Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
Sex can be fun and pleasurable. But if you want to stay healthy, you need to take care.
When you have a sexual contact there is a risk of you picking up a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) from your partner. In fact, 1 in 2 sexually active young people will get an STI by the age of 25, and most won’t even know it.
STIs are currently on the rise in Ireland. To be safe, you need to have all the facts and know how to protect yourself.
Who is at risk?
How do you know you have an STI?
Some of the most common symptoms are:
How can you reduce the risk of STIs?
Where can you get help?
Treatment
The most common STIs
Chlamydia
(pronounced cla-mid-e-a) is the most common curable bacterial infection.
Why should you care?
Chlamydia is increasing in Ireland, especially among young sexually active people, who might have it without knowing about it. If you leave chlamydia untreated you can get serious infections and may become infertile (not able to get pregnant).
What can you do about it?
Have regular STI screenings. Once detected, chlamydia can be easily treated with special antibiotics prescribed at a clinic.
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)
HIV is a virus that damages the immune system.
Why should you care?
Once HIV is in your body, it is there forever. If untreated, HIV can cause AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).
What can you do about it?
While there is no cure for HIV, it is preventable (see above). With treatments, you can help stop it damaging your immune system. You can learn more about HIV here. The Sexual Health Centre also offers free rapid HIV testing. Contact us to learn more.
It is important to remember that with appropriate treatment people with HIV can have healthy sexual life without the risk of transmitting the virus to their sexual partner. The ActUp group focuses on creating public awareness for this fact and the U=U (Undetectable=Untrasmittable) program.
Genital warts
Genital warts are caused by a virus (the human papilloma virus). They can be small or large lumps. The warts you can get on your hands are different from the ones on your genitals.
Why should you care?
Genital warts are the most common STI in Ireland. You can pass on the wart virus fairly easily by skin contact. Warts are easy to treat but the wart virus can sometimes be in your body for about a year before you see any growths. You could pass it on without even knowing you have it. Once you get the wart virus it can stay in your body for a number of years.
What can you do about them?
Warts can be removed by covering them in a liquid or cream that will burn or freeze them off. It may take a few treatments at a clinic to remove them.
Genital herpes
Genital herpes (pronounced gen-it-al hurr-pees) is caused by a virus called herpes simplex. Type l of this virus is normally found around the mouth and causes what we know as cold sores. Almost all cold sores are not an STI. Type 2 is normally found around the genital area and causes genital herpes.
Why should you care?
Once you have the herpes virus it stays in your body. It is possible to pass on cold sores from the mouth to the genital area through oral sex. The eyes, fingers and breasts can also be infected. If a woman has herpes sores when having a baby she may have to have a caesarean section (an operation to deliver the baby).
What can you do about it?
You can get treatment to help with the symptoms. To relieve the symptoms you can keep the genital area cool and dry, wear loose cotton underwear and avoid tight clothing and sunlight.
Pubic lice (crabs)
Pubic lice are small insects that live in areas of the body with coarse hair (not the head), especially the groin. They can also live in armpits, eyebrows and eyelashes. They are different to head lice.
Why should you care?
Pubic lice can be irritating and embarrassing and you can easily pass them on to someone else even without having sexual intercourse. They are most common in young people.
What can you do about it?
You will need to cover your body with a special lotion to kill off the lice and their eggs which lie in the root of the pubic hair. Waxing and shaving will not get rid of them. Pubic lice can be embarrassing but do not cause serious health problems.