STDs can have serious health consequences.
If left untreated, STDs can increase the risk of HIV infection, or can cause chronic pelvic pain, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), infertility, and/or severe pregnancy and newborn complications.
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a bacterium that can grow and multiply in warm, moist areas of the reproductive
tract in women and men. It can cause infections in the genitals, rectum and throat.
Many women and men have no symptoms of Gonorrhea. Symptoms can take up to 30 days to appear. Symptoms in women include:
- Painful or burning sensation when urinating
- Increased vaginal discharge
- Vaginal bleeding between menstrual periods
Chlamydia
Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted disease caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis which can cause serious, permanent damage to the woman’s reproductive system. Chlamydia is the most prevalent STD.
- Use of hormonal contraceptives increases the risk of contracting chlamydia.
- Chlamydia trachomatis has been linked to 30-50% of all ectopic pregnancies.
Symptoms can take several weeks to appear after exposure. The most common symptoms in women include:
- Abnormal vaginal discharge
- Burning sensation upon urination
- Lower abdominal pain
- Low back pain
- Painful intercourse
Chlamydia is a dangerous infection which often has no symptoms. Most people who have chlamydia do not realize they have it.
PEOPLE IN THE US HAVE AN STD
Treatment
Treatment for an STD should be completed before having an abortion or for any ongoing pregnancy as there is an increased risk for Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (or PID) if left untreated.
- Do not have sex during treatment of an STD.
- Notify all sex partners that you have an STD so they can be tested and treated.
- Women whose partners have not been properly treated are at a high risk for re-infection. Multiple infections of Chlamydia increase the risk of other serious complications
- You should be tested for STDs 3-4 months after finishing treatment regardless of whether you believe your sex partner(s) were successfully treated.
“The most reliable way to avoid transmission of STDs is to abstain from oral, vaginal, and anal sex or to be in a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship with a partner known to be uninfected.”
Pelvic Inflammatory
Disease
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)9 is an infection of a woman’s reproductive organs. It is a complication often caused by STDs like chlamydia and gonorrhea.
PID risk is highest among sexually active women, particularly those with multiple partners or a history of STDs. PID is the most common complication following an abortion in women who have untreated chlamydia and/or gonorrhea.10
Symptoms
- Lower abdominal pain
- Fever
- Unusual vaginal discharge
- Pain and/or bleeding during intercourse
- Burning sensation during urination
- Bleeding between periods
PID can be cured if it is diagnosed and treated early. However, treatment cannot undo damage to your reproductive system. The longer you wait to get treated, the more likely it is that you will have complications from PID.
