STD means Sexually Transmitted Diseases and STI means Sexually Transmitted Infections. You may have heard about HIV, but there are more than 30 STDs that have been discovered so far. Some of them are listed below, many of which are more common than HIV.
Bacterial = Gonorrhoea, Syphilis, Chancroid, Chlamydia, Mycoplasma, Ureaplasma, Gardnerella vaginalis, Trichomonas etc.
Fungal = Candida
Parasitic = Pediculosis pubis, Pubis lice, Donovanosis, Scabies etc.
Viral = HPV, HBV, HCV, HSV, HIV
Other = Bacterial Vaginosis
These agents cause infection in the vagina and other pelvic organs. When a pelvic organ gets infected with one of these, you may witness the following symptoms.
1. Vaginal discharge that can be red, white, watery, green-yellow or brown and curd-like
2. A different odour from the vagina
3. Bleeding
4. Swelling around the vagina/vulva/anus. This may or may not be painful.
5. Ulcers
6. Lower abdominal pain
7. Fever
8. Itching
9. Dyspareunia (pain during sexual intercourse)
10. Blisters
11. Sores
12. Rashes
13. Painful bubo (an enlarged lymph node)
14. Dysuria (pain during urination)
15. Increased frequency of urination
16. Urgency in passing urine (unable to hold the urine even for a short period of time)
17. Development of mass in the lower abdomen area
18. New onset of Dysmenorrhoea (painful periods)
If you have any of these symptoms, you should seek medical help. In order to diagnose the exact cause of infection, the doctor will put a foot-long swab inside your vagina to collect the specimen. Some people might refuse to go to the doctor because of the stigma around a woman’s virginity.
But healthcare providers are also humans and understand these stigmas. So they have developed a better way to deal with testing STDs, and that is called the Syndromic Approach.
In this approach, the patient comes to the hospital and the doctor looks for all signs and symptoms described by the patient. They then match the causative agent with the described symptoms. This method is effective because every agent has its own signs and symptoms.
Different categories have been made based on these signs and symptoms. So the doctor can categorise the patient’s condition and put them under the most suited category. Kits are available for each category, and each kit contains the required drugs for any agent in that category.
Why is the Syndromic Approach effective? This is because:
1. It does away from any stigma that the patient or their family might have around the doctor touching the patient.
2. Treatment can be provided at a lower level as well, such as Primary Health Centres, ICTC centres, Community Health Centres, or even at home.
4. The treatment can also be provided by ASHA workers, ANM or MPW.
5. Even if the doctor does a full diagnostic workup by an examination of the vaginal swab, the treatment will remain the same.
6. It is time-saving.
7. It also saves resources.
If one ignores their symptoms due to the stigma attached to virginity, then the following complications may occur:
Infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease, damage of the genital organs, Fistula, ectopic pregnancy, a congenital defect in newborns, cervical cancer, oral cancer, genital tumours, genital/oral warts, sepsis or even death.
If someone has an infection other than HIV, then the chance of getting HIV also increases. In the case of Trichomonas infection, both partners should be treated, otherwise, the infection might recur.
Always maintain genital hygiene and safe sex.
Note: Always look at your symptoms in detail, including the like amount of discharge, as well as its colour and odour. You may also read the NACO guidelines on STIs here.