But we still don’t feel good about ourselves when we get them.
It’s important to take some deep breathes, get treated, notify partners, to move on with your very busy and awesome life.
Remember: All STDs are treatable, and many have a cure. If you are having a tough time with a diagnosis, rest assured, you are not the first person to struggle with these news.Talk to someone you trust like a friend, parent, partner, neighbor, family member, counselor or doc and get the support you need.Generally, the photos of sample STDs are the worst case scenarios, which may stress you out.
In the healthy/beautiful looking people, there could be herpes in remission, HIV in the semen, two small genital warts in the fold of skin on the side of the penis.
No one would ever get near that, right?
They don’t look like this because these pictures usually are of severe cases- you can check those out by clicking here – you will be taken to another site.
But we know what’s up and that the healthy looking person could be infected with a bunch of STDs and not know it themselves. The most realistic pictures of someone who has an STD basically looks like healthy vaginas and penises (even when we do have an infection) that’s why getting checked out regularly is so important.
Routine maintenance/ Annual Exams: I don’t have symptoms, but a partner told me I should get checked out.
Peace of mind: I had something before and how do I know it’s gone?
Partner History and getting checked out cuz of that:
I know I have Herpes, Hepatitis, – I know it’s something I need to stay on top of and get a new prescription for more medicine for the next year.
Time to get tested after a couple of weeks to see how the meds worked and take it from there.
So your boyfriend gave you a STD, and you got treated but he didn’t and now you are giving it back and forth to one another.
Most likely your provider will want to see both of you at your next visit to make sure you are both getting the treatment that you need.
In-grown hair or pimples with hair are probably not HPV warts – but it could be something else. The truth is that with time, you’ll learn your body to know what’s normal for YOU. Until then, if you’re not sure, get it checked out by a professional.
Questions you should be asking if you see a bumps near your vagina or butt…
Can you or your partner get a good look at the bump that you’ve noticed?
Does it have a cauliflower like bumpiness appearance?
Can you pop it?
Is it one bump or is it a cluster?
Does it have any sensation at all? Does it hurt? Does it itch? Is your skin irritated?
Are they small painless bumps that resemble the skin?
The truth is…
Different infections affect the body differently.
For example, HPV and genital warts affect the skin cells and there’s no nerves in warts – so they don’t usually hurt.
Where as Herpes lives in nerve endings and hurts.
So, ya, even if it’s not hurting doesn’t mean you don’t have an infection.
That’s why getting checked out on the regular is so important.
Everyone wants to know if they are at low, medium, or high risk for getting a STD. The truth is that these are the behaviors that can and can’t spread STDs.
Sex without a condom (penis to vagina or penis to anus)
Oral sex – either penis to mouth or vagina to mouth- makes it less likely to spread but the risk of infection is still a possibility.
One could have sex one time with someone who is ending their menstrual cycle and still spotting a tiny bit. The lights are out and no one realizes it. That’s a great way to get HIV.
If there is an unusual discharge – heavier than usual, different color than usual, or fowl smelling – it’s a good idea to get checked out to be on the safe side. There is an every day or almost everyday discharge that happens usually in the morning as part of the way the vagina and vulva maintain hygiene.
This tends to happen more in men than in women with a direct connection to STDs – usually if a guy has a burning sensation when he pees, it’s gonorrhea or chlamydia. In women, it could mean a couple of different things, like a bladder infection or a urinary tract infection, also known as UTIs. These are no fun, and it’s important to get treated by going to a clinic or your doctor’s office.
It’s funky
It’s heavier than it used to be
It’s coming and going
It happens twice as often as it used to happen
I’ve had it every day for like 7 weeks
There’s pain that I didn’t used to have
It’s not ending , I’m just having a bunch of spotting
It’s probably a good idea if something is up with your period to get checked out to make sure everything is cool with your cervix. Your cervix is an area that has access to blood, so when we’re experiencing more bleeding than usual, it’s important to make sure something else isn’t going on.
Well, what could it be?
It could be something going on inside that we can’t see – like warts or another infection. Don’t hit that panic button. 
The next step is to go see a doc to figure out what’s up with your body.
Taking some deep breathes can help you stay calm.
We’ve all heard horror stories about STDs last your entire life causing you grief every single day.
Fact: the majority of infections spread through sexual intercourse are curable or treatable and the symptoms go away permanently or come back with less intensity and frequency and you will go on to lead a happy, healthy sexual life. They typically have short life-spans as far as symptoms go. Meaning, they interrupt your life for only a little while.
That said, there are a few STDs when untreated (either because symptoms go ignored or there aren’t any) that can harm our bodies and even impact whether or not we can have a baby when we might want one.
It’s also important to know that STDs can increase our risk for other STDs including HIV.
It’s really important to know your body and pay attention to signs your body may be giving you and to ask questions.
Getting a regular check up, and having a good, open, and honest relationship with your provider is really important.
Missing an infection because we don’t get checked out on the regular is when we get into trouble.[/expand]
This is some of the more scary stuff, so keep in mind that this tends to happen to the folks who are not getting checked out regularly.
The long-term effects can include everything from nerve damage, death, infertility (meaning not being able to have babies either because one cannot get pregnant or because they keep having miscarriages), and cancer. HPV, or genital warts, can cause cervical or other cancers.
You can do several things to lower your chances of any of these.
Have an honest and open relationship with your gyno, set up appointments and keep them for pap smears, and use condoms.
There are a few foods that can be avoided to decrease the duration of a breakout.
Avoid:
caffeine,
nuts,
corn,
chocolate,
oatmeal.
Lysine vs. arginine.
Foods with a high lysine ratio can help manage herpes in some people, whereas the foods that have a high arginine ratio may aggravate herpes outbreaks for some people.
Check out this link for a list of which foods to eat and which to avoid during a herpes outbreak.
http://www.herpes-coldsores.com/lysine-food-chart.htm