The Difference Between Sti And Uti
A Sexually Transmissible Infection is an infection that can be passed on through vaginal, anal or oral sex. Most STIs are transmitted through the exchange of sexual fluids, but some can be passed on through skin to skin genital contact. STIs can cause a wide range of health problems, from mild irritations to more serious illness. Pregnant women with a STI can pass it on to their unborn children. Some STIs are easily cured with antibiotics if detected early, but can cause long-term problems if left untreated. While some STIs cannot be cured, treatments can help to ease the symptoms.
Between 50%-70% of people with a STI do not know they have the infection, because they have no symptoms. When symptoms do occur they can include:
- Unusual discharge or itchiness around the genitals
- Burning feeling when having a pee
- Rash, sore or small lumps in the genital area
- Unusual bleeding from the vagina, after sex or in between periods
- Pain and swelling in the testicles
The different kinds of STIs are
- Bacterial Vaginosis
- Trichomoniasis
- Yeast Infections
Also, do not take someone elses medication to treat your infection it may make it more difficult to treat.
The symptoms are-
- a burning feeling when you urinate
- frequent or intense urges to urinate, even when you have little urine to pass
- pain in your back or side below the ribs
- cloudy, dark, bloody, or foul-smelling urine
- fever or chills
Symptoms Of Gonorrhea And Chlamydia
Sometimes someone with gonorrhea or chlamydia does not show any symptoms.
In fact, 75% of women and 50% of men with chlamydia exhibit no symptoms.
It is unclear how common it is with gonorrhea, but some estimates are that the majority of men and women show no symptoms.
Even with no symptoms, it is still possible to transmit the disease and damage the reproductive system. The key signs of gonorrhea and chlamydia can appear within one to three weeks after having sex with a partner with the STD.
There are some differences in how both STDs present in men vs women, but in general the most common reported symptoms in both men and women are:
- Discharge For chlamydia, women may have vaginal discharge that has a strong odor or is yellowish, and men may have cloudy or clear discharge around the tip of the penis. For Gonorrhea, women and men may have discharge from the vagina or penis that is green, yellow, or white.
- Burning sensation while urinating Also called dysuria, this symptom is common with other STDs and is an important sign to get tested.
- Painful, burning sensations in infected area For both STDs, this is most common inside the vagina for women and the penal opening for men. Additionally, throat infections from oral sex are common and can result in swollen glands in the throat.
Women can also have painful periods, bleeding between periods, pain during sex, abdominal pain, or a fever.
- Discharge
- Bleeding
- Rectal pain
How To Spot The Difference Between An Std And A Uti
STDs and UTIs share very common symptoms and are misdiagnosed more often than you think.
When you consider how close your reproductive organs are to your bladder and urinary tract, it can be difficult trying to figure out if you have a UTI or an STD.
What is a sexually transmitted disease ?
The disease and most often, infection, is bacteria contracted through sexual intercourse. It can also be contracted through placing your hands, mouth and genitals on the sore of someone who is infected.
These diseases have a high chance of spreading from one person to the other.
How do you get it?
If you have sex, whether its oral, anal or vaginal intercourse and genital touching, you can get an STD or sexually transmitted infection .
Whether youre straight or gay, married or single, youre vulnerable to STDs and its symptoms.
At times, the infections and diseases usually carry no symptoms and thats why its always advised to go for regular check-ups. While STDs can be contracted through anal, oral, vaginal sex, you can pick it up from sex toys too.
Common symptoms of a STD include:
- Bumps, sores, or warts near the mouth, penis, vagina, anus.
- Swelling or redness near the penis or vagina.
- Skin rash.
- Discharge from the penis or vagina.
When to get tested
Common symptoms of UTI include:
When to get tested
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What Happens If I Dont Get Treated
BV can cause some serious health risks, including:
- Increasing your chance of getting HIV if you have sex with someone who is infected with HIV
- If you are HIV positive, increasing your chance of passing HIV to your sex partner
- Making it more likely that you will deliver your baby too early if you have BV while pregnant
- Increasing your chance of getting other STDs, such as chlamydia and gonorrhea. These bacteria can sometimes cause pelvic inflammatory disease , which can make it difficult or impossible for you to have children.
What If I Am Pregnant
Trichomoniasis can cause babies to be born early or with low birth weight. If you think you may be pregnant be sure to tell your healthcare provider. Women in the first three months of pregnancy should not take medicine for trich because it might hurt the baby. You can take medicine after the first three months. Talk to your healthcare provider about them.
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How To Avoid Stds
To aid STD prevention, make sure you and/or your partner always use protection during sexual intercourse. Regular STD testing is another key step to take: while this wonât directly prevent STDs, it will let you know your status so you can get treatment for a sexually transmitted infection before it harms your health.
How Do Doctors Diagnose The Cause Of Vaginal Discharge
After reviewing your symptoms and medical history, the health-care professional will likely perform a pelvic examination, which includes examination of the external genital area and the insertion of a speculum to examine the vaginal walls and cervix.
Depending upon the examination, the health-care professional may take swabs of the vaginal discharge for culture or for examination under a microscope to help define the cause of the vaginal discharge.
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Bacterial Vaginosis : Symptoms Causes Diagnosis
Its normal for the vagina to have bacteria, and that is in part what keeps a healthy balance and pH. However, when there is an imbalance, the vagina can become inflamed. Its estimated that one in three women will be diagnosed with bacterial vaginosis at some point in their lifetimes however, many women either mistake symptoms for other problems or ignore the symptoms entirely, which could be harmful. Read on to learn about what bacterial vaginosis is, what causes it, and what treatments are available.
What Can Happen If Chlamydia Isnt Treated
Untreated chlamydia can put your health at risk. Make an appointment with your provider immediately if you notice any symptoms of chlamydia, and get regular STI screenings to avoid complications later.
Complications of chlamydia for people with vaginas
Untreated chlamydia can cause:
- Pelvic inflammatory disease . PID is a serious condition that requires hospitalization. It can occur when an untreated STI, like chlamydia, damages your reproductive organs. PID can lead to infertility and chronic pelvic pain. It can also cause an ectopic pregnancy,which is life-threatening for the fetus and potentially deadly for the mother or gestational parent, too.
- Pregnancy complications. An untreated infection can lead to pre-term delivery. Also, if youre pregnant and have chlamydia, you can pass the infection on to your newborn. Babies born with chlamydia may have pneumonia or conjunctivitis that could lead to blindness if not treated.
Complications of chlamydia for people with penises
Untreated chlamydia can cause:
- Epididymitis. Infection can spread to the testicles and the tube that carries sperm to your testicles , causing symptoms like pain, swelling and tenderness in your testicles.
- Reduced fertility. Chlamydia can harm your sperm, negatively impacting your ability to conceive.
Complications of chlamydia that can affect all genders
Untreated chlamydia can:
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Can An Std Cause A Uti
In short: yes, but rarely. Although most UTIs are caused by E. coli bacteria, this isnt always the case. Other kinds of bacteria, fungi, and viruses can lead to UTIs, though these are less common. In some instances, bacteria that cause STDs, like Chlamydia, can cause urinary tract infections. And because UTIs occur near-sexual organs and can share symptoms with STDs, the two kinds of infections are often erroneously confused.
Gonorrhea Vs Chlamydia: Whats The Difference
The two most common STDs are chlamydia and gonorrhea. Both conditions are caused by an overgrowth of bacteria. Chlamydia is caused by an overgrowth of the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis, while gonorrhea is caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
In terms of symptoms, both chlamydia and gonorrhea may result in a burning sensation during urination and an abnormal discharge from the genitals.
Most people who have chlamydia or gonorrhea do not present symptoms. Even if you do have symptoms, they may not appear for weeks after sexual intercourse with an infected partner.
Because chlamydia and gonorrhea present nearly identical symptoms or none at all, it is important to frequently get tested for STDs.
In a 2015 report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that the United States sees 20 million new cases of STDs every year. STD rates have reached a record high in recent years.
Each year almost 4 million people will contract chlamydia or gonorrhea. Continuing reading to find out more about chlamydia vs gonorrhea.
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Bacterial Vaginosis Vs Chlamydia
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How Is It Spread
The vagina contains many different types of bacteria.Normally, there are large numbers of “good” bacteriathat keep the number of “harmful” bacteria very low.Bacterial vaginosis occurs when this balance is upsetand there are more “harmful” bacteria than “good”bacteria. The cause of BV is not fully understood.
The risk of BV is higher if you:
- Have a new sex partner or multiple sex partners
- Douche
- Do not use condoms
- Have a female sexual partner with BV
BV is more common in lesbian and bisexual women than in other women. The reason for this is unknown.
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What Causes Bacterial Vaginosis
Bacterial vaginosis is caused by a change in the natural balance of bacteria in your vagina.
What causes this to happen is not fully known, but you’re more likely to get it if:
- you’re sexually active
- you have had a change of partner
- you have an IUD
- you use perfumed products in or around your vagina
BV is not an STI, even though it can be triggered by sex.
A woman can pass it to another woman during sex.
You’re more likely to get an STI if you have BV. This may be because BV makes your vagina less acidic and reduces your natural defences against infection.
When To See A Doctor
It is important to see a doctor if a person experiences any symptoms of a vaginal infection or if a sexual partner informs them that they have an STI.
A doctor will investigate the symptoms to diagnose the cause, and they will be able to form a treatment plan.
To make a diagnosis, a doctor may swab the vagina or the skin outside the vagina and send this swab to a laboratory for analysis.
There are multiple tests that a laboratory can perform on these swabs, :
- the wet prep, wherein a technician will put the swab into a saline solution and examine it
- gram stain, often for the diagnosis of BV
- cultures, often for the diagnosis of yeast infections
- DNA technologies, often for the diagnosis of bacterial STIs
Although vaginas react to possible triggers of allergies and other lifestyle factors in different ways, people can avoid certain things to reduce their chance of experiencing a vaginal infection.
For example, they can try:
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What Measures Can I Take To Prevent These Conditions
The only way that you can completely prevent yourself from catching chlamydia, gonorrhea, or another STI is by abstaining from sexual activity.
But there are also plenty of ways you can reduce your risk of contracting or transmitting these infections:
Bv Bacteria Are Found In The Endocervix Of Ct Patients
The circumvention of host immunity by BV bacteria or their products would require their accessibility to endocervical-located Ct. The availability of paired endocervical and vaginal-derived samples from a subset of this cohort enabled us to directly determine if BV bacteria could be found in the endocervix and if there were differences in relative bacterial abundances between the two sites given the distinct physiological differences. We observed similar relative abundances of bacteria between the cervix and vagina within the same woman, except for Ct which was a dominant organism of the endocervix of non-clearers as would be expected .
Figure 3 Paired cervical and vaginal microbiome samples. Heatmap of 25 most abundant bacterial taxa identified by 16S rRNA gene V4 sequencing of vaginal or cervical swabs from Ct clearing and non-clearing women. Matched samples are representative of the three CST groups and demonstrate the similarities in relative abundance of organisms between the vaginal and cervical environments within a woman. Chlamydia trachomatis is a dominant organism in the cervical samples of Ct non-clearers.
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How Common Is Chlamydia
Chlamydia is the most common STI caused by bacteria. Nearly 2 million cases of chlamydia were reported to the CDC in 2019. The number of infections is likely even higher. When compared to previous years, 2019 infection rates increased among people of all genders, all races and ethnicities, and in every region of the U.S. Most cases of chlamydia are asymptomatic, which means there are no signs or symptoms of an infection. Many of these cases likely go unreported.
Certain demographic characteristics may make you more likely to get diagnosed with chlamydia. Youre more likely to get diagnosed if youre:
- A teen or young adult aged 15 to 24. More than half of all diagnosed chlamydia cases in the U.S. occur in this age group.
- A cisgender woman aged 15 to 24. Young women in this age group are targeted for chlamydia screenings, and the rate of infection among those who are tested is high.
- A man who has sex with men . Chlamydia infections disproportionately affect men who have sex with men.
- Black and non-Hispanic. Chlamydia infections disproportionately affect non-Hispanic Black populations.
Possible Though Unlikely Sources Of Trich:
There are a few ways that trich can be spread without having sexual relations:
- Public Pools: If the water in a community swimming pool is not properly cleaned and filtered, it is possible for the parasite to survive and infect others.
- Sharing damp clothing, towels or swimsuits: Much like the pool, if clothes are not properly washed, it is technically possible for the infection to spread from wearer to wearer.
Of course, please remember that sexual activity is by far the most common source of infection. While these potential sources can be comforting to a worried partner, they are quite unlikely to actually be the cause. Compared to skin-to-skin contact, the reports of trich being spread through these means are few and far between.
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What Does Discharge Look Like
Vaginal discharge is the result of the cervix cleaning and maintaining itself to stay healthy. During this process, the cervix sheds vaginal cells, cervical mucus, and vaginal fluids which results in a white, opaque substance. Women who havenât yet reached menopause typically experience discharge because itâs a natural part of the bodyâs functions.
What color is discharge and what is it supposed to look like?
The answer to that will vary from person-to-person, but most women have a white vaginal discharge. As soon as a womenâs menstrual cycle ends, her discharge will be minimal. By the time of ovulation during her cycle, many will notice a stringy discharge and it may even begin to thicken.
However, itâs important to note that women on oral contraceptives may have a reduced amount of discharge, making it harder to identify what ânormalâ is for you. However, if you are experiencing a yellow, brown discharge or even an orange discharge color, it may mean you have a sexually transmitted infection. Gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis infections can all cause changes in a woman’s discharge.
Can Bacterial Vaginosis Be Cured
BV will sometimes go away without treatment. But if you have symptoms of BV you should be checked and treated. It is important that you take all of the medicine prescribed to you, even if your symptoms go away. A health care provider can treat BV with antibiotics, but BV may return even after treatment. Treatment may also reduce the risk for some STDs.
Male sex partners of women diagnosed with BV generally do not need to be treated. BV may be transferred between female sex partners.
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