STD or STI are some of the health conditions which develop due to unprotected sexual interaction. Even though there are cures for a lot of STDs but not completely. The treatment procedure is too much painful for the patient as it is not physical pain but also emotional and psychological. This is the time when the patient needs lots of care, love, and support. If you test positive for STD, don’t worry.
Discuss it with your family and your partner. As you go through this article, you’ll get to know how one can battle against STDs. There is nothing to stress about. Proper care and treatment at the right time can help you lead a healthy life.
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How to Diagnose for STDs?
The diagnosis of STDs is quite tough if you are depending on symptoms only. If your doctor suspects that you are affected by STD, then a test is the only way to confirm. Your sexual activities also reveal a lot about the possibility of developing STD. Even if there are no symptoms of STD, doctors recommend getting tested for it. This is done because symptoms of STD are often untraceable. Under such conditions, you are at a higher risk of getting affected by it and spreading it unknowingly. Urine test and blood test are the two common alternatives of testing for STDs.
In some cases, doctors might take a swab of the patient’s genitals for detecting noticeable symptoms. Any health clinics which are meant for sexual treatment can carry out these tests easily. If you want to get yourself tested in complete privacy, you can opt for a home testing kit. On the contrary, the genuineness of the results shown in the home testing kit might not be accurate. For your information, a lot of us think that the Pap smear test is for detecting STD but it isn’t. This test helps in detecting cervical cancer only. Whenever you get involved in any kind of sexual activity, it is healthy to get yourself tested for STD.
What are the Treatments for STDs?
Various treatments are there for sexually transmitted diseases. It depends on the disease you are affected with and the duration since you’ve been affected. These are some of the important factors for treating STDs. You as well as your partner need to go for the treatment as treating either one of you is risky. For instance, you are successfully treated for STD but your partner is still affected by the disease. This, in turn, becomes risky for you as you might get affected by it. Treating both partners helps you to continue a sexual relationship in the future.
Types of STDs
Generally, there are three types of STDs. A briefing is mentioned below on these three types.
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Bacterial STDs
This form of STD is caused by the formation of bacteria in your genitals. If left untreated it can cause severe damage to your health. There are antibiotics for treating bacterial infection of genitals. You must continue consuming the prescribed antibiotics until your doctor confirms its elimination from your body. Regular tests conducted after certain intervals will help your doctor to determine your health status. If it is not cured completely then you might have to continue the antibiotic for a long period.
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Viral STDs
In the case of viral STD, antibiotics are not enough. Besides, most of the viral STDs have no permanent cure. Some of these cure with time while others stay all through your life. The incurable STDs have certain medications which help you to minimize the risk and help you get relief from the symptoms. For instance, if you are tested positive with herpes outbreak then medication can help you reduce the severity of the condition. Similarly, for HIV, treatment will only help you reduce the outbreak of the condition. This, in turn, will also reduce the possibility of transmitting it to your partner.
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Other STDs
There are some STDs which are not caused by bacteria or viruses. These are caused due to other organisms. Some of these STDs are pubic lice, scabies, and trichomoniasis. These STDs are completely curable and can be treated with topical or oral medications. For more information, consult your doctor or health specialist.
Prevention of STDs
The best way to prevent STDs is to avoid sexual interactions. On the contrary, if you are having PVI or penile-vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex then there are ways to have it more safely. Practicing safe sex with your partner or with multiple partners is best for you. STDs can be easily avoided with the use of condoms although it is not 100% safe.
Condoms can effectively restrict unwanted pregnancy. It is tough to be fully sure of avoiding STDs by using a condom. In the case of oral sex, dental dams are your protective shield from STDs. There are contraceptive pills which will help you with unwanted pregnancy but it does not affect STDs. There are some types of birth control which are ineffective for STDs.
- Birth Control Implant
- IUD or Intra Uterine Devices
- Birth Control Shot
- Birth Control Pills
Another way of preventing STDs is regular screening. This is very important for sexually active people who have sex frequently. Besides, people who have or had sex with multiple partners, this is necessary for them too. Moreover, you can also discuss your sexual history with your partner if you had sex with multiple partners before. Even if you have or had used protection, then also it is important to discuss sexual history with your partner.
Living with STDs
It is not an impossible task to live with STD. As long as you are under treatment and regular checkup, you are completely fine. On the contrary, you need to restrict your sexual activeness up to a limit. This is because, not all STDs are curable and due to this, there lies a huge risk of transmitting STD.
Effective treatment can help you lead a normal life with reduced symptoms and partial cure. For this purpose, you need to continue your prescribed medication as long as the disease affects your body. Regular checkup and tests will help you learn about your health condition.
It is not a lost battle, as you can have hopes to live a normal life. If you don’t want to go through this then always use protection before having sex. This is safe for you as well as your partner.