Trichomoniasis

The third most common STD is trichomoniasis, more commonly known as "trich." Trichomoniasis is the most common curable STD in teens today.  An estimated 7.4 million new cases are diagnosed each year.  Trichomonas vaginalis is the protozoan parasite that causes this infection.  The infection occurs in the vagina for women and the urethra for men.  It is passed through sexual intercourse or from vulva to vulva.  Women can get it from infected men or women and men can only contract the disease through an infected female.  men typically don't show symptoms other than burning during urination or ejaculation, two common symptoms for most STDs.  In women symtoms occur 5-28 after exposure and include, discolored or odored discharge that is not typical, burning during urination and sexual intercourse, and sometimes abdominal pain.  One of the major complications of trichomonas is that it can make a female more susceptable to getting HIV when being exposed.  It also increases the chance of a woman spreading HIV to their sex partners.  Women who have trichomonas during pregnancy tend to have babies with lower birth weights.  A lab culture must be done in order to diagnose trichomoniasis.  It can be treated with perscription drugs.  Prevention from trichomonas is the same as most other sexually transmitted diseases: abstinence or testing of your sex partners before engaging in sexual intercourse. 

The following link will provide you with any STD information you need:

www.cdc.gov/std

This Youtube video just highlights the three STDs that I have talked about in this post and my previous post.  it provides information given straight from a health professional and may answer questions that I have no addressed in my posts.

The National Prevention Information Network's List of Most Common STDs

The National Prevention Information Network (NPIN) pairs their prevention methods, along with the statistics and information that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide a detailed list of information on the most common STDs.  This may serve as a bit of a shocker but currently 19 million new infections occer each year, effecting men and women of all backgrounds and economic statuses.  Over half of those cases occur in people ages 15 to 24.  Along with the wide spread of STDs, they contribute to $14.7 billion in health care costs each year.  While the incidence and prevalence are both high and a huge chunk of our nations spending going to STDs, most people in the United States are unaware of the risks and consequences of STDs, including the most common, the HIV virus that causes AIDS.
The rest of my posts will be aimed to highlight the more common STDs and provide general information so that the public has some sort of background and awareness on their effects and prevention.  There are countless sources of information on STDs and their prevention.  Some of which I recommend are the Mayo Clinic, CDC, and NIH along with Medline Plus.  These three links provide information on prevention and STDs in general, but also additionally provide various links to learn more about specific STDs.  Currently the most common STDs are chlamydia and gonnorhea.

Chlamydia

Above is a picture of the microscopic bacterium, Chlamydia trachomatics.  Currently chlamydia is the most common bacterial STD in the United States.  It can be transmitted orally, vaginally, and anally through sexual intercourse with an infected partner.  It can also be passed from mother to infant during childbirth.  Silver nitrate drops are used to prevent this from happening, but chlamydia can pass in the form of pneumonia or a severe neonatal eye infection.  One of the biggest issues with chlamydia is it can show no symptoms for one to three weeks after exposure.  One symptom for men is discharge from the penis.  Symptoms for women include burning during urination or abnormal vaginal discharge. If it spreads from the cervix to the fallopian tubes some women will have it and experience no symptoms, others will experience lower abdomen and back pain, nausea, fever, pain during intercourse, or spotting between menstrual periods.  When chlamydia goes undetected and untreated, it can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, which can lead to sterility.  Chlamydia can be treated with antibiotics.  In order to prevent chlamydia, standard STD prevention techniques are greatly encouraged.  The most important prevention technique is to treat your sex partner(s) before engaging in sexual intercourse after diagnosis.  If not chlamydia will just be passed back and fourth.

Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted bacterial infection caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae.  It grows in warm moist places of the body including the reproductive tract, mouth, throat, or anus.  Gonorrhea can be spread from mother to baby during delivery.  Symptoms for men include a burning sensation when urinating, or a white, yellow, or green discharge from the penis, and sometimes painful or swollen testicles.  For women the symptoms include painful or burning sensation when urinating, increased vaginal discharge, or vaginal bleeding between periods.  In women gonorrhea can sometimes be confused with a bladder or vaginal infection. Gonorrhea can also lead to pelvic inflammatory disease if it goes unnoticed or untreated. It can be treated with medications and antibiotics.  Standard STD prevention techniques should be implemented to avoid spreading on gonorrhea.

The CDC's Take on STD Prevention

A lot of success has been made in STD prevention over the last few decades, but despite the gains in research and health practices, the United States has the highest rates of sexually transmitted infection in the industrialized world, making prevention all the more important.
Most people are aware that abstaining from sexual intercourse and monogamy are the best forms of prevention, but with our population becoming more and more open to sex through media and society, other measures need to be practice to be more practical.  The problem is there aren't many other ways.  The condom can help reduce (when used correctly) the transmission of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis, but the key word is 'help'...  Many people don't use the condom correctly or consistantly.  In these cases, those sexually transmitted infections can be spread.  Condoms also don't protect againt HIV and AIDS, even if used properly.

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) provides methods to reduce the risk of spreading STDs. All partners should be tested before initiating sexual intercourse.  This is an issue because sometimes STDs, for example HPV and HIV, can go undetected for a long period of time before experiencing symptoms.  A way to reduce your risk in this situations is to ask your partner if they have ever had a disease, come in contact with someone who might have has a disease, and if they are experiencing any signs or symptoms of a disease.  If any of these questions gets a 'yes' answer, you should ask for them to get tested before engaging in sexual intercourse.  Another tip is to use a new condom during each act of intercourse.  Lastly, everyone should get regular checkups for STDs after relations with a new sex partner.  Some STDs can be treated and if caught early can reduct the risk of permanent damage.
The CDC has launched a prevention strategy that functions around 5 components:
1. Education and counseling of persons at risk on safer sex behaviors
2. Identification of infected persons unlikely to seek diagnostic and treatment services
3. Effective diagnosis and treatment of infected persons
4. Evaluation, treatment, and counseling of sex partners to those with infection
5. Pre-exposure vaccination for those at risk for vaccine preventable STDs
The CDC along with health departments, health care providers, non-governmental organizations, and governmental entities will continue to improve biomedial and behavioral strategies to maintain the progress in STD prevention.

http://www.cdcnpin.org/scripts/std/prevent.asp