goddess of Love.

Numbers of all STIs have increased in the last few years and some of them, such as Chlamydia, have doubled in the past 6 years, especially amongst young people and gay men.  1in 10 young people are said to have Chlamydia.

Most STIs are easily treated but treatment should be started as soon as possible.  For some infections, such as HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) there is currently no cure and the treatment can be complicated. If left untreated many STIs can be painful and uncomfortable or, at worst, cause permanent damage to health and fertility.

There are more than 25 STIs. Infections that are common include:  Chlamydia, Genital Warts, Herpes, Gonorrhoea or ‘the clap’, NSU (Non-specific Urethritis), Syphilis, HIV, Hepatitis (A, B and C), and TV (Trichomonas vaginalis), Pubic Lice and Scabies.

Some infections that affect the genital area, such as Thrush (candidiasis) and Bacterial Vaginosis, can be spread through sex however it is possible to get these without having sex – from wearing tight clothing round the genitals or from using perfumed body sprays and products on the genitals that destroy natural ‘healthy’ bacteria.  Cystitis can be caused by sex, but it can’t be passed on to someone through sex.

Burning Questions

Q: How will I know if I have an infection?

If someone has had unprotected sex then they may get infected and not have any symptoms at all.  It’s not possible to tell by looking if someone has an STI; that’s why it is so important to use a condom EVERY TIME!  Someone could be infected (and infectious), but not know it.

The most common signs of an STI in men and women are:

  • Unusual discharge of liquid from the vagina or penis - it could be thick or watery, cloudy, white or yellow. It might be smelly.
  • Pain or burning when you wee.
  • Weeing more than usual.
  • Itching, rashes, lumps, ulcers, sores or blisters on or around the genitals or anus.
  • Pain in the testicles or lower abdomen.
  • Pain and / or bleeding during sex.
  • For women: bleeding between periods or after sex can be a sign.

Sometimes symptoms can come and go but that does not mean that the STI has gone away!  It will not go away until it has been treated.  Ignoring it will make it worse.

Symptoms usually appear within 2 to 14 days, but they can take up to 4 weeks (sometimes even longer).  In the case of HIV infection, there are
no symptoms – possibly for many years. 

Q: How do you catch an STI?

  • The usual way is through SEX.
  • Semen, vaginal fluid and blood can all carry an infection.
  • The man doesn't have to ejaculate ('cum') to infect a partner. A small amount of 'pre-cum' can leave the penis before or without ejaculation, and can be just as infectious.
  • Some STIs can be passed from person to person by genital contact alone.  Some STIs (including Herpes) can also be passed from person to person through oral sex (licking or kissing a partner’s genitals).  For crabs and scabies (which are crawling insect-like creatures), skin contact alone is enough. 
  • The more sexual partners someone has (unprotected) the more at risk they are of getting an STI.

Q: What can I do if I think I have an STI?

If someone is concerned they have an STI they need to get medical advice and possibly tested.  There are several services that are available for help and advice:

  • any NHS genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic (sometimes known as special clinics, VD clinics or STD Clinics).
  • your GP or practice nurse
  • a sexual health clinic
  • a family planning clinic

Q: What will going to the sexual health service be like?

Regardless of age, ethnic group, whether male or female, gay, lesbian, straight or bisexual everyone is entitled to CONFIDENTIAL information and advice about relationships, sexual orientation, sexuality, sexual problems or STIs. The only time a doctor or other health professional would have to disclose any information to anyone else is if they were concerned about their patient’s safety or the safety of anyone else.  No-one should ever be judged because of their sexual behaviour and staff should always treat people in a respectful and non-judgemental way, if someone feels they haven’t been treated right they should always report it to the organisation or to another worker. To enable people to feel as comfortable as possible most sexual health clinics can provide a choice of male or female doctor for consultations. Some services also hold separate sessions for men, women, young people, gay men and lesbians. 
Genito Urinary Medicine (GUM) clinics offer a full range of free tests, treatments and advice on all infections. A full sexual health check would usually mean an examination of the genitals and mouth, a blood test and a urine test. 

Some tests can be completed while you wait.  For others the results take up to 7 days.  The clinic will let people know how they can find out their results.

Treatment: Most STIs can be completely cured if found early enough.  Treatments can include antibiotics for bacterial infections such as Chlamydia.  Viruses such as HIV and herpes cannot be cured, but treatment can relieve some symptoms.  Lotions are used to treat pubic lice and scabies.

Q: What about letting lovers know?

Telling partners can be difficult. Partners may not be in touch anymore and people may be scared or may be really angry. But it is really important to let anybody who could be infected know as soon as possible. People infected should encourage current or past partners to visit a clinic and get themselves checked out. Sexual health clinics can help with this. The health adviser can arrange to send out contact slips that ask the person to go and see their GP or sexual health clinic.  It will NOT give the patients name. But whatever happens, nothing will be done without the patient’s agreement. 

Q: What will happen if an STI is NOT treated?

  • It will NOT go away!! As long as someone has an STI, they can pass it on to somebody else, even if they do not have any symptoms.
  • In the long-term, men can experience pain and swelling in the testicles and penis, and in the joints and eyes and may become less fertile. Women are even more likely to suffer long-term damage, including pelvic pain and damage to the Fallopian tubes. This can cause difficult pregnancies. It may even mean someone can’t have a baby.
  • Pregnancy: If a pregnant woman has an untreated STI, this may be passed on to her baby either in the womb or during birth. Most STIs can be treated during pregnancy without harming mother or baby.

Q: What can I do to prevent getting and passing on an STI?

Practice Safer Sex!! Use a condom every time!! (Go to the condom section for more information.)

Some tips for safer sex:

  • You can still have plenty of fun and pleasure without penetration! - kiss, cuddle, massage, lick, stroke, snog, fondle, rub, play…
  • Oral Sex is riskier if you or your partner have a cold sore, sores in or around the mouth, or inflamed gums.
  • Penetrative sex is riskier if you have any cuts or sores on your genitals.
  • Anal intercourse is especially risky for both partners, because the skin in the rectum is delicate and breaks easily and it doesn't self-lubricate like the vagina does. This is why lubricant is important to use for anal sex.

STIs: Are you up to scratch? Test your knowledge or use with young people

There are treatments for most STIs. True or False?

True: Most STIs can be treated with antibiotics or lotions. That’s why it’s important for a person to go to a clinic if they think they’ve been at risk. The earlier they go, the easier it will be to treat.

There is no cure for HIV, though there are drugs which delay its development and relieve symptoms.

Some STIs can be caught from toilet seats. True or False?

False: It is not possible to catch an STI from a toilet seat. Or from sharing cups, or swimming pools, or holding hands!

Some STIs can be passed on via oral sex. True or False?

True: Many of the common STIs can be passed on this way, such as Gonorrhoea, Chlamydia, Syphilis, Hepatitis B and Herpes. There have been a few cases of HIV having been passed on via oral sex. Most of the other STIs are more infectious than HIV though. Flavoured condoms or dental dams should protect against most STIs being passed on via oral sex.

You always know when you have got an STI because it hurts when you wee. True or False?

False: Some STIs don’t have any symptoms, especially in women. Or someone might have symptoms which then disappear. This doesn’t mean the STI has gone away! So they should still get checked out.

You can only have one STI at a time. True or False?

False. If someone has one STI, they are more likely to catch or have another one because the vagina or anus may be damaged by the STI making it more susceptible to other infection.

Someone might think they have only one STI, but in fact have another one that doesn’t have any symptoms. That’s why it is so important that someone who might have been at risk of infection gets checked out.

Using a condom can always stop you catching an STI. True or False?

False: If used correctly and consistently, condoms can protect against STIs, but there is still a small risk that an infection could be passed on (for example, genital warts are around the genital area, therefore a condom would not necessarily protect that area although using a condom would certainly reduce the likelihood of transmission.

You have to sleep around to get an STI. True or False?

False : Someone could get an STI from having unprotected sex just once. If someone is having unprotected sex with lots of different partners this will increase their chance of getting an STI.

Sometimes an STI will go away by itself. True or False?

False: Even if the symptoms go away, the STI will not have gone. An STI will not go away until it has been treated. If left untreated it can cause more difficulties and health problems, such as effecting fertility (for men and women).

Most STIs occur in people under thirty. True or False?

True: 85% of infections occur in people aged 15-30.

It's only gay men that get HIV. True or False?

False : Anyone can get HIV if they have had unprotected sex. The latest national HIV statistics show that there are more new diagnoses in heterosexual people than in homosexual people.

What about HIV? Know the facts...

What is HIV?

HIV stands for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV attacks the body's immune system, the body's defence against disease, so that it can no longer fight off certain infections.

HIV is the virus that causes the incurable and life-threatening medical condition called AIDS.

What is AIDS? 

AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. A person would have an AIDS diagnosis when their immune system has become so weak that it can no longer fight off a whole range of diseases with which it would normally cope.

  • There are over 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. 
  • A third of today's 15 year olds will die in those countries hardest hit by AIDS. 

There are 4 main routes by which HIV can be transmitted:

  • THROUGH UNPROTECTED VAGINAL OR ANAL SEX
    If you have unprotected vaginal or anal sex, you could be risking transmission of HIV. Condom use can stop HIV transmission.
  • SHARING NEEDLES
    Sharing needles or other drug injecting equipment is risky. There may be traces of HIV infected blood sufficient to infect someone with HIV.
  • MOTHER TO BABY
    If a pregnant woman has HIV, she can pass it on to her child in three ways: during pregnancy, during birth, or through breastfeeding. However, there are proven steps mothers can take to reduce the possibility of their unborn child contracting HIV.
  • INFECTED BLOOD
    People can become infected with HIV by receiving infected blood or blood products as part of medical treatment. In the UK the chance of this happening is remote as all blood, blood products and donated organs are screened for HIV and infected materials destroyed.

HIV CANNOT BE TRANSMITTED BY:

  • Kissing
  • Holding Hands
  • Touching
  • Toilet seats
  • Swimming Pools
  • Insect or animal bites
  • Sharing eating utensils

Is there an HIV Vaccine?

Not yet. There are several potential vaccines undergoing extensive trials at the moment, but even if they prove to be of benefit, it will be some years before they are widely available.

Is there a cure for HIV?

No. Although there are new drugs to keep HIV under control, they do not completely get rid of the virus. Because there is no cure, once a person becomes infected with HIV, they stay infected for the rest of their lives.

Is there treatment for HIV?

Yes. There are treatments which can prolong life. Many people using these treatments have been able to live full, active lives. However, treatments are not necessarily easy and often bring their own problems. Some people on combination therapy have to take over 30 tablets every day and at set times, often experiencing bad side effects. Since the introduction of improved treatments the number of AIDS diagnoses has decreased since the mid 1990s and deaths from AIDS have decreased by 70% since 1996.

How can I stop HIV being passed on?

The best way to protect against HIV transmission is by consistent and proper use of condoms. (See the 'Condoms' section for more information.)

What is an HIV test?

  • An HIV test is a simple blood test, which checks for antibodies to HIV. Antibodies are your body's response to a viral infection.
  • An HIV negative result means no HIV antibodies have been found in the blood.
  • HIV antibodies do not appear in blood the day a person gets infected. Rather, HIV antibodies may take up to three months to show in the blood. Because of this, some people who test negative may be advised to have another HIV test at a later date.
  • An HIV positive result indicates HIV antibodies were found in the blood and that the person has been infected. This means HIV can then be passed on to others.
  • HIV tests are carried out by NHS Sexual Health (GUM) Clinics or by GPs.
  • Tests at a GUM clinic are completely confidential and will not appear on a person's medical records. An HIV test at a GP's practice will be retained on a person's medical records.

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