Which Doctor To Consult For Sexually Transmitted Disease?

Which Doctor To Consult For Sexually Transmitted Disease
Conclusion – Infectiologists are doctors who specialize in the diagnosis and management of infectious diseases, including sexually transmitted diseases. If you suspect that you or someone you love may have contracted an STD, don’t hesitate! Early diagnosis is essential to ensure the successful management of the condition and avoid potential complications.
Sexually transmitted diseases – Further information – As the name already suggests, STD diseases are ones which are mainly transmitted through sexual activity. This is not restricted solely to sexual intercourse in the strict sense because it also includes both oral and anal sex and kissing, where infection is also possible.

Also, with some STDs, infection is also possible via contact with infected blood. Among the most common sexually transmitted diseases are trichomonad infections and chlamydia. For example, infected persons become aware of these through itching in the genital area and discharges. Both bacteria and viruses can set off an infection.

The pathogens triggering genital warts are called human papillomavirus (abbreviated to HPV). Just like viral infections, fungal infections of the genitals also come under sexually transmitted diseases. Other sexually transmitted diseases are HIV and hepatitis B.

The ‘clap’ (gonorrhea) Syphilis Lymphogranuloma inguinale

The dividing line between STDs and venereal diseases is not always quite clear. Both terms are often used as synonyms. If various particular symptoms lead you to suspect that you have a venereal disease, you should consult a specialist. Various specialist groups are responsible for diagnosis and treatment.

Gynecologists are primarily concerned with the female genitalia. If the symptoms affect the female genital area, a gynecologist may be the professional to contact. Male patients with symptoms affecting the male genitalia can consult an urologist. The specialist for venereal diseases of both genders is also known as a venereologist.

However, venereology is not actually a separate specialist field but rather a sub-field of dermatology. Dermatology is the study of diseases of the skin. Venereology is assigned to dermatology because the sexually transmitted diseases manifest themselves in the skin in many cases.

This means that the venereologist is a skin doctor who has specialized in the field of venereal diseases. If the specialist suspects that the patient has a venereal disease, the first step is to discuss the matter with the patient. For example, he will ask if the patient has had unprotected sexual intercourse and will obtain a precise description of the symptoms.

If the symptoms are in the genital area, the specialist will generally carry out an inspection where he looks for any skin abnormalities. In order to rule out or confirm an infection a smear test will be conducted. Vaginal secretion, any infectious secretion such as a discharge from the urethra or skin material will be examined.

By means of microbiological processing, the laboratory doctor can isolate a pathogen strain. In this way, the doctor can obtain a reliable diagnosis. In some STDs, such as HIV or hepatitis B for example, the pathogens can also be identified in blood. The treatment naturally always depends on the type of infection.

In a bacterial infection, depending on how it manifests, the doctor prescribes antibiotics in the form of an ointment or tablets. In a viral infection, antibiotics are of no help. For example, HIV is treated with retroviral therapy whereas with an HPV infection of the vagina surgery may be necessary to remove proliferations of growth.

  • It is important that the current and any past sexual partners are treated at the same time.
  • If only one partner is treated for the venereal disease, there is always the risk of reinfection.
  • This is also known as the ‘ping pong effect’.
  • The specialist will also, ideally, give some counseling on the subject of safer sex.

Although unwanted pregnancies can be prevented by the pill and other hormonal contraceptives, the only effective protection against venereal diseases is the condom. If you suspect that you have contracted a venereal disease, you should definitely not allow embarrassment to hold you back from seeing the doctor.

https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/S/STI/STD.html https://www.derma.de/de/start/ https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/service/begriffe-von-a-z/s/sexuell-uebertragbare-infektionen-sti.html

Contents

What kind of Doctor treats STDs?

What doctor specializes in STDs? – All STDs are infections, so the doctor who specializes in the treatment of STDs is an infectiologist, often called just an infectious disease doctor, But do you really need an infectiologist to treat STDs? After all, general practitioners treat many infections as well, don’t they? The problem is that many severe infections can be silent for years.

  1. Also, they often look very similar to some common conditions.
  2. As a result, sometimes these infections aren’t diagnosed for a long time, up until the damage done to the patient’s health becomes too great.
  3. It takes profound experience and specialized knowledge to diagnose some STDs early and prevent them from developing into conditions that may compromise one’s general health and, in many cases, fertility.
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Infectiologists are experts in the diagnosis, treatment, and control of all kinds of infections, and that’s why they are way ahead of the general practitioner’s knowledge curve when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases.

How do doctors check for STDs and STIs?

Diagnosis – If your sexual history and current signs and symptoms suggest that you have a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or a sexually transmitted infection (STI), your doctor will do a physical or pelvic exam to look for signs of infection, such as a rash, warts or discharge.

Is there a cure for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)?

Treatment – STDs or STIs caused by bacteria are generally easier to treat. Viral infections can be managed but not always cured. If you are pregnant and have an STI, getting treatment right away can prevent or reduce the risk of your baby becoming infected. Treatment for STIs usually consists of one of the following, depending on the infection:

Antibiotics. Antibiotics, often in a single dose, can cure many sexually transmitted bacterial and parasitic infections, including gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia and trichomoniasis. Typically, you’ll be treated for gonorrhea and chlamydia at the same time because the two infections often appear together. Once you start antibiotic treatment, it’s necessary to finish the prescription. If you don’t think you’ll be able to take medication as prescribed, tell your doctor. A shorter, simpler course of treatment may be available. In addition, it’s important to abstain from sex until seven days after you’ve completed antibiotic treatment and any sores have healed. Experts also suggest women be retested in about three months because there’s a high chance of reinfection. Antiviral drugs. If you have herpes or HIV, you’ll be prescribed an antiviral drug. You’ll have fewer herpes recurrences if you take daily suppressive therapy with a prescription antiviral drug. However, it’s still possible to give your partner herpes. Antiviral drugs can keep HIV infection in check for many years. But you will still carry the virus and can still transmit it, though the risk is lower. The sooner you start HIV treatment, the more effective it is. If you take your medications exactly as directed, it’s possible to reduce the viral load in the blood so that it can hardly be detected.

If you’ve had an STI, ask your doctor how long after treatment you need to be retested. Getting retested will ensure that the treatment worked and that you haven’t been reinfected.

How do you deal with a partner who has an STD?

Coping and support – It can be traumatic to find out you have an STD or STI, You might be angry if you feel you’ve been betrayed or ashamed if you might have infected others. At worst, an STI can cause chronic illness and death, even with the best care that’s available. These suggestions may help you cope:

Hold off placing blame. Don’t assume that your partner has been unfaithful to you. One (or both) of you may have been infected by a past partner. Be honest with health care workers. Their job is not to judge you, but to provide treatment and stop STIs from spreading. Anything you tell them remains confidential. Contact your health department. Although they may not have the staff and funds to offer every service, local health departments have STI programs that provide confidential testing, treatment and partner services.

Which STD tests should I get?

  • Rapid STD Basic Panel: It tests for HIV,chlamydia,gonorrhea,and syphilis.
  • Rapid STD Test Panel: It tests herpes,HIV,hepatitis,syphilis,chlamydia,and gonorrhea.
  • Rapid STD Test Panel Plus: You can use it for herpes,HIV,syphilis,hepatitis,chlamydia,gonorrhea,and HIV RNA early detection.

How common are STIs?

A new study has found that STIs may be more common in high school students than we realized, and this sparks an important conversation that needs to happen everywhere. Teenagers are often blamed for thinking that they know everything, but that is part of their development. © Provided by Moms According to Medical Xpress, a study was done that showed that STIs may be more common in high school students than what was previously believed. This new report, which can be read in full here, says that not enough teenagers are getting tested.

  1. RELATED: Video Games Aim To Educate Teens About STDs Without proper testing, it is impossible to look at the rate of something and believe that it is accurate.
  2. It found that only 20% of teenagers who are sexually active have been tested for STIs in the last year.
  3. This means that 80% are not being tested, which means they could be carrying it or spreading it.

The other large concern is that this study was done before the pandemic hit, and it is likely that the pandemic may have made it worse because it was difficult to access testing during that time. They also found that among those who were tested, 26% were girls and 14% were boys, showing that girls are being tested at a higher rate.

This can spark an important conversation for parents to have with their children about how important it is to be safe and to get tested. Pediatrics – STDs may be more common than thought among US high school kids https://t.co/jYbPAxOEf6 – Help by Sharing pic.twitter.com/q9YVhSk08U — Arrowhead Pediatrics (@arrowheadpeds) April 11, 2022 The most common STIs are HPV, Chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, and syphilis and these can have some pretty serious impacts on their health,

The study also found that it was concerning that more boys were not getting tested since they are the ones more likely to report risky sexual behavior and to consume alcohol/drugs before engaging in intercourse which can lower their ability to assess risk.

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What are ways to prevent STDs?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 5 people in the United States has a sexually transmitted disease. “The burden of STIs is staggering,” said Jonathan Mermin, M.D., M.P.H., director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention.

At a time when STIs are at an all-time high, they have fallen out of the national conversation. Yet, STIs are a preventable and treatable national health threat with substantial personal and economic impact. There is an urgent need to reverse the trend of increasing STIs, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected many STI prevention services.” Eat This, Not That! Health spoke with Dr.

Tomi Mitchell, a Board-Certified Family Physician with Holistic Wellness Strategies who explained why STDs are a serious health concern and how to avoid getting one. Read on—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had COVID, Which Doctor To Consult For Sexually Transmitted Disease Shutterstock Dr. Mitchell says, “Sexually transmitted diseases (STD), also known as sexually transmitted infections (STI), are a topic that is important despite their sensitive nature. There are an estimated 20 million new cases of STDs in the United States each year.

Of these, half are among 15-24-year-olds. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are infections passed from one person to another through sexual contact. The organisms that cause STDs can enter the body through cuts or sores on the skin or mucous membranes, such as the mouth, rectum, or vagina. STDs are a leading cause of death and disability among women of childbearing age worldwide.

In the United States, STDs are a significant public health problem. They disproportionately affect certain groups of people, including adolescents and young adults, minorities, and gay and bisexual men. Despite their prevalence, STDs are often undiagnosed and untreated. Which Doctor To Consult For Sexually Transmitted Disease iStock According to Dr. Mitchell, “STDs are a serious health issue because they can cause long-term problems, including infertility, organ damage, and death. In addition, STDs can be passed from one person to another, leading to an outbreak of the disease.

For example, in 2016, there was a significant Zika virus outbreak in Brazil. The virus is primarily spread through sexual contact, and it can cause severe congenital disabilities. As a result, many countries issued travel warnings for pregnant women and advised couples planning to conceive to delay their travel plans.

While Zika is no longer a significant concern, other STDs, such as chlamydia and gonorrhea, are rising. These diseases can often be cured with antibiotics, but if they are left untreated, they can lead to serious health complications. For example, chlamydia can cause infertility in women, while gonorrhea can cause blindness.

  • As a result, it is essential to get tested for STDs and practice safe sex to reduce the risk of contracting an STD.
  • When most people think of syphilis, they likely think of it as a disease that antibiotics can cure.
  • However, syphilis is much more than that.
  • Syphilis is a severe and life-threatening infection that can cause lasting damage to the brain, heart, and other organs.

It can also lead to death. The bacterium Treponema pallidum causes syphilis, and it is most often spread through sexual contact. If left untreated, syphilis can lead to serious health problems like blindness, dementia, and cardiovascular disease. It can also lead to death.

HIV is a severe infection because it attacks the body’s immune system. This means that the body can’t fight off other infections and diseases, making people very ill. HIV is also a lifelong infection, so people who have it need to take medication for the rest of their lives. There is no cure for HIV, but most people with the infection can lead long and healthy lives with treatment.

However, if HIV isn’t treated, it can lead to AIDS, which is a condition that weakens the immune system even further and can be fatal. That’s why it’s so crucial for people who think they might have been exposed to HIV to get tested as soon as possible. Which Doctor To Consult For Sexually Transmitted Disease iStock “There are 20 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the United States every year,” says Dr. Mitchell. While anyone sexually active is at risk of contracting an STD, there are certain groups of more vulnerable people. According to the C enters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), young people between the ages of 15 and 24 make up just over one-quarter of the population, but they account for almost half of all new STD cases.

This is likely due to factors, including a lack of knowledge about how STDs are transmitted and a greater likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behaviors. Another group that is particularly vulnerable to STDs is gay and bisexual men. Men who have sex with men (MSM) account for more than two-thirds of all new syphilis cases.

How do you know if you have a sexually transmitted infection (STI)?

This is thought to be due to factors, including a higher rate of unprotected sex and a higher number of sexual partners. C ertain groups are more likely to be affected by STDs due to various factors, including economic inequality, lack of access to healthcare, and high-risk behaviors. Which Doctor To Consult For Sexually Transmitted Disease Shutterstock “STDs are serious business,” Dr. Mitchell emphasizes. “And while most people think that they’re only something that happens to other people, the truth is that anyone can get an STD. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 20 million new STD infections in the United States every year.

So how can you protect yourself from becoming one of those statistics? The best way to avoid getting an STD is to practice safe sex. That means using condoms every time you have sex and being smart about the sexual partners you choose. If you’re not in a monogamous relationship, it’s essential to get tested for STDs regularly.

And if you think you might have an STD, it’s essential to see a doctor right away. Getting tested and treated for STDs is not only good for your health, but it’s also good for the health of your partner or partners. So by taking these simple steps, you can help protect yourself from getting an STD.” RELATED: Proven Ways to Remove Warts Fast, Say Experts Which Doctor To Consult For Sexually Transmitted Disease Shutterstock Dr. Mitchell states, “When it comes to sexual health, one of the best things you can do is reduce your number of sexual partners. This may seem like counterintuitive advice, but hear us out. Having fewer sexual partners lowers your risk of exposure to sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

And, the fewer partners you have, the less likely you are to contract an STI in the first place. Each new person you have sex with exposes you to a new set of STI risks. So, the more partners you have, the greater your chances of coming into contact with an infection. In addition, people who have multiple sexual partners are more likely to engage in risky behaviors, such as not using protection, which further increases their STI risk.

So, if you’re looking to reduce your chances of getting an STI, focus on quality over quantity when it comes to your sexual partners.” Which Doctor To Consult For Sexually Transmitted Disease Shutterstock Dr. Mitchell reminds us, “It’s essential, to be frank about sexual health before getting intimate with a new partner. Many STDs are asymptomatic, so it’s possible to spread them without realizing it. Getting tested is the only way to know what STDs you may be carrying. Which Doctor To Consult For Sexually Transmitted Disease Shutterstock Dr. Mitchell says, “It might seem obvious, but abstinence is the only proven way not to get an STD. Though it’s not an easy or realistic method, if one uses all the proven ways above and stays in a monogamous, committed, long-term relationship, the chances of getting an STD are significantly lowered.

As a medical professional, I’ve seen too many people fall victim to STDs because they didn’t take the proper precautions. While it’s not always possible to prevent STDs through abstinence, it’s still important to be aware of the risks and take steps to protect yourself as much as possible. If you choose to have sex, be sure to use condoms consistently and correctly, get tested regularly, and talk openly with your partner about your sexual history and any potential risks.

Taking these precautions can help reduce your risk of contracting an STD.”

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What are the most common sexually transmitted infections?

  • Chlamydia.
  • Gonorrhea.
  • Trichomoniasis (Trich) Trichomoniasis is often accompanied by a foul-smelling vaginal discharge,painful urination,painful intercourse,and genital redness,burning,or itching.
  • Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Symptoms of stage 1 HIV are much like the flu.
  • Genital Herpes.