However, for consistencys sake, well continue to use the term STD throughout this article.
If you’re sexually active, getting anSTDis a real possibility.
In most cases, an infected person will show the telltale signs of the infection.
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Here are the STDs that don’t have obvious symptoms.
Chances are you’ll have HPV at some point in your life whether or not you realize it.
That’s because some strains cause genital warts, but many others don’t.
If you’re over 30, routine screening is recommended along with your Pap smear.
Chlamydia
What it is:Chlamydia is one of the most common STIs in women under 25.
It’s alsoknown as a “silent” infection, because most people will never experience symptoms.
Bleeding between periods, lower back and abdominal pain, and pain during sex are also potential symptoms.
But, again, it could come with no symptoms at all.
In fact, untreated chlamydia is a common cause of PID, according to theU.S.
Department of Health and Human Services.
TheCDC notesthat each year, 24,000 women become infertile because of an undiagnosed STD.
Scarring can also cause an ectopic pregnancy, which can be life-threatening for both mom and baby.
Chlamydia also increases a woman’s risk of contracting HIV from an infected partner.
Typically, these are symptoms of the bacterial infection spreading further from where it originated.
Again, this might seem unnecessary, but its completely possible to have gonorrhea without knowing it.
Herpes
What it is:Herpes is a viral infection that can present on your mouth or your genitals.
While most people think of herpes and automatically picture painful, red blisters, not everyone gets those.
In fact, it’s estimated thatup to 90 percentof people with HSV-2 are never diagnosed.
Oddly enough, routine herpes screening is actually not recommended by the CDC.
This is because there is no cure for herpes, though there is treatment to manage the symptoms.
So theres really not much you could do until you have symptoms.
If you believe you may have been exposed to herpes, talk to your doctor about that.
If left untreated, trichomoniasis can increase the risk of acquiring other STDs, including HIV.
The good news is that if you have trichomoniasis, it can be cured with a round of antibiotics.
