CenterWeb: Unprotected Sex

Unprotected Sex: The Risks
(Apart from HIV what is there?).

By now, most of us know a little about HIV and we’ve heard about genital herpes, but did you know that there are many other kinds of sexually transmitted diseases, all of which can cause pain and many of which are as of yet untreatable? Despite this, many of us decide to have sex anyway but I felt that it’s important to at least be aware of what you’re risking. Below are some different types of sexually transmitted diseases and the problems that they can bring about: some of my relatives have some of the illnesses and I can assure you that they regret the decision to have unprotected sex daily.

Syphilis
This is a treatable disease that has three different phases to it, all of which are recognizable. The first stage is shown with a sore, the second phase may be represented with hair loss, fevers or skin rash but some people show none of these flu-like symptoms. The third stage is called latency. In latency, there is no signs but it is here that the disease affects the heart, brain, and liver. Syphilis is transmitted from one person to another during any kind of sexual activity: vaginal intercourse, anal or oral sex. It’s primary treatment is penicilin but be aware that some people are allergic to this medicine. If you are one of these people, it’s very important that you tell your physician this, so that he or she may use other methods to help cure this disease up. And it is important that syphilis be treated because if it is not treated, it can cause blindness, paralysis and heart problems.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
This disease affects women and is most common among girls between 15 and 25 years of age. In the United States, this is the leading cause of infertility among women. Usually, it is spread through chlamydia and gonorrhea, two other sexually transmitted diseases. It causes damage by affecting the reproductive systems in the female’s body. Some of the symptoms of this diseases include

Pain during sex
Abdominal pain
Fever
Chills
Bleeding between menstrual cycles

If PID is not treated (and it’s usually treated with a variety of antibiotic pills, and aggressive medication against either chlamydia and gonorrhea), it can lead to infertility, inflammation of the cervix, tubal pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain.

Gonorrhea
This is a very painful, but treatable disease that can be spread through vaginal intercourse, anal or oral sex. There does not have to be complete penetration in order to contract this disease. It affects both men and women and can be spread from mother to newborn child. The disease affects the genital areas of the body, as well as the conjunction of the eye. It can be difficult to tell whether you have gonorrhea or not, especially since most women who contract the disease have no symptoms. Some of the symptoms for men, however, are:

Discharge from genitals
Pain when urinating

If a woman experiences:

Vaginal bleeding
Pain during sex

Then it may be an indication that she has contracted the disease. There are several different types of medication for this disease. If it is left untreated, then it can cause

Infertility in women/sterility in men
The narrowing or closing of the urethra
Miscarriage in women
Inflammation of the lining after child birth
Severe menstrual pain
Inflammation of the bladder

These diseases are, again, only a small selection of the sexually transmitted diseases that can and are spread throughout the world. The only sure-fire way of not catching any of these, or any of the others, is by abstaining from sex until marriage.

I need to say, too, that I do not believe that STDs are a "punishment from God." I do believe, though, that every action we take has a consequence, and if you have made the decision to become sexually active, then you need to be willing to accept that the consequences of that choice may be an STD. God loves you, very much, and He has provided a very safe way of enjoying sex, without the danger of contracting an STD: marriage.

Take care of yourself and know that your health should always come before momentary pleasure, because you are making a difference in this world in which you live.