STDs you can have without knowing

STDs you can have without knowing

Many people think they would know they have Sexually Transmitted Infections from the signs and symptoms displayed. However, that might not be the case with all STIs, as some infections are undiagnosed.

Meaning even after a long period of infection time, you wouldn't realize you’re infected. The truth is even if sexual education is conducted today, most people with STDs won’t know they are sick because of the asymptomatic nature of some diseases.

But don't worry because this article discusses the most common types of STDs that you can have without knowing. We’ve also covered some symptoms that would help you identify their presence. But first, let’s get more about STDs:

Understanding Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Also known as sexually transmitted infections, STDs are diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, or parasites and primarily spread through sexual contact, either anal, vaginal, or oral sex.

But of course, some are also caused by body contact with an infected person, while some spread through kissing.

Here are common types of STDs:

• Syphilis
• Gonorrhea
• Chlamydia
• Genital warts
• HIV & AIDS
• Hepatitis
• Trichomoniasis, among others.

Most of these infections are spread through your body fluids such as blood, semen, saliva, and vaginal secretions.

Normally, you can know if you have certain STDs like HIV or syphilis. However, there are a group of infections that are not be diagnosed, and the chances are high that you'll only know about them after they have spread through your immune system.

Here is a list of STDs that do not show the obvious symptoms

Chlamydia

Also known as the silent, chlamydia is one of the most common STDs caused by bacteria. Even though it affects both men and women, this disease is common in women, especially those under the age of 25.

It can be hard to know you have chlamydia since it shows no signs. However, the following signs and symptoms may indicate the presence of chlamydia.

• Painful and increased urge of urination
• Bleeding rectum
• Itchy and redness discharge

For men, you may notice:

• Cloudy and watery discharge from the penis
• Tenderness or swelling of the testicles or pain in the testes

Women may experience:

• Increased and unusual vaginal discharge
• Bleeding between the periods and sometimes heavy periods.
• Painful sexual intercourse.

You may also experience coughing, fever, dry or sore throat, especially if you're developing chlamydia on your throat. Also, touching your eyes with bacterial-infected hands may result in chlamydia conjunctivitis- eye infection that causes; redness and irritation of the eyes, itchiness or swelling, and eye discharge or mucus. It may also cause severe eye sensitivity or photophobia.

In most cases, the symptoms of chlamydia may be confused with yeast infections. So, you must ensure you go for thorough and regular Chlamydia testing. The CDC recommends annual testing, even if you have had only one partner. Sure, being a silent infection, it may mean even your partner may unknowingly infect you.

Can you treat chlamydia?

Suppose your chlamydia tests and screening are positive. In that case, your doctor may prescribe some over-the-counter medications (antibiotics) like Doxycycline, Azithromycin, or Ofloxacin.

So, what happens if chlamydia is not treated?

If his condition goes untreated, it can lead to severe complications like:

The pelvic inflammatory disease can cause several issues, such as infertility in women and persistent pelvic pain. It also results in scars in the uterus resulting in ectopic pregnancy- egg fertilization and implantation outside the womb.

Furthermore, there are high chances that pregnant mothers may pass the infection to their babies during birth, which may cause eye and pneumonia to the baby.

For men, untreated chlamydia may cause;

Inflammation of the testicles- when untreated, chlamydia spreads to the testicles and the epididymis, resulting in pain and swelling testicles. If the inflammation is not treated, it may cause infertility in men.

Sexually acquired reactive arthritis. Reactive arthritis is the inflammation of the eyes, joints, and urethra. This happens immediately after a few weeks of infection.

Gonorrhea

Caused by Neisseria gonorrhea, the infection affects both men and women. It majorly affects the rectum, urethra and throat, penis in men, and cervix in women.

Similar to chlamydia, gonorrhea doesn’t also show signs at the time of infection. However, you may notice the following symptoms may indicate its presence:

Those practicing anal sex may have pain at the bowel movements, soreness, and persistent discharge, or pain and itching around the rectum and anus.

Symptoms in females include:

• Spotting or bleeding in between the periods
• Increased anal and vaginal discharge
• Persistent pain during sex
• Abdominal and pelvic pain
• In some cases, you may notice severe fever

Males, on the other hand, experience:

• Inflammation and swelling of the skin
• Bump and redness at the opening of the penis
• Greater urge and frequency of urination
• Inflamed and painful testicles
• A yellow or white discharge from the penis (pus discharge)

If you have gonorrhea, you may also notice the following symptoms:

Eye infections- it can affect your eyes, causing pain and increase your sensitivity to light. The worst is that it causes pus-like discharge from your infected eye or eyes.

Throat infections- you may experience swollen lymph nodes and sore throat

Joint problems- a person with gonorrhea will have an infected joint, where your joints get warm or red and highly swollen, more so during movement, and you may develop septic arthritis.

Is there a treatment for gonorrhea?

Suppose you notice the symptoms mentioned above earlier. In that case, you have a chance to treat or manage the disease before it worsens.

Therefore, you have to visit your doctor if you experience or have troubling symptoms like pus and burning sensation while urinating. You should also see a doctor if your partner is diagnosed with gonorrhea because chances are high you might be infected too, even if you don't show any sickness signs.

To determine if you’re sick, your doctor would collect and analyze a sample of your cells. These cells can be obtained through:

• Urine test to help identify any bacteria in the urethra.
• Swam of infected places- doctors may conduct a swab of your vagina, throat, rectum, or urethra, depending on the area you notice has some changes or infections.
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Fortunately, women can now have self-test since there are home test kits for gonorrhea. These kits include vaginal swabs that you can send to a specified lab for text after being notified by email or text once your results are ready.

The treatment part of gonorrhea is simple. Your doctors may prescribe you some antibiotics. But due to the emerging strains of resistance by the Neisseria gonorrhea, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that any complicated gonorrhea be treated by administering an injection of antibiotic ceftriaxone plus an oral Zithromax.

Those who are allergic to cephalosporin antibiotics like ceftriaxone should be given oral gemifloxacin- (also known as Factive) or injectable gentamicin.

But what happens if gonorrhea is not treated in time?

Complications of untreated gonorrhea

It would help if you regularly went for STD screening, especially for gonorrhea testing, because you may not want to be a victim of the complications that come after that. Untreated gonorrhea may cause;

Infertile in both men and women. For women, it may spread through to your uterus and the fallopian tubes causing pelvic inflammatory disease. A condition that presents a greater risk of infertility and pregnancy complications.

On the other hand, gonorrhea can cause inflammation of the rare sperm duct. If not treated, the condition may lead to infertility.

Increase risks of HIV/AIDS. You may be wondering how that happens. However, gonorrhea infection makes you more susceptible to HIV, a virus leading to AIDS.

Complications in you, baby. If untreated, mothers can pass gonorrhea to their babies, and the baby may late develop sores on their scalp or, worst, be blind.

Herpes

This is a viral sexually transmitted infection commonly found on the mouth, genitals, or rectum. This highly contagious infection causes herpetic sores, ulcers, painful blisters, or sometimes fluid-filled bums that oozes out when the bumps burst.

The infection is caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV), which exist in two different forms:

HVS-1 causes cold sores passed through skin-skin contacts like mouth-to-mouth kissing or oral sex

HSV-2 that is responsible for genital infections

You must note that an individual may have both two forms of the virus. And the virus is majorly found in body fluids like saliva, vaginal secretion, and semen. Immediately the virus gets into your body, penetrates your cells, and finds a dwelling place around or at your pelvic cells.

Treating these may be challenging since they quickly multiply and incorporates with your pelvic cells. In other words, they quickly adapt to their new surrounding and becomes part of the cells.

So can you know you have herpes?

You won't realize you're suffering from herpes in most situations because it doesn’t present any signs. But, if it does, then they’ll be very minute that may even go unnoticed.

However, the following symptoms are used to identify the presence of herpes:

• Small red blisters around the anal or genital areas may burst to leave open sores on the affected places.
• You can also have blisters at your throat or on top of your thighs and buttocks
• Itching, tingling, or pain around your genitals and thighs
• Flu-like symptoms such as aches, headache, and fever at the early stages of infection
• Swollen lymph nodes at your groin
• Pain when peeing or urinating
• Unusual vaginal discharge

Are there treatment methods for herpes?

For most individuals, some symptoms like blister would go ways after some time. So there is no need for treatment. But as much as the outbreaks would clear themselves, the virus will remain in your body. Meaning there are high chances that you’ll still get blisters again for some time.

Also, to ease your pain, your doctors can prescribe you some antiviral medications to help relieve your pain, reduce or stop symptoms from cropping up and shorten your outbreaks. You can also be given some cream to apply to the affected areas.

You must, however, stop or avoid touching the blisters as that may increase your chances of spreading them.

Here are some of the ways you can use to ease or reduce your herpes symptoms:

• Maintain adequate hygiene of the infected area- clean the area around blisters with saltwater to soothe and prevent them from other infections.
• Apply petroleum jelly- jellies like Vaseline can help reduce your pain while you're urinating.
• You can as well ask for painkillers from your health providers
• Ensure you avoid any tight clothes as they may irritate the ulcers and blisters.

So, what happens if herpes is not treated?

Complications associated with untreated herpes

If left untreated, herpes may;

Increase your chances of getting other sexually transmitted infections like HIV. Herpes causes genital ulcerative infections that make it easy for HIV to transmit disease and acquire HIV.

Once you have herpes, your skin and mucous are compromised due to the breaks and ulcers. Meaning the lining of your mouth, vagina or rectum is weak and vulnerable to infections, including HIV.

Increases the chances of newborn infection. Infected mothers expose their babies to illnesses, especially during birth. The disease may then lead to blindness, brain damage, and sometimes death.

Causes meningitis is a condition leading to the inflammation of the protective membranes and cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the spinal cord and brain.

Bladder complications- in some cases, the sores and blisters associated with herpes would lead to inflammation of the bladder or tubes that deliver urine around the bladder. This inflammation causes the urethra to close for sometimes, might be days which may require operation or insertion to drain the bladder.

Cause rectal inflammation- also known as proctitis- is the inflammation or swelling of the rectum lining towards the lower end of your large intestine leading to the anus.

Trichomoniasis

This is one of the most common types of STDs caused by a protozoan parasite known as Trichomonas vaginalis. Also known as Trich, this infection spreads through unprotected sex with an infected person or sharing sex toys.

It’s one of the most common undiagnosed STDs that makes it hard for the infected persons to know they’re sick. In most cases, it doesn't show some signs until when the disease has spread in your body. However, you can know you have Trich if you experience some of these symptoms:

Males may experience;

• Itching and burning sensation inside and around the penis
• White penal discharge
• Discomfort and pain while urinating
• Pain during sex, especially after ejaculation
• Swelling, soreness, and redness of the foreskin or head of the penis

Symptoms of Trich in females;

• Foul-smelling or fishy smell (yellow-green vaginal discharge)
• Discomfort or painful urination
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Burning, redness, and itching of the genitals
• You may also experience soreness in the genitals
• Stomach and abdominal pain
• Change in the vaginal discharge- you may have increased or thin discharge​

These symptoms would vary from woman to woman, and they may only be noticed after some or within the month of infection.

So how can you treat Trich?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that a single dose of antibiotic is enough to treat Trich. So, your doctor may prescribe you one megadose of tinidazole (Tindarmax) or metronidazole (Flagyl)

What happens if Trich is not treated?

Trich can be a significant problem if not treated in time.

It can:

Increase your chances of getting other STDs. It causes inflammation in the genitals; the bursting of such swelling makes it easy for one to get or pass diseases like HIV through open wounds.

Causes preterm delivery. Pregnant women with Trich are more likely to have premature delivery or have their babies too early. The baby would be of low weight (less than 5.5 pounds), and worst is, the mother can also pass the infection at birth.

It may also cause:

• Permanent cervical tissue damages in women
• Fallopian tube inflammation leading to infertility in women
• Permanent bladder tissue damages in men
• It may also lead to prostatitis​

Human papillomavirus

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common types of sexually transmitted infections that even condoms can’t protect you against. There are over 40 different HPV that are passed through direct contact. They may affect the throat, mouth, and genitals- vagina, penis, anus, and vulva.

Most of the HPV infections would show no signs, and the chances are high that a person you may be walking with it or spread without knowing you have it.

How do you know you have HPV?

Most forms of HPV have no noticeable signs. However, they may develop into some common skin conditions, genital warts, and sometimes result in different types of cancer.

The following symptoms would indicate the presence of HPV.

• Genital warts- that appear like small cauliflower bumps, flat lesions, or tinny stem-like protrusions. Though they rarely cause pain, they may sometimes feel itchy or tender.
• Flat warts- small, flat-topped warts that can occur anywhere in your body. So, watch for smoother warts that grow out in large numbers- about 20-100 warts at once.
• Periungual warts form a cluster around your toenails. Sometimes they would extend to under your nails.
• Common warts around, on, and at the back of your fingernails. Sometimes you may experience very tinny black dots- blood vessels chocked with dead skin cells. There may also be painful, rough, and raised bumps that are susceptible to bleeding around the affected areas.​

In short, you’ll know you have HPV if you see:

Some solo, cluster, or cauliflower-shaped growths around your genitals and around or inside your anus. For men, check them on your penis, scrotum, and groins or thighs. For females, they may appear inside the anus and vagina, on the cervix or vulva.

Females may also notice some itching, burning, bleeding, and vaginal discharge.

Are there treatments for HPV?

It’s recommended your go for regular STD screening. But whenever you notice some soft warts on your genitals or anywhere in your body.

The good news is, most of these warts would go away on their own. However, your doctor may prescribe you some topical wart treatment like; trichloroacetic acid or TCA, Podofilox and podophyllin or imiquimod.

In some situations, warts won't go ways on their own even after taking the prescription. So your doctor may recommend the warts be removed through:

• Electrocautery –burning warts with electric current
• Laser treatments and freezing with liquid nitrogen​

What factors increases your chances of getting STDs?

• Having multiple sex partners- the more the sex partners, the higher the risks
• Having a history of STIs makes it easy for a re-infection
• Drug and substance abuse or use of recreational drugs
• Having unprotected sex
• Forceful sex with an infected person
• Injecting drugs- use of unsterilized needles is a great way to get HIV

So to prevent or avoid the spread of sexual infections, including the undiagnosed STDs, you have to:​

• Improve your condom game and ensure you use protection every time you have sex.
• Reduce your number of sexual partners and ensure you test for STI before having sex
• Stop abusing drugs, and most importantly, abstain from sex, among other ways of staying safe.​

Conclusion

Not all sexually transmitted infections would show signs and symptoms. To some, you may be infected, and you will never know until they have spread in your body. Amongst the undiagnosed STDs are HPV, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, and chlamydia.

So, it would help if you went regular STD screening for earlier identification before they cause severe complications to your life. Most importantly, practice safe sex and ensure you reduce the number of your sexual partners. At the same time, you stop sharing sharp injecting objects.