Outbreaks typically become less painful and frequent over time. If a pregnant woman has herpes, she can potentially pass it to her fetus in the womb or to her newborn infant during childbirth. This so-called congenital herpes can be very dangerous to newborns. But medications are available to help control outbreaks and alleviate the pain of herpes sores. The same medications can also lower your chances of passing herpes to your sexual partner.
Effective treatment and safe sexual practices can help you lead a comfortable life with herpes and protect others from the virus. Get the information you need to prevent, recognize, and manage herpes. When they do cause symptoms, they often include a sore throat or sores around the mouth or throat. Learn more about the potential symptoms and treatment options for oral STDs. Many STDs are curable. For example, the following STDs can be cured with antibiotics or other treatments:.
Treatment options are often available to help alleviate symptoms and lower your chances of transmitting the STD to someone else. Take a moment to learn more about curable and incurable STDs. In newborns, STDs can cause complications.
In some cases, they can be life-threatening. If you test positive for one or more STDs while pregnant, your doctor might prescribe antibiotics, antiviral medications, or other treatments. In some cases, they might encourage you to give birth via a cesarean delivery to lower the risk of transmission during childbirth.
But even symptom-free STDs can cause damage or be passed to other people. Healthcare providers can diagnose most STDs using a urine or blood test. They may also take a swab of your genitals. Home testing kits are also available for some STDs, but they may not always be reliable.
Use them with caution. Check to see if the U. Food and Drug Administration has approved the testing kit before buying it. A Pap smear checks for the presence of precancerous cells on the cervix. Some people may benefit from more frequent testing than others. Find out if you should be tested for STDs and what the tests involve.
Otherwise, you can pass an infection back and forth between you. Continue taking them even if you feel better before you finish taking all of them. While most viral infections have no cure, some can clear on their own. And in many cases, treatment options are available to relieve symptoms and reduce the risk of transmission.
For example, medications are available to reduce the frequency and severity of herpes outbreaks. Likewise, treatment can help stop the progression of HIV. Furthermore, antiviral drugs can lower your risk of transmitting HIV to someone else.
Some STDs are caused by neither viruses nor bacteria. Examples include:. These STDs are usually treatable with oral or topical medications. This will help prevent serious health problems for yourself and reduce the risk of transmitting the infection to others.
Many STI symptoms will go away or change quickly. This does not mean that the STI has gone away. It will be harder for your health professional to diagnose your STI after the symptoms have changed. A delay in being evaluated may lead to a more serious illness.
Blahd Jr. Author: Healthwise Staff. Medical Review: William H. STDs are extremely common. In fact, 20 million new cases are reported in the United States each year, with 50 percent of these cases generally affecting people between the ages of 15 and The good news is that most STDs are curable and even those without a cure can be effectively managed or minimized with treatment.
The eight most common STDs are:. Most STDs are curable through the use of antibiotics or antiviral medications. However, there are still four incurable STDs:. Hepatitis B is one of the leading causes of liver cancer.
Babies usually receive a vaccine against this infection at birth, but many adults born before may not have received the vaccine. If you have hepatitis B, your best option is to speak to your doctor about checking your liver and your medication options to lessen symptoms. Herpes is one of two chronic viral STDs. Herpes is very common — over million people are estimated to have herpes worldwide.
Herpes is spread through skin-to-skin contact. Many people with herpes may not know they have it because they show no symptoms. 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. If tests show that you have an STI , your sex partners — including your current partners and any other partners you've had over the last three months to one year — need to be informed so that they can get tested.
If they're infected, they can then be treated. Each state has different requirements, but most states require that certain STIs be reported to the local or state health department. Public health departments often employ trained disease intervention specialists who can help notify partners and refer people for treatment.
The practice also steers those at risk toward counseling and the right treatment. And since you can contract some STIs more than once, partner notification reduces your risk of getting reinfected. Explore Mayo Clinic studies testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition.
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. Most people don't feel comfortable sharing the details of their sexual experiences, but the doctor's office is one place where you have to provide this information so that you can get the right care.
Giving your doctor a complete report of your symptoms and sexual history will help your doctor determine how to best care for you. Here are some of the things your doctor may ask:. If you think you might have an STI , it's best to abstain from sexual activity until you've talked with your doctor. If you do engage in sexual activity before seeing your doctor, be sure to follow safe sex practices, such as using a condom. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products.
Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. 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.
Tests Laboratory tests can identify the cause and detect coinfections you might also have. Blood tests. Blood tests can confirm the diagnosis of HIV or later stages of syphilis. Urine samples. Some STIs can be confirmed with a urine sample. Fluid samples. If you have open genital sores, your doctor may test fluid and samples from the sores to diagnose the type of infection. Screening Testing for a disease in someone who doesn't have symptoms is called screening.
Screening is recommended for: Everyone.
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