Help! I Think I May Have Caught Something
Lately, you met someone interesting and smart, so you decide to take your relationship further in his apartment. The setting was perfect, the passion was lit. After all, you’ve heard that so long as you stay committed to one guy, you’re safe.
It was a typical whirlwind romance, except that a week later, you find it painful to urinate and after a visit to the doctor, you discover he’s left you a gift to remember the night by—a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
What Could it Be?
As much as you might be tempted to ignore your medical condition, don’t. Most STIs are treatable if detected early.
Depending on the symptoms, you could have one of several common types of STIs.
| If you experience: | You could have: | Which is: |
| Pain or a burning sensation while urinating | Chlamydia Gonorrhea Non-gonococcal Urethritis |
Curable Curable Curable |
| Unusual discharge from vagina | Chlamydia Gonorrhea |
Curable Curable |
| Blisters or bumps on vagina or genital area | Syphilis Genital Herpes Genital Warts |
Curable Not curable May not be curable in severe cases |
| Unexplained weight loss, extreme fatigue, fever | HIV Infection or AIDS | Not curable |
Many STIs often don’t present symptoms earlier on, so you may not know you have them. STIs such as genital herpes and genital warts are also hard to prevent, even with the use of condoms.
When left untreated, STIs can lead to other health problems in women like reproductive problems, inflammation of the cervix, womb or urethra, or chronic pelvic pain.
You can also pass the infection to others through unprotected sex. With serious illnesses like AIDS where a cure has yet to be found, the consequences can be more serious than you are prepared for.What Can I Do?
Needless to say, if you have had unprotected sex with multiple partners, you are at high risk of contracting STIs.
If you are married, you can still contract an STI from your spouse if he has been having extra-marital affairs or visiting commercial sex workers . Don’t close your eyes to the truth. Most women intuitively know if their husbands have been unfaithful.
If you suspect you may have an STI, consult your doctor and get yourself tested. It would be unwise to delay treatment due to embarrassment.
Think ahead, and consider the future. Are you playing roulette with your life by having casual sex? Or are you quietly fulfilling your wifely duties to your husband without protection, knowing that he has been unfaithful?
The fact is, the only way to prevent getting an STI is monogamy with an uninfected partner. If you’re not sure about your partner’s previous sexual history, use a condom to protect yourself. And use it every single time.
