A sexually transmitted disease (STD) is an infection or disease passed from person to person through sexual contact. In the United States, about 20 million new infections are estimated to occur each year. If you are pregnant and have an STD, you may pass the infection to your baby. Therefore, every woman who is pregnant should be checked for STDs during their first prenatal checkup. Women should be aware of the harmful effects of STDs and know how to protect themselves and their unborn baby against infection.

Lower Your Risk

The best way to reduce your risk of STDs during pregnancy (besides abstinence) is to refrain from having sexual contact with someone who is infected. Being pregnant does not protect you or your baby against STDs. Condoms can reduce your risk of getting some STDs if used EVERY time you have sex. However, a condom will only protect the area it covers. Washing your genitals, urinating or douching after sex will not prevent any STD.

Symptoms of Common STDs

Bacterial Vaginosis ~ Most women will show no symptoms. Women with symptoms may experience vaginal itching, painful urination or discharge with a fishy odor. BV is very common among pregnant women in the United States.

Chlamydia ~ Most women have no symptoms. Women with symptoms may experience abnormal discharge, burning when urinating or bleeding between menstrual cycles. If the infection is not treated, it can lead to lower abdominal and back pain, nausea, fever and pain during sex.

Genital Herpes ~ During an “outbreak” your symptoms may include small red bumps, blisters or open sores on your vagina, discharge, fever, headaches, muscle aches, painful urination, itching and burning in genital area. Your symptoms may go away and return. Sores usually heal in 2-4 weeks.

Gonorrhea ~ Symptoms are often mild and can be mistaken for a bladder infection. Women may experience pain or burning while urinating, yellowish discharge or bleeding between menstrual cycles.

Hepatitis B ~ Women may have no symptoms. Women with symptoms may experience mild fever, headache and muscle aches, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhea, dark colored urine, stomach pains, skin or whites of eyes turning yellow.

HIV/AIDS ~ Symptoms may not occur for 10 years or more. Women with symptoms may experience extreme fatigue, rapid weight loss, frequent low fevers and night sweats, frequent yeast infections, menstrual cycle changes, red, brown or purplish blotches on the skin or inside the mouth, nose or eyelids. 

* NOTE: While each STD causes different health problems~ the majority of STDs cause cervical cancer, liver disease, pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, pregnancy problems and other complications.

Get Tested

As you can see, some STDs cause no symptoms, so you may not be aware that you are infected. Even if there are no symptoms, STDs can still be passed from person to person. If you are pregnant, it is important to get tested during your first prenatal checkup. Most STDs can be found with a simple test. Your partner may have an STD, so they should get tested as well. Avoid having sex until you’ve both finished your treatment, so you don’t re-infect each other.

STDs and Your Baby

An STD may cause early labor, cause the water to break early and cause infection in the uterus after birth. You may pass the infection to your baby before, during or after the birth. A doctor might decide to do a C-section to protect your baby from infection because an STD can cause serious health problems. The harmful effects on the baby may include low birth weight (less than 5 pounds), eye infection, pneumonia, brain damage, lack of coordination in body movements, blindness, deafness, liver disease or stillbirth.

Treatment

Fortunately, many STDs can be treated and cured with antibiotics. Your doctor can recommend medicines that are safe to take while you are pregnant. Make sure you finish the entire dose to be sure the infection is gone. Do not share your medicine with someone else.

According to the CDC (2000), an estimated 15 million people each year contract a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Treatment and prevention is essential in preventing long term complications. STDs if left untreated can lead to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), ectopic pregnancy, infertility, and multiple complications for newborns whose mother transmits the disease to them. Below is a list of warning signs of STDS that no woman should ignore.

1. A sore, wart, or rash in the genital area of you or your partner

This may seem like an obvious warning sign, but unfortunately it is often ignored. Skin rashes and lesions often come on at the onset of a sexually transmitted disease, but the lesions may disappear within a few days. However, the infection itself is left untrested. The person assumes it was an allergic reaction or normal skin irritation and does not investigate the real possibility of having an STD. If you notice a rash or lesion you or your partner it is essential to have an STD workup done.

2. Painful or frequent urination

Painful or frequent urination is one of the most common symptoms of STDs particularly gonnorhea. Women often mistake this symptom as a sign of having a urinary tract infection. They may try home remedies such as drinking cranberry juice or taking mild pain relievers such aas Tylenol. Unfortunately, as with genital sores, these symptoms may appear at the onset of the disease and then disappear. This leaves the person still infected and untreated. Any time you experience urgency, burning, or pain on urination a visit to the doctor is warranted.

3. Abnormal period

An abnormal period is another sign of an STD. If you notice increased flow or pain at menses, this may indicate an STD. If your period has always been regular and you experience bleeding at an unsual time this is also something that my need to be investigated. Heavy and prolonged bleeding should not be ignored.

4. Abnormal discharge

With an STD, women may notice increased vaginal discharge. There may be other causes such as a yeast infection or vaginitis. If you've never had a yeast infection before, now is not the time to start self diagnosing. Get in and get it looked at.

5. Pelvic pain

Other symptoms of STDs are easier to ignore than this one. Pelvic pain can range from mild to severe. If you are experiencing pelvic pain, especially in combination with other symptoms, contact your health care provider.

6. Foul odor

Funky or unusual odor may be cause for concern. Using feminine hygiene products may cover up the odor, but they will not treat an underlying infection. Although this may be embarassing to discuss with your health care provider, it is important to get a proper diagnosis.

7. No symptoms

Women quite frequently have no noticeable symptoms at all. Eighty percent of women with gonorrhea have no symptoms until the disease is advanced. All women should have annual pap smears. If you are sexually active, discuss with your health care provider including an STD work up with your annual exam.

Preventing Sexually Transmitted Diseases

STDs are largely preventable. Taking the following precautions can lower your chances of contracting an STD

• Always use a new condom during sexual intercourse.
• Put condom on when partner is erect and before any genital contact.
• Use only water based lubricants, ie KY Jelly. Oil based lubricants such as vaseline and lotions can cause condoms to weaken or break.
• Withdraw penis while still erect, holding the condom firmly at the base.
• Female condoms can also be used.
• Spermicides such as contraceptive films, foams, or gels are not effective in preventing STDs
• STDs, particularly genital herpes, can be spread through oral sex. A dental damn or condom should be used at all times during oral-genital contact.

Not all STDs can be cured. HIV, herpes, and human papiloma virus (hpv) or gential warts are examples of STDs that cannot be cured at this time. Gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis can be treated with antibiotics. It is imperative that both you and your partner are treated. Take any and all prescribed medication. You should abstain from all sexual contact until you and your partner are disease free. A follow up visit is usually required to determine this.

Since there are so many strains of HPV, each strain is given a number. This is then referred to as an HPV type. HPV gets its name from the fact that many strains cause warts or papillomas.

Warts that appear on the hands, face and feet are included in the HPV family group. These strains are acquired from direct contact with an infected person or a contaminated surface.

The strains of HPV most people are concerned with are the ones classified as sexually transmitted. HPV genital infections are currently the number one most common STD in the world.

According to the CDC, approximately 20 million people worldwide are currently infected with HPV. By age 50, at least 80% of women will have acquired genital HPV infection.

HPV is also referred to as a ‘silent’ STD. Although some strains do cause genital warts-most strains have no symptoms at all. This is what makes HPV so contagious. With no symptoms, you unknowingly pass the virus on to your partner.

The HPV virus lives on the skin and mucus membranes. These mucus membranes include: the mouth, nose, vulva/vagina, anus, penis and cervix.

Diagnosis of HPV generally occurs with abnormal pap smears and visual diagnosis of genital HPV warts. There is currently no testing available in the United States for men, even though men can carry and pass on this infection.

There is also no current cure for HPV. Most times, the HPV infection clears up and goes away on its own.

The only way to completely prevent HPV infections is to abstain from any sexual contact. Having a long-term relationship with a person who has had few to no sexual partners decreases your chances of acquiring HPV, but there is no way to determine if your partner is already infected.

On June 8th, 2006, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Gardasil, the 1st vaccine of its kind to help prevent four strains of HPV. This vaccine would have to be given before a young girl becomes sexually active. The current target age range is 9-12 years of age. Several states currently have bills pending that deal with the question of should all girls be vaccinated. Gardasil is made to help protect girls and women from high risk strains 16 and 18, known to develop cervical cancer and strains 6 and 11, commons strains that develop genital warts.

Gardasil is constantly being monitored as the long term effects and effectiveness has not been established.

The best defense for your health is routine yearly pap tests. Early detection of cervical changes is best. It is these cases that can easily be treated and have the best success rates. Since HPV in young women is so common, and abnormal cervical cells are not, women are not routinely tested for HPV during g a pap test. The HPV test is generally only given to women over the age of 30.

If you’re acquired HPV, remember that you’ve done nothing wrong. Having HPV means you’ve been exposed to a common virus.

The types of HPV that cause warts on your hands and feet do not cause genital warts or cervical changes. The same rings true for genital warts. These HPV strains do not generally spread to other areas of the body.

Most sexually active partners share HPV until the immune system gets rid of the virus or suppresses it. Since there are so many strains of HPV, becoming immune to one strain does not protect you from another.

It is also important to remember that a diagnosis of HPV is not a reliable and positive indicator of unfaithfulness.

Having HPV is not the end of the world and it should not affect your life. Having routine pap smears to detect early changes in your cervix is something every woman should already be doing. Every major medical authority in the world supports routine cervical testing.