Everything in the world that you need to know about your sexual health (literally)
KNOW YOUR OPPONENTS
MELISSA HIEBERT, STAFF
Chlamydia
Symptoms:
For women — Burning, itching and discharge. It can eventually cause symptoms like abdominal pain, fever nausea and bleeding.For men — Itching and redness on the head of the penis and discoloured discharge.
Symptoms will show up anywhere from one to three weeks after sex, though three out of four infected women and half of all infected men have no noticeable symptoms. However, left untreated, it may cause serious long-term health problems such as sterility and can be passed on from a mother to a child.
Treatment?
Chlamydia is curable and can be treated with antibiotics, usually in the form of a pill.
Gonorrhea
Symptoms:
For women — similar symptoms to chlamydia, including painful urination, itching and yellowish discharge.For men — ditto.
Symptoms can take up to a month to show up, or as little as a few days. Like chlamydia, gonorrhea can lead to more serious, long-term problems in women, such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Symptoms of PID can include things such as abdominal pain and fever, and can cause infertility. Also, gonorrhea can be transmitted from mother to child, and cause serious problems such as blindness, joint infections or blood infections in infants. In men, it can lead to a condition called epididymitis, which can also lead to infertility if left untreated.
Treatment?
Gonorrhea can be curable with antibiotics, but some drug-resistant strands of the infection have developed.
While gonorrhea and chlamydia are both curable, re-infection is possible.
Genital Herpes
Symptoms:
For women — itching, blistering around the vagina and the cervix,
which can burst and leave painful sores for up to three weeks. Fever, headache
and muscle pain can occur before or during the first outbreak.
For men — Itching and blistering around the penis and testicles, leading
to the same symptoms as women.
Many people show no symptoms of the herpes virus, and some only show symptoms once or twice in a lifetime. Some people have frequent symptoms, though these are often not as severe as the first outbreak. Herpes can be transmitted even if someone shows no symptoms.
Treatment:
There is no cure for herpes. However, there are anti-viral drugs that can help prevent outbreaks.
Hepatitis B
Symptoms:
For women and men — flu-like symptoms including fever, vomiting and muscle soreness, and jaundice, the yellowing of the skin.
Around 30 per cent of people who have Hepatitis B do not show any symptoms. If gone untreated, it can cause more serious problems such as scarring of the liver, liver cancer, liver failure and death.
Treatment:
There is a vaccine available to immunize against Hepatitis B.
Syphilis
Symptoms for men and women: syphilis has many different stages of symptoms.
First stage — open sores or ulcers will appear on genitals, or even in the throat, depending on the area infected with bacteria.
Second stage —skin rash, flu symptoms, some hair loss and swollen glands.
Late stages — Very serious symptoms, including damage the internal organs, difficulty coordinating muscle movements, paralysis, numbness, gradual blindness and dementia. This damage may be serious enough to cause death.
Syphilis can progress over the course of several years, and sometimes primary symptoms do not occur or go unnoticed, though over time they can still lead to serious long-term problems.
Treatment:
Syphilis can be cured with one or more doses of penicillin or other antibiotics.
HPV
Symptoms:
For men or women — small, cauliflower-like sores can develop around the genitals or on the thighs. Sometimes, no sores will develop.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) can cause abnormal cell generation in women, which can eventually be cleared by the immune system, or can eventually progress to cervical cancer. Almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by HPV, and there are links between HPV and other types of cancers such as penile, vaginal or anal.
Treatment:
New vaccines have been approved for the prevention of certain strands of HPV, including the two that are most likely to cause cervical cancer.
HIV/AIDS
Symptoms for men and women: There are many stages of the HIV/AIDS virus.
First stage — The first symptoms of HIV includes flu-like symptoms and swollen glands, and can often be mistaken for other things.
Second stage — this stage lasts for an average of about 10 years, largely without any symptoms. Though HIV levels in the blood are low, the virus still remains active in the body.
Third stage — Over time, the immune system weakens and breaks down and symptoms become more noticeable and serious.
Fourth stage — Usually the HIV virus will eventually lead to the onset of AIDS, which is diagnosed when the immune system reaches a severe level of deterioration.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks the immune system. The HIV virus rapidly mutates, and the immune system cannot fight it off. Eventually, the immune system becomes very weak and leads to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), which is diagnosed on the basis of severe illness (as the body has very little defense against any kind of viruses or infections), or the number of immune system cells drops below a certain point.
Treatment:
While there are several treatments available to slow the replication of HIV in the body and slow the onset of AIDS (including antiretroviral and HIV anti-viral drugs), there is
Abstinence (yeah, right.)
Male condom: if you don’t know this one by now, go back to grade three when your classmates received a speech from your teacher about the “balloon” they found under the play structure.
Using a male condom properly along with spermicidal gel or foam has an effectiveness rate around 99 per cent, as well as preventing against STIs.
Female condom: is like a male condom, but it lines the entire vagina. It contains two rings, one ring is placed into the vagina and the other ring remains outside.
Barrier methods
Diaphragm: a rubber, dome-shaped cup that comes in different sizes, that is inserted into the vagina and prevents sperm from entering the uterus by blocking the cervix. Spermicide can be put into the bowl and around the edges to increase effectiveness.
The diaphragm can be inserted before sex, and should be left on for at least six hours after sex, so the spermicide has time to kill all of the sperm.
Cervical cap: the cervical cap works similar to the diaphragm by blocking the cervix in order to prevent sperm from entering the uterus, but it is a smaller suction cup that fits snugly over the cervix.
Contraceptive sponge: also works as a barrier method of birth control, is a sponge that also releases spermicide, and must be left in six to eight hours after intercourse.
The above methods are around 82-94 per cent effective in preventing pregnancy, but do not effectively prevent against STIs.
Other forms of contraception
The pill: a daily pill that releases hormones to prevent ovulation. Usually comes in a 28 pack, with seven pills containing no hormones, which is when a woman will have her period. Other variations include 12 weeks of hormone pills, causing a woman to have her period once every three months. Missing a pill will cause an increased chance of pregnancy.
The ring: the birth control ring is inserted into the vagina and slowly releases hormones. The ring should be inserted before the end of a menstrual cycle, and left in for three weeks, stopping on week four for a girl to have her period, and then repeated. However, the hormones do not take effect immediately, and other forms of birth control should be used for the first seven days.
The patch: the birth control patch is a patch that is placed on the skin and releases hormones. The patch should be worn for exactly one week, and then replaced with a new one, for three weeks in a row. On the fourth week, no patch is worn and a girl will receive her period and then the method should be repeated. The patch also does not take effect for about seven days.
Birth control shot: is a hormonal shot that is received once every three months in order to prevent ovulation. However, there are some side effects reported when using the shot, including osteoporosis, and, as all hormonal forms of birth control, should be discussed with a doctor.
Emergency contraception
“The morning-after pill” or “Plan B,” is a contraceptive that is used after sex in order to prevent pregnancy. It often comes in the form of two pills, which are taken together as soon as possible after sex. If the pill is taken within 24 hours of unprotected sex, it will reduce the chances of pregnancy by about 95 per cent, and 75 per cent within 72 hours. It may work up to five days after unprotected sex.
However, the pill will not stop a pregnancy if it has already occurred, and should only be used as an Sexual assault
What is sexual assault?
Unwanted or forced sexual contact, ranging from touching to intercourse, performed without the person’s consent.
Reporting a sexual assault
If you wish to report assault, preserve any evidence you can. Call the police immediately and you will be taken to a hospital to get medically examined. You will be asked to give a detailed description of the incident and may eventually have to appear at a preliminary trial as a witness if the suspect is charged.
If you have been sexually assaulted . . .
If you experience sexual assault, make sure to receive medical care, even if you don’t have any apparent injuries. If it’s possible that you have contracted an STI or are pregnant, be sure to get tested.
You may feel a wide range of emotions, ranging from guilt, anger, fear or shame. These are normal emotions and can be overcome with time and possibly counselling.
It is important to remember that no matter what anyone else says, victims are never responsible for a sexual assault. The victim has done nothing wrong, and is not to blame.
Seeking help after a sexual assault
The sexual assault crisis program in Winnipeg provides many services to help victims cope with sexual assault. They have a 24-hour crisis hotline, and can provide short-term counselling for victims and their families and friends.
Numbers for the sexual assault crisis line:
