Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), as they are also known, often have no symptoms. However, if left untreated, it can have serious consequences, such as blindness and other neurological manifestations, infertility, mother-to-child transmission, or birth defects. It's clear that having an untreated STI increases the risk of transmitting the infection to others. Even if you use condoms and practice safer sex, the risk of transmission remains significant.
This is especially true for STIs, such as human papillomavirus (HPV), for which condoms only provide partial protection. Untreated STDs can grow unchecked for years in the body and cause the development of potentially serious or life-threatening illnesses. For example, a person with HPV may have cervical or anal cancer, while syphilis may cause blindness, dementia, and heart or kidney damage. STDs may be present without signs or symptoms.
That's why routine exams are essential. Untreated STDs can cause many health complications, including pelvic inflammatory disease, cervical cancer, and future infertility, among other things. So what happens if you let an STD go untreated? Without timely diagnosis and treatment, STDs can have serious consequences and even permanent damage. A rapid STI test can protect your health.
Sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea, if left untreated, can put both mother and baby at risk. These can cause premature births, stillbirths and spontaneous abortions, and pose the risk that the disease will be transmitted from mother to baby through normal delivery. In the worst case scenario, these STDs can also be very deadly for the baby. Nearly 20 million Americans get a sexually transmitted disease (STD) every year.
This statistic may or may not surprise you, but people with an STI, both men and women, could face serious consequences if they allow the shame and stigma associated with these diseases to prevent them from seeking immediate medical help. If there are no symptoms, it may be tempting to ignore an STI in the hope that it will go away on its own, and decide to care for it if the symptoms worsen. Some STDs, namely gonorrhea and chlamydia, can cause PID, reproductive system scarring, and infertility. The importance of getting tested and treated for STDs should not be overstated, as they can easily be transmitted from person to person.
If you suspect that you may have an STI or if you haven't been tested for STDs for a long time, a quick and effective 10-panel STD test can reassure you. Some couples only discover that one or both partners are carriers of sexually transmitted diseases when they visit a fertility clinic after being unable to conceive naturally. Non-existent, nonspecific, or slow-onset symptoms are probably the most common reasons why STDs often go untreated for a long time. Even with an STI that hasn't been treated for 3 years, many people don't know they've contracted an STI because they don't notice visible symptoms, such as vaginal discharge.
It's also important to schedule an appointment for an STI test if you have possible symptoms of an STD. If left untreated, syphilis progresses to the second stage and a rash develops, which eventually goes away with or without treatment. The active immune response caused by an untreated and uncontrolled STD increases the risk of contracting another STI during sexual contact. Untreated STDs can cause unwanted medical problems in the future, which can even lead to life-threatening illnesses.
With the increase in the rates of STDs, it's important to know how you can prevent them and to know the risks of not seeking treatment. Because some STDs are asymptomatic at first, the only way to know for sure if you have an STD is to get tested if you're sexually active. .
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