Sexual Health: Your Guide to Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Sexual Health: Your Guide to Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Sexually transmitted diseases, commonly called STDs, are diseases that are spread by having sex with someone who has an STD. You can get a sexually transmitted disease from sexual activity that involves the mouth, anus, vagina, or penis.

According to the American Social Health Organization, one out of four teens in the United States becomes infected with an STD each year and by the age of 25, half of all sexually active young adults will get an STD.

STDs are serious illnesses that require treatment. Some STDs, like AIDS, cannot be cured and are deadly. By learning more about STDs, you can find out ways to protect yourself from the following STDs.

• Genital herpes
• Human papilloma virus/Genital warts
• Hepatitis B
• Chlamydia
• Syphilis
• Gonorrhea ("Clap")

What Are the Symptoms of STDs?

• Sometimes, there are no symptoms. If symptoms are present, they may include one or more of the following:
• Bumps, sores or warts near the mouth, anus, penis or vagina.
• Swelling or redness near the penis or vagina.
• Skin rash.
• Painful urination.
• Weight loss, loose stools, night sweats.
• Aches, pains, fever, and chills.
• Yellowing of the skin (jaundice).
• Discharge from the penis or vagina (Vaginal discharge may have an odor.)
• Bleeding from the vagina other than during a monthly period.
• Painful sex.
• Severe itching near the penis or vagina.

How Do I Know If I Have an STD?

Talk to your doctor. He or she can examine you and perform tests to determine if you have a sexually transmitted disease. If you think that you have an STD, it's important to see your doctor. Treatment can:

Cure many STDs.

Lessen the symptoms of STDs.

Make it less likely that you will spread the disease.

Help you to get healthy and stay healthy.

How Are STDs Treated?

Many STDs are treated with antibiotics.

If you are given an antibiotic to treat an STD, it's important that you take all of your medicine, even if the symptoms go away. Also, never take someone else's medicine to treat your illness. By doing so, you may make it more difficult to treat the infection. Likewise, you should not share your medicine with others.

How Can I Protect Myself From STDs?

Here are some basic steps that you can take to protect yourself from STDs:

• To keep from contracting sexually transmitted:
• Consider that not having sex or sexual relations is the only sure way to prevent STDs.
• Use a latex condom every time you have sex. (If you use a lubricant, make sure it is water-based.)
• Limit your number of sexual partners. The more partners you have, the more likely you are to catch an STD.
• Practice monogamy. This means having sex with only one person. That person must also have sex with only you to reduce your risk.
• Choose your sex partners with care. Don't have sex with someone whom you suspect may have an STD.
• Get checked for STDs. Don't risk giving the infection to someone else.
• Don't use alcohol or drugs before you have sex. You may be less likely to use a condom if you are drunk or high.
• Know the signs and symptoms of STDs. Look for them in yourself and your sex partners.
• Learn about STDs. The more you know about STDs, the better you can protect yourself.

Are You Getting Enough Vitamin D?

Deficient in D?

Vitamin D is the only vitamin that is also a hormone. After Vitamin D is made by the skin or eaten, the kidney and liver help to convert it into an active hormone form. As a hormone, it controls calcium absorption to help the body build strong bones and teeth, and it helps maintain muscle strength. When you are deficient in calcium and vitamin D, your bones break down to supply calcium to the rest of your body. But being deficient in vitamin D can take a toll on more than just your skeleton.

"There have been concerns about vitamin D status in the U.S. because of increasing reports of deficiencies, with an estimated 10 million Americans over age 50 diagnosed with osteoporosis," says Atlanta-based rheumatologist Eduardo Baetti, MD.

"Vitamin D deficiency is associated with low bone mass and osteoporosis because vitamin D is needed to absorb calcium from the diet. Low levels of vitamin D have also been linked with poor muscle strength and other chronic conditions, such as autoimmune disease and some forms of cancer."

The Sunshine Vitamin

D is also the only vitamin that does not need to be consumed in food or supplements because our bodies are efficient at making it when our skin is exposed to direct sunlight (not through a window). But not all sun exposure is the same, and many factors help determine how much we absorb. In general, the further away you are from the equator, the more efficient the vitamin D production, but cloud cover and air pollution can hinder the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays.

Many people living in the Southern United States can get enough vitamin D by getting about 10-15 minutes of sun exposure on their arms and face a few times a week -- as long as they don't use sunscreen, which blocks some of the UV rays necessary to make the vitamin.