Some can even be passed through skin-to-skin contact.
Without proper diagnosis and treatment, STIs can cause severe health problems and infect more people unknowingly.
Learning the common STI symptoms can help you get the care you need early with the best results.
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Some of the most common STIs cause itching and irritation in your genital area.
This article discusses the STIs that cause itching, as well as other common symptoms.
It also presents how each of these STIs is diagnosed and treated.
Maskot / Getty Images
STI or Not?
Many STIs have mild symptoms that can be easily ignored or confused with other conditions.
This can make it challenging to determine what causes vaginal itching or itching surrounding the penis.
Identifying the STI helps you begin treatment as early as possible to prevent transmission, reinfection, and complications.
Chlamydia affects men in the urethra (where urine leaves the body), rectum, or throat.
In women, the disease affects the cervix (opening to the womb), rectum, or throat.
Women can also pass chlamydia to their babies during childbirth.
When symptoms do occur, they usually appear several weeks after you’re infected.
Chlamydia is a preventable cause ofpelvic inflammatory disease (PID)and infertility.
About 10%15% of women with untreated chlamydia develop PID.
Chlamydia is treated with oral antibiotics.
The CDC recommends the use of 100 milligrams of doxycycline twice daily for seven days to treat chlamydia.
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea, commonly called “the clap,” is caused byNeisseria gonorrhoeaebacterium.
It affects both men and women in the genitals, rectum, and throat.
A woman who has gonorrhea can pass the infection to her newborn during childbirth.
More than 1.5 million new gonococcal infections occur in the United States annually.
Gonorrhea ranks second to chlamydia as the most commonly reported bacterial infectious disease.
Gonorrhea doesn’t always cause symptoms.
When it does, the symptoms may be so mild that they go unnoticed.
With gonorrhea, itching is most likely to occur when the disease infects your anus.
When problems occur, they usually appear within a week of infection.
Samples for a gonorrhea test are taken from the area of suspected infection.
A diagnosis of gonorrhea requires confirmation via a microscope ofgram-stained samples, a bacterial culture, or NAATs.
This complicates treatment because there are limited antibiotics that remain effective against the disease.
It is the most common nonviral STI.
Men typically get infected in the urethra.
Like many other STIs, trichomoniasis can occur without symptoms.
About 7 out of 10 people infected with the disease don’t have symptoms.
When symptoms occur, they usually begin between five and 28 days of infection.
Signs of the disease can also occur much later, or they may come and go.
Cream or lotion versions of these medications are not effective in eradicating the disease.
Genital herpes can cause sores on your genital or rectal area, buttocks, and thighs.
Although the risk is low, it can also be spread from an infected mother to her newborn baby.
it’s possible for you to have genital herpes without having any noticeable symptoms.
you could also confuse the symptoms with other conditions that range from pimples to the flu.
If you have symptoms of genital herpes, consult a healthcare provider for an accurate diagnosis of your symptoms.
A physical examination can often show signs of genital herpes.
If you have genital herpes, your blood will have evidence ofantibodiesused to fight the disease.
The right treatment can also benefit sexual partners by reducing the risk of transmission.
The first outbreak of genital herpes can cause severe or prolonged symptoms.
This involves the use of acyclovir, famciclovir, or valacyclovir taken daily in a prescribed regimen.
Some patients benefit from episodic therapy for genital herpes.
You’ll take these drugs for one to five days, depending on the dosage given.
They are resulting from thehuman papillomavirus (HPV).
Genital warts usually develop on thelabia, the area near the vaginal opening, in women.
In men, they are most likely to appear at the tip of the penis or along the shaft.
They can also occur in other genital areas of both sexes, including the anus.
Genital warts appear aswhitish or skin-colored bumpsthat resemble cauliflower.
They can occur alone or in bunches, and can vary in size.
Genital warts can itch, but they usually aren’t painful.
Genital warts can often be diagnosed with a physical exam during an office visit with your healthcare provider.
In women, a Pap test may be used to evaluate cervical changes sparked by genital warts.
No swabs or blood tests exist to diagnose genital warts.
Part or all of the warts may be removed and sent to a laboratory for microscopic evaluation.
Without treatment, genital warts may remain the same, change in size, or resolve spontaneously.
There are several options for treating genital warts.
Some treatments are self-applied, while others are administered by a healthcare provider.
Some STIs can be found with an exam, though most need a special test to confirm they exist.
Knowing STI symptoms can help you find these problems early.
Getting the right care and treatment can help you reduce symptoms and protect your well-being.
A Word From Verywell
Having an STI can have both physical and emotional effects.
Start by seeking medical care for your symptoms.
Seek support and referrals from your healthcare provider if you feel isolated by your condition.
Having an STI is relatively common and affects more people than you realize.
Chlamydia may or may not have symptoms.
When symptoms occur, chlamydia can involve an unusual sore and/or abnormal discharge from the vagina or penis.
It can also cause testicular swelling in men.
Itching without discharge is a common symptom of genital herpes.
Other causes of itching are medical conditions like eczema, pubic lice, orlichen sclerosis.
Itching can also originate from sweating or razor burn.
The amount of time it takes for an STI to show up varies based on the STI.
Some STIs produce symptoms within a few days of infection.
Other STIs, like genital warts, can take years to appear.
Some people have STIs without ever knowing they exist because they never produce symptoms.
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