Here are some of the most common questions about STD/STI's

What are STD/STIs?

How are STDs transmitted?

How common are STDs in the U.S.?

If I use a condom can I still get an STD/STI?

How do I know if I have an STD?

Can an STDs be cured?

Can I get an STD again?

What happens if I don't get treated?

How do STDs affect pregnancy?

How can I avoid getting an STD/STI?

 

What are STD/STIs?

A Sesually transmitted Disease (STD), also know as Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI), can be a virus, bacteria, or other small organism that can be transmitted through genital or sexual contact with someone who has the disease/infection.

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How are STD/STIs transmitted?

• Some STDs live on the skin around the penis, vagina or rectum. You can get an STD if your skin touches the other person's skin in these areas (even if you don't have sex).
• Other STDs (like HIV and Hepatitis B) are spread by contact with infected blood and sexual secretions.
• STDs are also transmitted just as readily through oral contact with secretions and contact with exposed skin surfaces.

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How common are STDs in America?

• Sexually active teens and young adults:
  • Ages 15 to 24 years old get over half of all new STD/STIs each year. ¹
  • Have the highest rates of Chlamydia. ¹
  • Ages 15 to 19 years old, have the highest rates of gonorrhea. ¹
  • About 1 in 4 teen girls gets an STD/STI. ¹
  • About 1 in 5 teens and adults gets genital herpes, and it is more common in women than in men. ¹
  • As many as half of all sexually active men and women have been infected with genital types of human papillomavirus (HPV) at some time in their lives. ¹
• Every 1.5 seconds another person contracts an STD - that's 19 million STDs per year of which only some are curable. ²
• 70 million people in the U.S. have an STD,^1,2 over 80% don't know they are infected because they have no symptoms.³
• The estimated total number of people in the US living with a viral STD is over 65 million.⁹
• Of the STDs/STIs that are diagnosed, only some (gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, hepatitis A and B) are required to be reported to state health departments and the CDC.⁴
• One in two sexually active persons will contact an STD/STI by age 25. ⁹

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If I use a condom can I still get an STD/STI?

• It has been reported that condoms leak, break or slip off 3-15% of the time even when used 100% of the time.^5,6,7
• Even if you use a condom 100% of the time, it does not eliminate the risk of contracting an STD.⁵
• Condoms do not prevent the transmission of STDs from lesions on areas not covered by condoms such as Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) / Gential Warts or Genital Herpes (HSV2).⁵
• Some STDs, such as HIV, can take up to 6 months before they can be detected in the blood. Genital herpes and the human papillomavirus (HPV) can be spread when symptoms are not present.⁴
• Adolescents are more susceptible to contracting STD/STIs (even with condom use) than adults.^4,5

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How do I know if I have an STD/STI?

• Often times, STD/STI's carry no symptoms so it is impossible to know unless you have medical testing.
• Other times you may experience symptoms such as painful urination, abnormal discharge, painful sores, warts, fever, pain during intercourse and more.
• These symptoms may go away on their own but the disease may still live in your body and be passed along to your partner(s) even with no symptoms present.
• When you go for medical testing, be sure to ask what STD/STI’s you are being tested for, not all tests cover every single type of STD/STI.
• You can take a short quiz to find out if you should be tested for STDs.

(Note, by clicking the link you will be leaving the CPC website to view other sites not affiliated with CPC)

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Can an STD/STI be cured?

• Some STDS can be cured; others cannot which means you will have them for life (i.e. Genital Herpes and HIV).
  
  • However, even STDs that are curable can have lasting effects on your body. Of the STDs that can be cured, the earlier you receive treatment, the less severe the damage to your body may be.
• Read more on our STD Fact Sheets Page.

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Can I get an STD/STI again?

• Yes, having an STD once does not make you immune from getting it again.
• Read more on our STD Fact Sheets Page.

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What happens if I don't get treated?

• If untreated, STDs can manifest themselves in a variety of ways including chronic and acute pain, infertility, hair loss, rashes, blindness, arthritis, psychosis, and cancer.^8,9
• Without treatment you may be more susceptible to contracting additional STDs or other infections including PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease). Not recieving treatment can increase the symptoms of incurable viral STDs. ⁹
  
• Read more on our STD Fact Sheets Page .

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How do STD/STIs affect pregnancy?

• Some STDs can be passed to the baby, can cause miscarriage, tubal pregnancy, birth defects, blindness, or premature delivery.⁹
• Read more on our STD Fact Sheets Page .

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How can I avoid getting an STD/STI?

• The only way to completely protect yourself from STD/STIs is sexual abstinence outside of a mutually monogamous faithful relationship⁷, such as marriage, with someone who does not have any STDs. No other form of protection can guarantee you will not contract an STD.

 

The information contained on this page are not intended for diagnostic purposes, they are provided for informational purposes only.  Sources and outside links are not affiliated with RealOptions.

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Sources:

1. Jan Nissl, RN, BS , Exposure to Sexually Transmitted Diseases.  https://members.kaiserpermanente.org/kpweb/healthency.do?hwid=stdis
2. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.  Sexually Transmitted Infections: Overview. November 16, 2009. http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/sexually-transmitted-infections.cfm#n
3. Bunnell R.E., Dahlberg L., Rolfs R., Ransom R., Gershman K., Farshy C., Newhall W.J., Schmid S., Stone K., St Louis M. (1999). High prevalence and incidence of sexually transmitted diseases in urban adolescent females despite moderate risk behaviors. J. Infect. Dis. 180, 1624-1631.
4. Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS. April 10, 2009. https://members.kaiserpermanente.org/kpweb/healthency.do?hwid=hw190468spec
5. Piccinino L.J., Mosher W.D. (1998) Trends in contraceptive use in the United States: 1982-1995. Fam. Plann. Perspect. 30, 4-10.
6. Fu H., Darroch J.E., Haas T. Ranjit N. (1999) Contraceptive failure rates: New estimates from the 1995 national survey of family growth. Fam. Plann. Perspect. 31, 56-63.
7. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (2000). Tracking the Hidden Epidemics, Trends in STDs in the United States. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta.
8. Thomas C.L. (1993) Taber?s cyclopedic medical dictionary, 18th ed. F .A. Davis Company, Philadelphia.
9. American Social Health Association. Sexually Transmitted Diseases in America: How Many Cases and at What Cost? December 1998. Updated  October 2006. http://www.ashastd.org/learn/learn_STDSTIstatistics.cfm