World AIDS Day: Learn How to Avoid STDs

What are STDs? Why are they so bad? How can I keep from getting one? Get all your answers here, courtesy of Dermatology, ER, and OB-GYN doctors here at Beijing United Family Hospital (BJU). 

What is an STD?

An STD is a sexually transmitted disease. These are sometimes referred to as STIs, or sexually transmitted infections. Whichever acronym you prefer, the term applies to a group of around 30 bacteria, viruses, and parasites that are known to be passed from person to person via sexual contact. WHO estimates that over one million STDs are acquired each day around the world.

What are the most common STDs?

You may not have heard of all 30-odd types of STD, but you’re likely aware of at least a few of the eight most rampant and high-profile ones. These eight can be divided into two groups of four:

INCURABLE VIRUSES:

HIV – causes immune deficiency;

Herpes – causes painful rashes, especially in the first two years of infection (symptoms decrease over time);

Hepatitis B – can cause cancer;

HPV – can cause genital warts and cancer (the nonavalent HPV vaccine is now available at BJU).BACTERIAL AND PARASITIC INFECTIONS (curable with treatments like antibiotics):

Syphilis – can cause multiple organ failure;

Chlamydia – can cause infertility;

Gonorrhea – can cause infertility;

Trichomoniasis – can cause genital inflammation that makes a person more susceptible to contracting HIV.

How can you avoid STDs?

The most fool-proof way of avoiding STDs is to simply not have sex. If you, like most people, are happy to rule that strategy out, then rest assured that there are other ways to protect yourself, chief among them being educating yourself about the dangers out there and practicing safe sex. 

Given the fact that you may be reading this article in public, we’ve chosen not to bombard you with graphic pictures of STD symptoms, opting instead for the more subtle, euphemistic images you’re scrolling through now. However, if you know what these symptoms look like, it may be easier for you to spot them and make a more informed decision about sleeping with someone who has them. When you’re in the privacy of your own home (and preferably not after you’ve eaten), do an images search online to learn what some of the eight most common STDs look like. If you see anything suspicious on a potential sexual partner, consider waiting until they get treatment or are outbreak-free before having sex with them. 

When it comes to practicing safe sex, WHO advises the use of condoms as a highly effective means of protection against diseases like HIV. To escape avoidable risks, read the instructions leaflet in your box of Durex and learn how to put on a condom properly – practice on a banana if you have to! 

While using condoms is a great place to start, it can be hard to convince some people to wear them. “Part of the issue in China is that men here are more resistant to using condoms, and that makes STD passage a lot easier,” says BJU Obstetrician and Gynecologist Dr. Dalice Marriott. So, it’s possible you may need to do a bit of convincing if you’d like to sleep with a Chinese man and want to use a condom. 

It’s also important to remember that condoms are not foolproof. “Some people think condoms can protect against all STDs, but that’s not true,” cautions Dr. Shan Yuan, Chair of Dermatology at BJU. “They can certainly protect against most things, but not everything,” she says. 

Because many symptoms of STDs are skin-related – like genital warts, herpes (causing outbreaks on the genitals or around the mouth), and syphilis (causing rashes on the genitals, on the mouth, on the hands and feet, or on almost anywhere where there is skin or a mucous membrane) – dermatologists are often the ones to treat them. Dr. Yuan explains that when a patient has warts, herpes outbreaks, or syphilis rashes on areas that can’t be protected by a condom – like the perianal area, the base of the penis, or the labia majora (the outside of the vagina) – they can still pass on their disease even if they use a condom during sex. 

Bearing this in mind, it’s best to be vigilant about these diseases and not assume that a condom will provide complete protection. If you’re sexually active and change partners, try to have an open and honest conversation with new partners about STDs, and get STD checks regularly. 

What can you do if you think may have gotten an STD?

While anyone who is sexually active could catch an STD, the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that men who have sex with men and people between the ages of 15 and 24 are at a particularly high risk of contracting STDs. If you’re sexually active – regardless of whether you have casual sex or have had a singular unsafe sexual encounter – it’s a good idea to get STD checks with your Family Medicine physician (GP). This can be whenever you switch sexual partners, if you have intercourse without a condom, or if the condom breaks. Women can also go to the gynecologist for screening. If you have unprotected sex with someone you know has a disease or who you strongly suspect might, you should go to the hospital immediately to receive post-exposure medication. We offer post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV as well as more common sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea at the BJU Emergency Room. Efficacy of the medicine is much better the earlier we give it, so we recommend that patients come to the ER right away for post-exposure treatment. 

When should you come in for testing if you’re not incredibly worried that you contracted HIV? “Two or three weeks after is a good time,” says Dr. Marriott. “Women should come in earlier if there’s pain, abnormal discharge, or any symptoms like that,” she says. She adds that it’s best to diagnose and begin treating most STDs before you start getting symptoms as they can cause long-term damage if left untreated. “HIV is going to take time to show up in your system, so you need to have repeat testing after a duration of time,” she finishes.

Who? What? Where? When?

STDs are something of a multidisciplinary disease that many doctors can help treat. Here’s your cheat sheet for who to see, and when:

ER – Get emergency HIV, gonorrhea, or chlamydia prophylaxis at BJU’s 24-hour ER immediately after potential exposure.

Family Medicine physician (GP) – After two to three weeks with a new partner, or a few weeks after a potential infection, go to the GP for STD screening.

Gynecologist – Women can also choose to go to their gynecologist for testing instead of the GP. They should also go to the gynecologist if they start having symptoms like pelvic pain, abnormal discharge, irritation, or swelling – or if they want more advice about safe sex. 

Dermatologist – Men can go to the dermatologist to get symptoms of a potential STD checked out. That includes rashes, lesions, and irritations on or around the genitals. Women who suffer from cutaneous lesions on their private area should also see a dermatologist.

To make an appointment with any of these specialists, please call the BJU Service Center at 4008-919191. 

• Pretty sure that HPV is not for you? Go further to prevent it by getting your HPV shot at BJU!

• Past your dating phase and ready to settle down and have a baby? Dr. Marriott explains how to prepare for pregnancy, both mentally and physically. 

• Speaking of communicable diseases, have you gotten your flu shot yet?