Sex and sexuality are becoming a big part of our society but so many of us are undereducated. This is often due to the huge holes in our sexual health education at school or as they call it now, “relationship” education. I understand that is an awkward subject but teachers are told to discourage and help prevent it but there is not that much on education on what to do if it does. Even within the home, I think most people within my age group still have parents who are of that generation where sex is not to be spoken about because its an inappropriate conversation, but the conversations need to happen.
What is an STI?
“An STI is typically passed from one person to another during sex. An STI can be transmitted whether you have sex once or numerous times, and can impact everyone, no matter your sexual orientation or gender.” [1]
When we as humans consider ourselves to be in good, peak physical health, we don’t see ourselves at risk to normal infections like the cold or flu so we neglect our sexual health. Sexual health is so much more however than just STIs. For now, let’s learn about STIs.
The most common infections are chlamydia and gonorrhoea, so I’ll focus on those.
In 2019, 229,411 people in England were diagnosed with chlamydia with 87,234 women between 15-24 and 46, 841 men within the same age bracket [3]. 70, 936 people were diagnosed with gonorrhoea and within 15-24 age category: 11, 843 were women and 13, 809, men.
The places that have the most STIs google searches are:
1. Leeds
2. Liverpool
3. Manchester
4. City of London
5. Edinburgh
6. Birmingham
All cities with huge student populations where most young adults are away from home for the first time and just go absolutely wild, especially during fresher’s week. 25% of first year students are more likely to contract a STI during this time period and seek out help from their local sexual health clinic. 18-25 year olds are the most at risk group of contracting some form of sexually transmitted infections (STI) and Brits within this age bracket have the most sex out of any other age group, with an average of “3.2 times a week” [1]. Don’t know what the .2 means but I assume a very tired couple!
Symptoms
At least 70% of women and 50% of men do not get any symptoms for chlamydia so regular testing is the most efficient way to look for STIs as the majority of people don’t suffer from any symptoms. However, if you do experience from any of the following known symptoms, then it is best to order a STI test.
For women, common symptoms for chlamydia include:
pain when urinating
unusual vaginal discharge
pain in the tummy or pelvis
pain during sex
bleeding after sex
bleeding between periods
For men with potential chlamydia:
pain when urinating
white, cloudy or watery discharge from the tip of the penis
burning or itching in the urethra (the tube that carries urine out of the body)
pain in the testicles
With gonorrhoea, it is more common to suffer from symptoms with 5 in 10 women diagnosed experiencing symptoms and 1 in 10 men.
With women, it is common to experience the following:
an unusual vaginal discharge, which may be thin or watery and green or yellow in colour
pain or a burning sensation when passing urine
pain or tenderness in the lower abdominal area – this is less common
bleeding between periods, heavier periods and bleeding after sex – this is less common
With men:
an unusual discharge from the tip of the penis, which may be white, yellow or green
pain or a burning sensation when urinating
inflammation (swelling) of the foreskin
pain or tenderness in the testicles – this is rare
You can also contract both diseases through oral sex which is uncommon and anal sex which will result in discomfort and irregular discharge.
Now ladies, we are more likely to contract an STI (lucky us!) due to our anatomy:
We have a more hospitable (moist) environment for bacteria to grow and the lining of a vagina is thinner and more delicate than a man’s foreskin so its easier for bacteria to penetrate.
Women are more commonly asymptomatic, so it is harder for us to pick up on.
Often if symptoms do occur like discharge or burning/itching, it can easily be mistaken for more minor issues such as yeast infections. Whereas men, discharge is less common in their normal day to day lives so it is more unusual for them [2].
Having penetrative sex is not the only way to contract these diseases. Other common ways include:
sharing sex toys that are not washed or covered with a new condom each time they're used
your genitals coming into contact with your partner's genitals – this means you can get infections from someone even if there's no penetration, orgasm or ejaculation
infected semen or vaginal fluid getting into your eye [4].
Another very rare way of contracting an STI but is possible, if you have recently had a throat infection, give oral sex and then have unprotected sex, the bacteria from your throat can develop within your uterus and make chlamydia so moral of the story there, don’t give oral until you’ve finished your antibiotics even if it doesn’t hurt!
I cannot emphasise enough the importance of looking for your nearest sexual health clinic. It is so much more of a comfortable setting to talk to a sexual health nurse than your GP. Obviously, GPs are well educated in all STIs as well as sexual health nurses, but it is more assuring knowing it’s their full-time job.
Treatment
Most STIs are easily treated with chlamydia being a simple course of antibiotics: twice a day for a week and gonorrhoea is an injection in the butt cheeks. During and after both treatments, you need abstain from sex and leave it at least 2 weeks to give them ample treatment to work. They do come with minor side effects such as light sensitivity, so when we eventually get sun, wear your shades, long sleeves and avoid direct sunlight like the Cullens. Also, minor dull aches but you are allowed to take paracetamol and ibuprofen alongside these meds. You are not allowed to drink alcohol as it may slow down the process and in that slowing down time, your infection may mutate to become resistant.
Long Term Effects
If these infections are left untreated for a long time, it may spread to other parts of the body within that region so for women: ovaries, fallopian tubes and womb; for men: testicles and “epididymis (tubes that carry sperm from the testicles), causing them to become painful and swollen. This is known as epididymitis or epididymo-orchitis” [4]. This can have a huge effect on fertility. With women, it can lead to a condition called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
“PID can cause a number of serious problems, such as:
difficulty getting pregnant or infertility
persistent (chronic) pelvic pain
an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy (where a fertilised egg implants itself outside the womb)
The symptoms of PID are generally similar to the symptoms of chlamydia, including discomfort or pain during sex, pain during urination, and bleeding between periods and after sex.
PID is usually treated with a 2-week course of antibiotics. The risk of experiencing problems such as infertility is lower if it's treated early, so it's important to seek medical advice as soon as possible if you have symptoms of the condition” [4].
The best way to prevent all of this is to have protected sex especially when maintaining a casual sex only policy, I know it feels good without but being poked and prodded down there is just not worth it. If you are only having casual encounters, get tested every 3 months minimum, obviously if you are in a long-term relationship, the need to do so is minimal but personally, I would do one at least once a year, but that’s just because I’m over the top now.
For testing, you can contact your local sexual health clinic, GP surgeries or get ones sent to your home through SH:UK or SH:24 depending on your area. The links for both are below:
Mental Health and Stigma
Not taking care of your sexual health can lead to a huge effect on your mental health. Due to the huge stigma around STIs, immediately people can get stuck with harsh and severe labels when diagnosed. ‘Dirty’, ‘slag’ and ‘easy’ are all words which are often associated with people who get diagnosed and these labels are hurtful and damaging to how someone perceives themselves as they feel like they are undeserving of people’s attention or makes them isolated from their desired sex, like all of a sudden, they are untouchable.
There is quite often a lot of blame and shame thrown around especially if someone passes it on. For example, if person A was assured by person B who they caught chlamydia off that they were clear of any infection, then A passed it onto person C, then person A is just of much a victim as person C. However, I guarantee that person C, will see person A as the one solely at fault which is not fair. Often when someone contracts an STI from a sexual partner, they want to absolve themselves of any wrongdoing, even if they agreed to unprotected sex, knowing some of the main risks. In consensual sex, everyone must accept some form of responsibility.
In addition, lots of young people don’t ever think about their fertility as it seems like something that is so far away. However, if your fertility is massively affected from STIs, if you decide that you are ready for children, you may find it difficult. This can a huge effect on your mental health as trying for children is often a stressful process anyway for some, poor fertility will make it more of a stressful experience. It could lead to potential self-blame for not picking it up sooner or taking risks at a young age which is totally harsh and unfair of someone to think about themselves. Soon, memories of a fun part of your life can become tainted by your struggle. I know it sounds extreme but often in those high-intensity situations people often think the worst of themselves. It is best to be as knowledgeable as possible to have a proactive outlook on your sexual health to be best prepared to avoid situations that make you question yourself.
Truly, contracting an STI like chlamydia and gonorrhoea is not that severe. It is very easily treated and if quickly found, can have next to no effects. We need to educate ourselves as best as we can and not rely on the mediocre education we received as teenagers. The most I remember from school was watching a cartoon with STIs personified as aggressive and angry blobs. Do I remember anything else? No! Do I feel like it taught a valuable life lesson? Please! *eye roll* I’ve learnt more doing research for this post then from anywhere else, so I hope you’ve learnt something too!
[1] Sexual Health Mapped: STI Hotspots Across the UK - https://freshstudentliving.co.uk/2020/09/09/sexual-health-sti-hotspots-uk/
[2] 10 Ways STDs Impact Women Differently from Men - https://www.cdc.gov/std/health-disparities/stds-women-042011.pdf
[3] Public Health England - Table 2: New STI diagnoses & rates by gender, sexual risk, age group & ethnic group, 2015 – 2019 - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sexually-transmitted-infections-stis-annual-data-tables
[4] Sexually Transmitted Infections – NHS - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sexually-transmitted-infections-stis/