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Sexual Health
Take Control.
What do you want from a relationship? It is up to you to get what you want, it's also up to you to avoid getting what you don't want. If the relationship is one that might involve sex, don't do it to soon. Make sure that both of you are ready for sex. Have each other's consent and decide what you want in a sexual relationship.
Things to keep in mind:
Sex should be guilt-free. If either of you are feeling uncomfortable, wait.
Sex should be something you can talk about. If you can't talk about sex openly, STOP, you're not ready. Issues such as protecting each other, likes and dislikes should be discussed.
Sex too early in a relationship can actually prevent intimacy. Waiting builds intimacy and deepens a relationship.
Sex in a relationship should be associated with pleasant things such as respect, trust, love, happiness and fulfillment, if these things are not present, you are not ready.
Sex is also associated with unpleasant things such as STI’s, a shallow relationship, unplanned pregnancy, and feelings of guilt.
Relationships can be challenging and confusing. Getting what you want from sex and relationships depends on you.
Communication is essential for a good relationship
Talk to your partner effectively by listening and speaking honestly
Talk openly about sex
Discuss likes and dislikes
Do you and your partner want the same commitment?
Always bring up what is bothering you
Talk about protection
Talk about your limits
Share values that are important to you
Know the risks.
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are infections transmitted through sexual contact including vaginal, anal, or oral contact. Some can even be spread through skin to skin contact. STI’s can cause many complications from lesions, pain, secondary infections, infertility, and death.
Overall Prevention:
In order to reduce your risk of contracting an STI practice the following prevention methods:
Know signs and symptoms of STI’s
Abstinence (the only 100%)
Be monogamous
Always use a latex condom
Use only water based lubricants
Don't have sex if you're drunk or high
Know your status, get tested
Know the Symptoms.
Many times STI’s show no symptoms, so it is important to be checked if you are at risk. Listed below are symptoms associated with specific STI’s. Many STI’s have similar symptoms so testing for STI’s on a regular basis is key to staying informed about your sexual health.
Common STI’s in College Students : (click on link for more information)
Transmission:
Touching (hand/genital or genital/genital), an infected person’s lesions can transmit the bacteria
Can be transmitted during non-penetrative sexual contact
Symptoms:
May be no symptoms
One or more ulcers on or near the ano-genital skin
Lesions are broad, deep and painful
Complications:
Treatment:
Symptoms:
May show no symptoms
Pain or dull aching in lower abdomen
Pain while urinating
Pain during intercourse
Heavier menstrual flow
Breakthrough bleeding
Heavy cervical discharge
Urethral discharge
Epididymitis (inflammation of the epididymis)
Complications:
Scarring in reproductive organs
Infertility
Risk of tubal pregnancy
Treatment:
Transmission:
hand/genital, genital/genital, oral/genital, or anal/genital contact
Can be transmitted through no penetrative sexual contact
Transmission commonly occurs in the absence of lesions
Symptoms:
Blisters around the genitalia or anus
Can puncture and create painful ulcers
Sometimes flu like symptoms occur
Most of the time there are few or no symptoms at all
Unusual discharge
Itching Painful intercourse
Complications:
Recurrent painful attacks
Infants can be infected at or before delivery and may sustain sever neurological damage or death
Treatment:
There is no treatment that can cure herpes
Antiviral medications can shorten and prevent outbreaks during the period of time the person takes the medication
Daily suppressive therapy for symptomatic herpes can reduce transmission to partners
Antiviral drugs are effective if taken early in the infection or continuously in a preventative regimen
Topical anesthetics may be helpful in reducing discomfort
Transmission:
exchange of fluids through vaginal, anal, and sometimes oral sex.
Symptoms:
Very similar to Chlamydia for both women and men
Complications:
Serious complications can occur if spread to fallopian tubes
May result in tubal scarring, infertility, and risk of tubal pregnancy
In men, if untreated, may lead to scarring of the urethra
Treatment:
Antibiotics; partners must be treated at the same time
Prevention:
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap after handling potentially contaminated items, including soiled diapers
Avoid eating raw or undercooked shellfish that may come from waters contaminated with the virus
While traveling:
Avoid eating unpeeled fruits
Drink only commercially bottled beverages, including water
Avoid using ice cube made with tap water to cool beverages
Avoid eating prepared foods and drinks purchased from street vendors
Brush your teeth with bottled water
Transmission:
Person to person contact
Contaminated water or food
Symptoms:
Fever
General feeling of weakness
Nausea
Abdominal pain
Chills
Loss of appetite
Fatigue
Light-colored stools
Dark-colored urine
Trichomoniasis
Transmission:
Through Fluids
Contact of mucous membranes with infected person’s fluids
Most common with exposure through baginal or anal sex
Casual contact considered to be safe
Symptoms:
No symptoms at first, usually
Fatigue
Nausea,
Jaundice
Dark urine
Complications:
Cirrhosis
Liver cancer
Liver failure
Death
Treatment:
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV/AIDS)
Transmission:
Contact of open skin/mucous membranes with infected person’s body fluids
Most common with exposure through anal/vaginal sex and sometimes oral sex
Casual contact considered safe
Symptoms: (four stages)
Stage One:
Infection and seroconversion
Flu like illness
Lasts approximately two weeks
Stage two:
Symptom free
A few months to many years
Stage Three
Early symptoms
Fevers
Shingles
Yeast infections
Few months to several years
Stage Four
AIDS
Opportunistic infections
Cancer
Dementia
Neurological symptoms
Few months to several years
Complications:
Signs and symptoms of AIDS
Death
Treatment of women with AIDS reduces risk of maternal-fetal transmission
Treatment:
Transmission:
hand/genital, genital/genital, or anal/genital contact
can be transmitted through no penetrative sexual contact
Symptoms:
Usually no symptoms
Genital warts
Some external lesions may itch
Lesions can be raised or flat
Treatment:
There is no cure for HPV
Treatments are available to reduce the severity and duration of breakouts of genital warts
Transmission:
Viral infection
Typically transmitted through skin to skin contact
Symptoms:
Small, round, raised lesions with a shiny surface and white material inside
Located on genital skin and/or thighs, abdomen, chest
May itch
May become secondarily infected with bacteria
Complications:
Secondary bacterial infection
May spontaneously clear up
Treatment:
Freezing, scraping
chemicals
Transmission:
Contact of mucous membranes with infected person’s fluids
Most common with exposure through vaginal or anal sex
Casual contact considered to be safe
Symptoms:
May be no symptoms
Painful and frequent urination
Possibly white discharge from the urethra
Complications:
In women:
Serious complications can occur if spread to fallopian tubes
May result in tubal scarring, infertility and risk of tubal pregnancy
Treatment:
Appropriate antibiotics
Partners must be treated at the same time
Antivirals may be of some benefit
Transmission:
Contact of mucous membranes with infected person’s fluids
Most common with exposure through vaginal or anal sex
Casual contact considered to be safe
Symptoms:
May be no symptoms
Usually characterized by moderate to sever lower abdominal pain, fever, chills and possibly bowel symptoms
May mimic appendicitis, urethral stones, twisted or ruptured ovarian cyst and other acute lower abdominal conditions
Complications:
May progress to abscesses and injury
May result in infertility, ectopic pregnancy, chronic pain or death
Treatment:
Therapy with one or more antibiotics with brad coverage
Individuals must always be treated for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea
Management sometimes requires hospitalization
Partners must be treated at the same time
Transmission:
Fluids
Contact (skin to skin)
50% risk of transmission from mother to infant in utero
Symptoms:
Primary Stage
Painless ulcer
Secondary Stage
Rash
Condylomata lata
Lymph node enlargement
Spotty baldness
Late/Latent
Vascular and neurological damage may be occurring
Complications:
Late complications include
Sever neurologic dysfunction
Aortic aneurysm
Treatment:
Penicillin or doxycycline
Important that pregnant women with posititve blood tests be treated to prevent congenital syphilis
Must treat all contacts
Transmission: Vaginal contact
Symptoms:
Men:
Not as common in men but may have:
Irritation inside the penis
Mild discharge
Slight burning after urination or ejaculation.
Women:
Frothy, yellow-green vaginal discharge with a strong odor
Discomfort during intercourse and urination
Irritation and itching of genital area
lower abdominal pain
Complications:
Genital inflammation caused by trichomoniasis can increase a woman's susceptibility to HIV infection
Treatment:
Prescription drug, metronidazole, given by mouth in a single dose