gonococcal

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI). It is most common in young adults. The bacteria that cause gonorrhea can infect the genital tract, mouth, or anus. You can get gonorrhea during vaginal, oral, or anal sex with an infected partner. A pregnant woman can pass it to her baby during childbirth.

Gonorrhea does not always cause symptoms. In men, gonorrhea can cause pain when urinating and discharge from the penis. If untreated, it can cause problems with the prostate and testicles.

In women, the early symptoms of gonorrhea often are mild. Later, it can cause bleeding between periods, pain when urinating, and increased discharge from the vagina. If untreated, it can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, which causes problems with pregnancy and infertility.

Your health care provider will diagnose gonorrhea with lab tests. Treatment is with antibiotics. Treating gonorrhea is becoming more difficult because drug-resistant strains are increasing. Correct usage of latex condoms greatly reduces, but does not eliminate, the risk of catching or spreading gonorrhea. If your or your partner is allergic to latex, you can use polyurethane condoms. The most reliable way to avoid infection is to not have anal, vaginal, or oral sex.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Antibiotics are medicines that treat bacterial infections in humans and animals. They work by killing the bacteria or making it hard for the bacteria to grow and multiply. When used properly, antibiotics can save lives. But there is a growing problem of antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria change and can resist the effects of an antibiotic. The bacteria are not killed, and they continue to grow. The infections these bacteria cause are called resistant infections. Resistant infections can be difficult, and sometimes impossible, to treat. In some cases, they can even be deadly.

Antibiotic resistance does not mean that your body is resistant to antibiotics.

There are many different types of resistant infections. They include MRSA and drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). If you get a resistant infection, you might need:

• A long hospital stay
• A long recovery
• Follow-up visits with health care providers
• Treatments that are expensive and may have severe side effects

Antibiotic resistance is one type of antimicrobial resistance. There are other types; viruses, fungi, and parasites can also become resistant to medicines.

Antibiotic resistance is a natural process that happens over time. To survive, bacteria can develop defense strategies against antibiotics. This happens through genetic changes in the bacteria. These resistant bacteria survive, grow, and spread.

Each time you take antibiotics, there is a risk that the bacteria will become resistant. So it is important to only take antibiotics when you really need them. They won't work on viral infections such as colds and the flu. And you don't need antibiotics for every bacterial infection. For example, you may not need them for some sinus and ear infections.

Anyone can develop an antibiotic-resistant infection, but certain people may be at higher risk, including those who:

• Have a weakened immune system from diseases such as HIV or from taking medicines that affect the immune system
• Are getting medical care such as surgery and hospital stays
• Take antibiotics for a long time
• Are infants, especially if they were born prematurely
• Are older adults

There will always be some antibiotic resistance, since it happens naturally. But you can help fight against antibiotic resistance by taking these steps:

• Don't use antibiotics for viruses.
• Don't pressure your health care provider to give you an antibiotic if they don't think you need one.
• When you take antibiotics, follow the directions carefully.
• Don't share your antibiotics with others.
• Don't save antibiotics for later or use someone else's prescription.
• Help prevent the spread of bacterial infections with good hygiene habits. These include washing your hands often and covering your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

A cervix disorder is a problem with your cervix. The cervix is part of the female reproductive system. It is the lower, narrow end of the uterus (womb), which opens into the vagina (birth canal). The cervix has a small opening that expands during childbirth. It also allows menstrual blood to leave your body.

You may not have any symptoms of a cervix disorder, but routine pelvic exams and a Pap smear test can help determine if you may need treatment.

Cervix disorders can include:

• Cervical cancer is a cancer that starts in the cells of the cervix.
• Cervicitis is swelling of the cervix. An infection usually causes it, but it can also be caused by skin irritation. Treatment can help you avoid potential complications like pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
• Cervical incompetence (also called cervical insufficiency) can happen during pregnancy. The opening of your cervix widens too early. This may cause you to give birth too soon, or you could lose the fetus.
• Cervical polyps and cysts are fleshy or fluid-filled growths on your cervix. These growths are usually benign (not cancer). They are more common during your reproductive years, especially after age 20.

You are more likely to develop a cervix disorder if:

• You've had a previous cervical procedure or surgery.
• You've had a sexually transmitted infection (STI) such as chlamydia or gonorrhea.
• You used a latex condom or a feminine product such as a spermicide or douche that irritated the skin of your vagina.
• You left something in your vagina too long, such as a diaphragm, tampon, or cervical cap, and it caused irritation.
• You don't consistently use a condom when you have sex, or you have multiple sex partners.

You may not know that something is wrong since cervix disorders may not have any symptoms. If you have symptoms, they may vary based on the cervix disorder.

Symptoms can include:

• Vaginal bleeding that's not normal for you, such as bleeding between menstrual periods
• Pain during sex or a pelvic exam
• Abnormal vaginal discharge

If you are pregnant, a few signs of an incompetent cervix could include light vaginal bleeding, a feeling of pelvic pressure, or mild cramps. But you may not have any signs.

Even if you don't have symptoms, your health care provider may notice changes to the cells of your cervix during a pelvic exam. Your provider may look for:

• Redness or inflammation (swelling) of your cervix or vaginal walls
• Vaginal discharge or strong odor

Your provider may perform a Pap test to look for changes in your cervix.

The treatment for cervix disorders depends on the cause. It might include antibiotics or stopping using a product that causes skin irritation.

If you have had an incompetent cervix in the past, you might take medicine or have ultrasound imaging tests to check how your pregnancy is going.

You can take steps to prevent some cervix disorders. This can include to:

• Use a condom every time you have sex. Correct usage of latex condoms greatly reduces, but does not completely eliminate, the risk of catching or spreading STIs. If you or your partner is allergic to latex, you can use polyurethane condoms.
• Have regular pelvic exams.
• Get tested for STIs as needed.
• Avoid using personal care products that may cause skin irritation to your vagina.

Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI). It is caused by bacteria called Chlamydia trachomatis. Anyone can get chlamydia. It often doesn't cause symptoms, so people may not know that they have it. Antibiotics can cure it. But if it's not treated, chlamydia can cause serious health problems.

You can get chlamydia during oral, vaginal, or anal sex with someone who has chlamydia. Chlamydia can also be passed to the baby during childbirth.

If you've had chlamydia and were treated in the past, you can get re-infected if you have unprotected sex with someone who has it.

Chlamydia is more common in young people, especially young women. You are more likely to get infected with chlamydia if you don't consistently use a condom or if you have multiple partners.

Chlamydia doesn't usually cause any symptoms. So you may not realize that you have it. But even if you don't have symptoms, you can still pass the infection to others.

If you do have symptoms, they may not appear until several weeks after you have sex with someone who has chlamydia.

Symptoms in women include:

• Abnormal vaginal discharge, which may have a strong smell
• A burning sensation when urinating

If the infection spreads, you might get lower abdominal (belly) pain, pain during sex, nausea, and fever.

Symptoms in men include:

• Discharge from your penis
• A burning sensation when urinating (peeing)
• Pain and swelling in one or both testicles (although this is less common)

If the chlamydia infects the rectum (in men or women), it can cause rectal pain, discharge, and bleeding.

There are lab tests to diagnose chlamydia. Your health care provider may ask you to provide a urine sample. Or your provider may use (or ask you to use) a cotton swab to get a sample from your vagina to test for chlamydia.

You should go to your provider for a test if you have symptoms of chlamydia or if you have a partner who has an STI. If you are pregnant, you should get a test when you go to your first prenatal visit.

People at higher risk should get checked for chlamydia every year:

• Sexually active women 25 and younger
• Older women who have new or multiple sex partners or a sex partner who has an STI
• Men who have sex with men (MSM)

In women, an untreated infection can spread to your uterus and fallopian tubes, causing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID can cause permanent damage to your reproductive system. This can lead to long-term pelvic pain, infertility, and ectopic pregnancy. Women who have had chlamydia infections more than once are at higher risk of serious reproductive health complications.

Men often don't have health problems from chlamydia. Sometimes it can infect the epididymis (the tube that carries sperm). This can cause pain, fever, and, rarely, infertility.

Both men and women can develop reactive arthritis because of a chlamydia infection. Reactive arthritis is a type of arthritis that happens as a "reaction" to an infection in the body.

Babies born to infected mothers can get eye infections and pneumonia from chlamydia. It may also make it more likely for your baby to be born too early.

Untreated chlamydia may also increase your chances of getting or giving HIV.

Antibiotics will cure the infection. You may get a one-time dose of the antibiotics, or you may need to take medicine every day for 7 days. It is important to take all the medicine that your provider prescribed for you. Antibiotics cannot repair any permanent damage that the disease has caused.

To prevent spreading the disease to your partner, you should not have sex until the infection has cleared up. If you got a one-time dose of antibiotics, you should wait 7 days after taking the medicine to have sex again. If you have to take medicine every day for 7 days, you should not have sex again until you have finished taking all of the doses of your medicine.

It is common to get a repeat infection, so you need to get tested again about three months after treatment.

The only sure way to prevent chlamydia is to not have vaginal, anal, or oral sex.

Correct usage of latex condoms greatly reduces, but does not eliminate, the risk of catching or spreading chlamydia. If your or your partner is allergic to latex, you can use polyurethane condoms.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Most kinds of arthritis cause pain and swelling in your joints. Joints are places where two bones meet, such as your elbow or knee. Infectious arthritis is an infection in the joint. The infection comes from a bacterial, viral, or fungal infection that spreads from another part of the body. Symptoms of infectious arthritis include:

• Intense pain in the joint
• Joint redness and swelling
• Chills and fever
• Inability to move the area with the infected joint

One type of infectious arthritis is reactive arthritis. The reaction is to an infection somewhere else in your body. The joint is usually the knee, ankle, or toe. Sometimes, reactive arthritis is set off by an infection in the bladder, or in the urethra, which carries urine out of the body. In women, an infection in the vagina can cause the reaction. For both men and women, it can start with bacteria passed on during sex. Another form of reactive arthritis starts with eating food or handling something that has bacteria on it.

To diagnose infectious arthritis, your health care provider may do tests of your blood, urine, and joint fluid. Treatment includes medicines and sometimes surgery.

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is an infection and inflammation of the uterus, ovaries, and other female reproductive organs. It causes scarring in these organs. This can lead to infertility, ectopic pregnancy, pelvic pain, abscesses, and other serious problems. PID is the most common preventable cause of infertility in the United States.

Gonorrhea and chlamydia, two sexually transmitted infections (STIs), are the most common causes of PID. Other bacteria can also cause it. You are at greater risk if you:

• Are sexually active and younger than 25
• Have more than one sex partner
• Douche

Some women have no symptoms. Others have pain in the lower abdomen, fever, smelly vaginal discharge, irregular bleeding, and pain during intercourse or urination. Doctors diagnose PID with a physical exam, lab tests, and imaging tests. Antibiotics can cure PID. Early treatment is important. Waiting too long increases the risk of infertility.

NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), are infections that are passed from one person to another through sexual contact. They are usually spread during vaginal, oral, or anal sex. But sometimes they can spread through other sexual contact involving the penis, vagina, mouth, or anus. This is because some STIs, like herpes and HPV, are spread by skin-to-skin contact.

Some STIs can be passed to the fetus during pregnancy or during childbirth. Other ways that some STIs may be spread include during breastfeeding, through blood transfusions, or by sharing needles.

There are more than 20 types of STIs, including:

• Chlamydia
• Genital herpes
• Gonorrhea
• HIV
• HPV
• Pubic lice
• Syphilis
• Trichomoniasis

STIs can be caused by bacteria, viruses, and parasites.

Most STIs affect both men and women, but in many cases the health problems they cause can be more severe for women. If an STI is passed to a baby, it can cause serious health problems.

STIs don't always cause symptoms or may only cause mild symptoms. So it is possible to have an infection and not know it. And even without symptoms, STIs can still be harmful and may be passed on during sex.

If there are symptoms, they could include:

• Unusual discharge from the penis or vagina
• Sores or warts on the genital area
• Painful or frequent urination (peeing)
• Itching and redness in the genital area
• Blisters or sores in or around the mouth
• Abnormal vaginal odor
• Anal itching, soreness, or bleeding
• Abdominal (belly) pain
• Fever

If you are sexually active, you should talk to your health care provider about your risk for STIs and whether you need to be tested. This is especially important since many STIs do not usually cause symptoms.

Some STIs may be diagnosed during a physical exam or through STI testing. Some tests involve a microscopic examination of a sore or fluid swabbed from the vagina, penis, or anus. Blood tests can diagnose other types of STIs.

Antibiotics can treat STIs that are caused by bacteria or parasites. There is no cure for STIs caused by viruses, but antiviral medicines can often help with the symptoms and lower your risk of spreading the infection.

It's important to get treatment if you have an STI. Some types of STIs can cause serious health problems if they are not treated.

The surest way to protect yourself against STIs is to not have sex.

If you do decide to have sex, you can lower your risk of getting an STI by:

• Having you and your partner tested for STIs before having sex.
• Using a condom every time you have sex. Correct usage of latex condoms greatly reduces, but does not completely eliminate, the risk of catching or spreading STIs. If your or your partner is allergic to latex, you can use polyurethane condoms.
• Reducing your number of sex partners. You might even consider "mutual monogamy" with just one partner. This means that you agree to be sexually active only with them, and they agree to be sexually active only with you. But first you should both get tested to make sure that you don't already have an STI.
• Getting vaccinated against HPV and hepatitis B.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by bacteria. It infects the genital area, lips, mouth, or anus of both men and women. You usually get syphilis from sexual contact with someone who has it. It can also pass from mother to baby during pregnancy.

The early stage of syphilis usually causes a single, small, painless sore. Sometimes it causes swelling in nearby lymph nodes. If you do not treat it, syphilis usually causes a non-itchy skin rash, often on your hands and feet. Many people do not notice symptoms for years. Symptoms can go away and come back.

The sores caused by syphilis make it easier to get or give someone HIV during sex. If you are pregnant, syphilis can cause complications, or you could lose your baby. In rare cases, syphilis causes serious health problems and even death.

Syphilis is easy to cure with antibiotics if you catch it early. Correct usage of latex condoms greatly reduces, but does not completely eliminate, the risk of catching or spreading syphilis. If your or your partner is allergic to latex, you can use polyurethane condoms. The most reliable way to avoid infection is to not have anal, vaginal, or oral sex.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Teen sexual health is about how sex affects your physical and emotional health. It means knowing how to form healthy relationships and making decisions about sex that are right for you.

As your body changes during puberty, how you think, feel, and interact with others also changes. You may have new feelings and thoughts about sex. Understanding who you're becoming as a sexual young adult is also part of teen sexual health.

For all teens, taking responsibility for sexual health is part of growing up. Whether you choose to have sex or wait, responsibility includes knowing about:

• Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
• Birth control
• What a healthy relationship is

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), are caused by bacteria, viruses, and parasites that spread from person to person, usually during vaginal, oral, or anal sex. Some STIs are spread by skin-to-skin contact. Without treatment, some STIs can cause long-term health problems.

There are more than 20 types of STIs, including:

• Chlamydia
• Genital herpes
• Gonorrhea
• HIV
• HPV (human papillomavirus)
• Pubic lice
• Syphilis
• Trichomoniasis

STIs don't always cause symptoms. So it is possible to have an infection without knowing it and then pass it on to someone else. The only way to know for sure whether you have an STI is to get tested.

The most reliable way to avoid infection is to not have vaginal, oral, or anal sex. Saying "no" to sex is the right choice for many teens.

If you decide to have sex, "safer sex" practices will lower your chance of getting an STI. They include:

• Talking with your partner about preventing STIs and getting tested before having sex. If you can't talk about STIs, you aren't ready to have sex.
• Getting the HPV vaccine. You can be vaccinated between ages 9 and 26.
• Using condoms correctly every time you have vaginal, oral, or anal sex:
  • External (male) latex condoms provide the best protection against STIs. If you or your partner is allergic to latex, you can use polyurethane condoms.
  • Internal (female) condoms, made of nitrile, are placed inside the body (vagina or anus). They may be less effective against STIs than latex external condoms.
  • Don't use both type of condoms together because that increases the chance they'll rip
  • Use a dental dam (a square piece of latex, polyurethane, or nitrile) to protect the mouth during oral sex
• Having sex with only one person who has sex only with you (mutual monogamy). But first, both of you should get tested for STIs.
• Not mixing alcohol or drugs with sex. You need to think clearly to make safer choices about sex.

The only sure way to avoid pregnancy is not to have vaginal sex.

If you decide to have vaginal sex, birth control can help prevent pregnancy. There are many types of birth control that work in different ways. Your health care provider can help you choose birth control that's best for you.

Condoms are the only birth control method that protects against STIs. But condoms alone aren't the most effective form of birth control. It's safest to use condoms with another form of birth control to prevent both STIs and pregnancy.

Healthy sex starts with a healthy relationship, so it's important to take an honest look at how you and your partner treat each other. Your relationship may be healthy if it includes:

• Respect. You and your partner value each other's feelings. Neither of you pressure the other to do things they don't want to do.
• Trust and honesty. You always tell the truth and trust your partner to do the same.
• Good communication. You feel safe talking openly about your feelings, STIs, and other relationships. And you both listen.

Your relationship may be unhealthy if it includes:

• Jealousy and control. One of you wants to make all the decisions and tries to keep the other from spending time with their friends and family.
• Disrespect. One of you makes fun of the other person's ideas and feelings.
• Pressure. One of you tries to bully the other into doing sexual things they don't want to do.
• Violence. Hitting, shoving, grabbing, and sexual assault should never be part of a relationship. If you don't know how to end a violent relationship, get help.

Your decisions about sex can affect your future health. Make sure that you know the facts so you can decide what is right for you.