Sexually transmitted diseases are increasing throughout the nation, and Ohio is no exception. The state is ranked No. 16 in numbers of people with STDs.
A counselor for the National STD Hotline said people remain ignorant when it comes to STDs.
“Schools that teach abstinence aren’t informing the kids, so they have to learn from television or their friends. Young people think if they don’t have intercourse they can’t get STDs, so they have oral sex instead,” she said.
STDs can be spread during vaginal, anal and oral sex. HIV and Hepatitis B can also be transferred though contact with an infected person’s blood.
The problem with most STDs is there are no true symptoms to identify some diseases.
Most STDs have symptoms similar to bladder infections — flu-like symptoms, increased bathroom use and possible pain during urination. The only way to know for certain is by going to the doctor.
Without noticeable symptoms, people generally hold off on getting help — if they get help at all — according to the National STD Hotline. Delaying a doctor visit can cause serious problems to the body that could lead to sterilization and in some cases, death.
In Columbus, chlamydia, or Nongonococcal Urethritis, tops the charts for infected people, according to the Student Wellness Center.
Symptoms of chlamydia appears seven to 21 days after having vaginal, anal and, in some cases, oral sex.
Symptoms in both men and women include burning during urination, increased urination and irregular discharge. Women also can have abdominal pain along with fever and nausea.
In the most serious instances for both men and women, a painful infection could lead to hospitalization or permanent damage to the reproductive organs, causing sterility.
In women, a tubal pregnancy could occur. In this case, the fetus grows in the fallopian tube instead of her uterus. In the most serious of cases, the woman could die. If a woman does have a child, she can transmit the disease to her baby during childbirth.
Gonorrhea is another STD which can cause both men and women to become sterile.
Symptoms usually show up two to 21 days after sex. The symptoms of gonorrhea are the same as a bladder infection, along with abnormal periods and severe cramps in women.
Gonorrhea can lead to more serious infections. It can also cause heart problems, skin disease, arthritis and blindness.
Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the two main STDs that can cause a more severe disease in women. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, another illness that commonly aflicts women, is an infection of a woman’s pelvic and sexual organs. Many women with PID have no symptoms, but it can spread and cause painful and permanent damage to the pelvic and sex organs.
“One in five women with PID cannot have children,” Dr. Robin Harris said. “If a woman does get pregnant, tubal pregnancy can occur.”
PID is less common in women who use condoms, a diaphragm, spermicides or birth control pills.
Genital warts are also a problem in Columbus. The virus causes small, bumpy warts on the sex organs. After the warts go away, the virus stays in the body with the possibility of resurfacing in the future.
As with chlamydia, the virus is spread through vaginal, anal and oral sex.
Some types of genital warts are linked to an increased risk of cervical cancer in women. These infections often have no symptoms but are usually detected during regular Pap tests, Harris said.
Warts take from one to eight months to appear after exposed. Because of this, a person can pass the virus on without knowing they have it themselves. If genital warts go untreated, they may go away, but the virus will remain. Some warts need to be surgically removed.
The two STDs which can be transmitted by means other than sexually are Hepatitis B and HIV.
Both can be spread by sharing needles (ear piercing included) or by coming in contact with infected blood during sex.
People with Hepatitis B and HIV can never be cured. Symptoms may go away, but the virus remains.
“Hepatitis B is a growing disease among young adults,” Harris said. Doctors encourage teenagers to get a vaccination to prevent getting the disease. The vaccination is given in three shots over a six-month period, Harris said.
In most cases, people have no symptoms for Hepatitis B. Though they can have similar symptoms to HIV, Hepatitis B and HIV cause flu-like symptoms and tiredness.
Hepatitis B can cause jaundice (yellow skin) and permanent liver damage.
HIV is the most dangerous of all STDs. It is the virus that causes AIDS. It can be present for many years without symptoms.
If AIDS develops, there is no way to save an infected person’s life.
In all cases of STDs, abstinence is the best prevention. If a person chooses to have sex, condoms with spermicide are the best preventative measure. Spermicide alone will not always work to prevent STDs. If one chooses to have more than one sexual partner, he or she should get an STD check even there are no symptoms. Have a doctor check for STDs at yearly exams.
The Student Wellness Center has information about STDs and counselors who can talk to those who become infected. The center also has STD prevention. The Condom Club is one of the center’s many offerings.
The club teaches people the proper way to use a condom. Once they learn, they are given a card that allows them to buy up to 10 condoms for $1.
Adele Thomasson goes to different groups and organizations to inform them of the club.
“When a condom is used properly, it is 99.9 percent affective against STDs and pregnancy,” Thomasson said.
