5 Signs Your Child May Have Seasonal Allergies — and What to Expect from Testing
If your child shows signs of seasonal allergies, you may want to have them tested to learn their specific triggers. Here’s what you can expect from the process.
Possible STD Signs You Can’t Ignore
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are infections spread through any form of sexual contact, including vaginal, anal, or oral sex. They can be caused by pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, or parasites, and they affect both men and women. STDs can also be transmitted from mother to child during childbirth or while breastfeeding.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2021 STD Surveillance Report indicated that cases of many STDs are on the rise, with chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis all up from a decade ago.
The CDC also estimates that one in five Americans has an STD, and young adults from 20-34 years have the highest rates of infection.
At Primary Care Walk-In Medical Clinic, our providers, Dr. Pankaj Chopra and Dr. Neha Maheshwari, and the rest of our team recommend annual STD screenings, though you may need more frequent testing if you have multiple sexual partners or if you’re a sexually active gay or bisexual man.
Pregnant women should also be screened for STDs since infections can spread to the baby.
Because STDs are so common in this country, we want you to know about the signs they produce that you shouldn’t ignore. Here’s what our team has to say.
STD symptoms
STDs are a serious health concern, as they’re not only easily transmittable and have uncomfortable symptoms, but they can also cause infertility. Some 24,000 women each year lose their fertility because of their STDs go undiagnosed.
Symptoms vary by the infection type, and some, such as HPV (human papillomavirus), may not cause any symptoms, making testing even more important. Here are some of the most common STDs and their characteristic symptoms.
HPV
Human papillomavirus is a common virus, with over 100 strains affecting different body parts. About 30 strains can affect your genitals, including the vulva, vagina, cervix, penis, and scrotum, rectum, or anus, including the type of HPV that causes genital warts.
HPV is the most common viral STD in the United States, with about 14 million people becoming infected each year. It’s so common that most sexually active people who haven’t been vaccinated against HPV will become infected at some point in their lives. And because it may not cause symptoms, most never know they have it.
However, some strains of HPV are high-risk and can lead to cancers, especially cervical, vulvar, and vaginal cancers. Pap smears and HPV screenings allow for early detection and treatment.
Chlamydia
Chlamydia is the most common STI caused by bacteria, with around 1.5 million cases reported each year. Most cases (50-70%) are asymptomatic, and people who notice symptoms often don’t recognize the signs until a few weeks after they’ve been infected, so the number of infections is likely even higher.
Chlamydia spreads through sexual contact, when vaginal fluid or semen containing the C. trachomatis bacterium travels from one person to another. Sexual contact includes all forms of sex, including sex that doesn’t involve penetration or ejaculation, such as sharing sex toys with partners.
Any unusual discharge from your vagina or penis, as well as burning during urination, may be signs that you have a chlamydia infection. Pain, bleeding, or discharge from your anus can also be a sign of chlamydia. We can treat chlamydia with antibiotics.
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is also a bacterial infection that often has no symptoms. If symptoms appear, they usually affect the genital tract, but they also may occur in the urethra, rectum, mouth, throat, joints, or eyes. Painful urination and vaginal or penile discharge are common signs.
Other signs include fever, a rash, skin sores, and/or joint pain, swelling, and stiffness.
Like chlamydia, we can treat gonorrhea with antibiotics.
Syphilis
Syphilis is a bacterial infection that goes through several stages and most often spreads through sexual contact.
The disease starts as a painless sore (chancre) that typically appears on the genitals, rectum, or mouth about three weeks after infection. Syphilis spreads through direct contact with these sores or from mother to child through breastfeeding.
Syphilis bacteria can remain dormant in the body for many years and become active again. Early syphilis can be cured, often with one dose of penicillin. However, without treatment, the heart, brain, or other organs can become damaged, and the condition can become life-threatening.
Want to learn more about STDs or need to get tested? Primary Care Walk-In Medical Clinic can help. Walk in, call us at any of our locations, or book an appointment online.
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