Sexually Transmitted Infections

or Diseases (STIs or STDs)

Last updated: July 20, 2021

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 The Basics

Sexually transmitted infections: Infections passed

from person to person through sexual contact
• HIV is an STI
• More than 25
other STIs
mainly spread by
vaginal, anal, and
oral sex
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 The Basics

• World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more

than 1 million people get an STI every day worldwide
• STIs are similar to, but not the same as, STDs
– Most people with STIs do not have any symptoms
• Often unaware they can pass infection to their sexual partner(s)
– If left untreated, STIs can cause serious health problems:
• Cervical cancer
• Liver disease
• Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
• Infertility
• Pregnancy problems
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 The Basics

• Having some STIs can increase risk of getting HIV if you

are HIV-negative and get exposed to HIV:
– Chancroid
– Herpes
– Syphilis
– Trichomoniasis
• People living with HIV may also be at greater risk of
getting or passing on other STIs
• People living with HIV often experience more serious
problems if/when they get STIs
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 The Basics

US has highest rate of STIs in resource-rich world

• About 20 million new infections occur each year
• Over half occur among young people (15-24 years old) –
more at risk for STIs than older adults, in part because:
– Cervix (passage between vagina and womb) in young people
lined with cells more vulnerable to STIs
– Teenagers, young adults may have problems getting
information, services, supplies they need to avoid STIs
• May have trouble getting STI prevention services
• May not feel comfortable in places designed for adults
• May have concerns about confidentiality
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 The Basics

Teenage girls and women of color have some of the

highest rates of STIs – especially chlamydia, gonorrhea
• Result of several factors,
including:
– Higher rates of poverty
– Less access to health care
– Already high rate of STIs
in communities of color
• Increases the risk of getting an infection each time a woman has sex
• More likely to have sex with a person with an STI within her community
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 The Basics

• Regardless of race or age, less than half of those who

should be tested for STIs receive screening
– Especially important for women
– More frequent/serious complications from STIs than men
• Many STIs have no symptoms; can still be transmitted
– A lot of people who have an STI do not even know it
– Only way to know for sure is regular STI screenings
• Many can be prevented by practicing safer sex
• Most can be successfully cured or managed with
treatment
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 The Basics

• Many people with STIs show no signs or symptoms

– When there are signs of STIs, likely to be in genital area
– For cisgender women, this includes:
• Vulva (area around vagina including lips)
• Vagina (opening where menstrual blood comes out)
• Buttocks
• Urethra (opening above vagina where urine comes out)
• Anus (opening where bowel movement – “poop” – comes out)
– For cisgender men, this includes:
• Penis
• Scrotum (“balls”)
• Urethra
• Anus
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 Chlamydia

• Among most common STIs

• Caused by bacterium in vaginal secretions, semen
("cum")
• Can be spread by:
– Vaginal, oral, or anal sex without a condom or other latex or
polyurethane barrier
– Pregnant people can pass it on to babies during delivery
• If there are symptoms, they may include:
– Vaginal discharge
– Burning during urination
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 Chlamydia

• Can be successfully treated with antibiotics

– Left untreated, can spread to ovaries and fallopian tubes, cause pelvic
inflammatory disease (PID)
– PID can lead to infertility, make it difficult or impossible to become pregnant
• Yearly screening recommended by US Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for:
– All sexually active women under 25
– Older women with new or multiple sex partners
– Recent reports show less than half of sexually active women under 25 are
screened
• If treated, partner must be treated, too
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 Genital Warts

• Caused by viruses
– HPV (Human Papillomavirus) names large group of viruses
– Certain types of HPV cause infections in genital area
• Can lead to genital warts, cancer of cervix, vulva, vagina, anus, penis
• Genital HPV is spread easily:
– Skin-to-skin contact during vaginal, oral, or anal sex
• Condoms do not totally prevent transmission
– People living with HIV more likely to have HPV, develop genital
warts, cervical or anal cancer

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 Genital Warts

• Important to find HPV early and get treatment to prevent

health problems
• Also three effective HPV vaccines
– Since HPV vaccine introduction several years ago, # of 14- to
19-year-old girls with HPV in US has dropped by more than half
• Important for young people to get vaccinated before
they have sex (before they have been exposed to HPV)
– People who are already infected with HPV may not be
protected by vaccines

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 Gonorrhea (“The Clap”)
• Caused by bacteria in vaginal secretions, semen
• Can be spread by:
– Vaginal, anal, oral sex without latex/polyurethane barrier
• If there are symptoms, they may include:
– Yellowish or greenish vaginal discharge
– Burning feeling when urinating
– Can also affect anus and throat
• Can be treated with antibiotics
– Left untreated, can cause PID, infertility
– All sexually active women should be screened
• If treated, partner must be treated, too
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 Herpes

• Caused by a virus in nerves; two common types

– Herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) usually causes cold sores around
mouth
– Herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2) usually causes sores in genital
area
– Possible to get HSV-2 in mouth, HSV-1 in genital area
• Symptoms include itchy or painful blisters
• Spread through skin-to-skin contact with sores
– May also spread even before sores can be seen
– In most people, sores come and go; virus stays in body for life
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 Herpes
• Sometimes no symptoms; virus "hiding" in nerves
– Some women with HIV never had blisters or sores before HIV; surprised by
"outbreak" of sores
– Women with HIV may have more frequent, difficult to treat herpes
outbreaks
• No cure for herpes; herpes antiviral drugs can:
– Reduce # of outbreaks if taken daily
– Shorten and ease outbreaks if taken when symptoms begin
– Valtrex also shown to lower transmission risk
• Pregnant people can transmit herpes to babies
– Tell your provider if you have genital herpes and are pregnant or planning
pregnancy
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 HIV

• HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus

– Virus that causes AIDS
• Present in blood, vaginal secretions, semen, breast milk
• Can be spread through vaginal, oral, or anal sex without
condom or latex/polyurethane barrier
– As many as 1 in 7 US people living with HIV do not know it
• Getting tested for HIV is part of routine, regular health
care in many countries

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 HIV

• Important that you get tested if you:

– Have ever had vaginal, anal, or oral sex without a condom
– Have shared needles, syringes to inject drugs, other substances
– Are uncertain of partner’s HIV status; have a partner living with HIV
– Are pregnant or are considering becoming pregnant
– Have ever been diagnosed with an STD
– Have hepatitis C
– Begin treatment for tuberculosis (TB)
• Left untreated, HIV can cause serious illness, death
• Effective treatment helps people living with HIV stay well
• Cannot transmit if treated, undetectable viral load (U=U)
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 Syphilis

• Caused by bacterium
• Can be spread by:
– Vaginal, anal, or oral sex without latex or polyurethane barrier
• Has several phases:
– Primary syphilis (early disease): Pain-free open sores
(chancres) in genital or anal area or around mouth
• Usually heal on their own in 3-6 weeks
– Secondary syphilis (later stage): Often rash and/or hair loss
– Left untreated, can proceed to latent stage
• May have no visible symptoms; can damage heart, brain, other organs
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 Syphilis

• Can be successfully treated with antibiotics

• Without treatment
– Can hurt your body’s organs
– Lead to severe illness, even death
• Pregnant people can pass syphilis to their babies during
pregnancy and childbirth
– Important that pregnant people get tested for syphilis
• If treated, partner must be treated, too

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 Other STIs to Know
About
• Chancroid
• Hepatitis
• Pubic Lice (“Crabs”)
• Trichomoniasis

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 Chancroid

• Caused by bacterium
• Symptoms may include:
– Genital sores
– Vaginal discharge
– Burning feeling when urinating
– Swollen lymph nodes in groin
• Can be spread by:
– Vaginal or anal sex
– Skin-to-skin contact with sores Credit: Medicinenet.com

• Can be treated with antibiotics

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 Hepatitis
• Inflammation (irritation) of liver
• Some types of hepatitis caused by viruses in blood,
vaginal secretions, semen, breast milk
– Hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) can be sexually transmitted
• Vaccine to prevent HBV, not HCV
– Can become chronic (long-term), very serious
– Often have no symptoms
– Important for people living with HIV to be tested for HBV and
HCV, treated if necessary
• HCV can be cured
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 Pubic Lice (“Crabs”)
• Live in pubic hair (hair around genitals)
• Can be transmitted by:
– Skin-to-skin contact
– Infected clothes and bedding
• Symptoms may include:
– Intense itching
– Seeing lice or eggs in hair
• Can be treated with Credit: Jennifer2016 on Glogster

over-the-counter medications
– Pregnant women must use products designed just for them
– Wash contaminated clothes, linen in hot water, laundry soap
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 Trichomoniasis
• Caused by protozoa (single-celled germ)
• Can be spread during vaginal, oral, or anal sex without a
condom or latex/polyurethane barrier
– Common cause of vaginal infections
• Symptoms may include:
– Foamy, foul-smelling vaginal discharge
– Itching
– Sometimes there are no symptoms at all
• Can be successfully treated with antibiotics
– Sexual partner must also be treated

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 Protecting Yourself and
Others
You can greatly reduce risk of getting many STIs if you:
• Use a latex condom for vaginal and anal sex or a plastic condom
if you are sensitive to latex
– Female condom can also prevent many STIs
– Use condoms without lubricant for oral sex on a man
• Use latex or plastic barriers (dental dams, plastic wrap) for oral
sex on a woman or for oral-anal sex; use latex or plastic gloves if
you have cuts or sores on your hands
• Use water-based lubricants (KY, Astroglide) with latex barriers
• DO NOT use oil-based products (Vaseline, coconut oil, lotions)
• Do not use lubricants or condoms that contain nonoxynol-9 (N-9)
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 Protecting Yourself and
Others
• Wash shared sex toys or put on fresh condom between users
• Use a latex condom with methods of birth control (birth control
pills, shots, implants, etc.) that do not protect you from STIs
• Talk with your sex partner(s) about STIs and using condoms
• Talk honestly with your provider, sex partner(s), about any STIs
you or your partner has or has had
• Have regular pelvic exams, cervical cancer screenings (they do
not screen for STIs other than HPV)
• Talk to your provider about having a routine STI screening
• Do not share needles or syringes for injecting drugs or other
substances; if you do share drug equipment, clean your works
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 The Bottom Line

• There are many STIs, including HIV

• Some can be cured; many can be managed
– Many can cause serious health and fertility problems
or even death if untreated
• If needed, get treatment your provider recommends
• Even if symptoms go away, still need to finish treatment
– Make sure your partner(s) gets treated, so that you
do not pass an infection back and forth

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 Learn More!
• To learn more about this topic, and for links to
articles featuring more details, please read the
full fact sheet on this topic:
– Fact sheet: Sexually Transmitted Infections or
Diseases (STIs or STDs)
• For more fact sheets and to connect to our
community of women living with HIV, visit:
– www.thewellproject.org
– www.facebook.com/thewellproject
– www.twitter.com/thewellproject
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