Busting Common Misconceptions: The Reality of STDs
Misconceptions about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can lead to confusion, negative stigmas, or misguided beliefs
Most people have heard of Sexually Transmitted Diseases – STDs. You can probably even name a few. But, are you aware that there are still some incurable ones? Unfortunately, even with the modern advances, we have gone through in medical science, some diseases still have no cure. That does not mean there won't be a cure shortly, but at the moment, anyone who is unlucky enough to catch one of the incurable diseases listed below has it for life. The good news is that, even though we cannot cure them, they can be managed with treatment and medication.
Everyone should bear in mind that even if you show no symptoms, it does not mean you are clear. Many people with an STD have no idea they have one, and in some cases, this ignorance will go on for many years. This means that you are likely to pass an STD on to someone else, usually your partner. And it can mean that an unborn child can be infected too.
Another thing to be aware of is that some people with an STD will hide this fact from their partners. They do this for many reasons, and it can only take one mistake to pass it on. It is far better to know your status than hope for the best. If you have recently got a new partner, you should insist you both get STD testing done. It is in your best interests to get tested if you have been unwise or unlucky or are simply unsure. This way, you will find out what your STD status is and start medication, if needed, as soon as possible. The longer you leave it, the worse it will be. STD testing these days is simple. You can order the tests you want privately online from here. You are guaranteed confidential STD testing. Once you have the test, visit one of our 4,500+ local labs to give a blood or urine sample. You will receive the results in 1-2 days. For the vast majority of you, all your needless worrying will be over.
Below we will discuss non-curable STDs, what they are, how you can detect non-curable STDs with STD testing, and what treatment can be offered to protect you from them.
Fortunately, there are only four non-curable STDs left, and they are:
- HIV – Human Immunodeficiency Virus
- HPV – Human Papillomavirus
- Hepatitis B
- Herpes
HIV
What is it?
HIV is the virus that, if left unmedicated, leads to AIDS-acquired immune deficiency syndrome. It is a chronic virus that damages the body's immune system and breaks down your ability to fight other illnesses. As HIV spreads inside the body, it begins making you immunodeficient. Your immune cells simply no longer work. This means that even everyday infections such as a cold can be life-threatening. If left untreated, HIV will transform into AIDS and eventually kill you.
What are the Symptoms?
Unfortunately, you may be infected with HIV for many years and not know about it. HIV has been classified into three stages.
- Stage One: After the initial infection, many infected people come down with a flu-like illness, usually within 2 – 6 weeks of contracting the virus. This illness usually includes fever, a rash, swollen lymph nodes, headache, sore throat, muscle aches, sweating, diarrhea, etc. Most people think this is the flu and think nothing of it. It can last from a few days to a few weeks, and then it disappears. This is known as Acute HIV Infection, and you are the most infectious at this stage.
- Stage Two: This is the clinical latency or chronic HIV infection stage, where HIV reproduces in the body but at low levels. A lot of people display no symptoms during this stage, and it can go on for years, perhaps as many as ten. But, all the time, your immune system is becoming more and more damaged. You are infectious, and you can pass the infection on to others.
- Stage three: AIDS. With no treatment, anyone who has progressed this far will usually only survive for three years. The body is so badly damaged that the patient will be getting severely ill from many different infections and illnesses. These are known as Opportunistic Infections.
How do you test for HIV?
Your HIV status will be determined by a blood test that can detect non-curable STDs. If you are worried, please order std tests online.
What is the Treatment?
The most common way to treat HIV is with antiretrovirals. A person can live a normal life-span if they take antiretrovirals every day as prescribed by the doctor. The drugs keep the viral count low and sometimes at such a level as to become undetectable. They work by blocking or suppressing the viral mutations that will be occurring to the immune cells due to HIV. This means they stop the virus from spreading. It also means you may not be able to pass it on. If you start the antiretrovirals early enough, you minimize the chance of the virus getting worse.
What are the Advances in Curing HIV?
Scientists are using a collaborative approach to working on a cure for HIV. There is hope that suppressing the virus enough, it may make the virus disappear entirely. However, one of the main issues they are having is that HIV can lay dormant in healthy immune cells, meaning they are unrecognized by these cells. Due to this, if a patient stops antiretrovirals, for example, HIV will begin to multiply. Work is being done to create more powerful antiretrovirals that prevent the virus from spreading again.
HPV
What is HPV?
This is a widespread infection. As many as 90% of sexually active people will contract this illness in their lifetimes. In most cases, though, HPV will disappear on its own with no cause for concern. HPV is the name given to a range of over 100 types of viruses that affect a patient's skin or mucous membranes.
What are the Symptoms?
If you are unlucky enough to be one of the few people who cannot get rid of HPV on your own, the infection can lead to genital warts. It also causes abnormal cell changes, which can cause cancer. Cancers associated with HPV include cervical cancer, oral cancer, anal cancer, and vaginal cancer.
How do you test for HPV?
There is no specific test for HPV, unfortunately. You can't even test for it via an STD testing blood test. However, women of sexually active age are offered a Pap Smear test that can detect abnormal changes in the cervix cells, which can indicate a patient's likelihood of developing cervical cancer. You may also get a vinegar solution test, aka an acetic acid test, which can test for the existence of hard-to-see warts. You may also be offered a DNA test that can discover the presence of high-risk types of HPV. These are the ones that generally lead to cancer.
What is the Treatment?
Not only is HPV non-curable, but it is untreatable too. There are no medications for HPV. However, if it progresses to warts, these can be removed with medical creams, liquids, or freezing them off. It may take up to a few weeks or even months for the wart to die. It may be necessary to have surgery to cut, burn, or laser the wart off in some cases. In many cases, though, warts come back again. If HPV results in changes in the cervix cells, different treatments can be performed to remove the abnormal cells from the cervix.
What about Curing HPV?
Although there is no cure at this time, a vaccine can be offered to prevent you from catching HPV. But, scientists are working on a cure. This includes working on understanding how specific HPV proteins and enzymes operate and cause the disease to spread if they can pinpoint how these work, then they can produce targeted drugs to cure certain HPV types.
Hepatitis B
What is Hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is an infection that affects the liver. It can lead to liver damage such as cirrhosis or liver cancer. These conditions are life-threatening. Hepatitis B can be acute, which means a patient has only just been infected with the virus. Most healthy adults can usually get rid of the virus naturally. If the body cannot recover from the infection, it can lead to chronic infection, meaning it has lasted for over six months.
What are the Symptoms?
Symptoms generally begin to appear three months after infection. They include:
- Jaundice – This is a yellowing of the skin and eyes.
- Dark urine
- Extreme fatigue
- Flu-like symptoms, i.e., a fever, body aches, and pains
- Feeling nauseous and being sick
- Stomach pain
- Appetite loss
How do you Test for Hepatitis B?
A blood test is needed to test for Hepatitis B. A blood test is a great way to detect non-curable STDs. Please order std tests online to put your mind at ease.
What is the Treatment?
If you are at the acute stage of Hepatitis B, there is no treatment. However, should help be required, a doctor may look for ways to keep the body replenished with fluids, as they are lost to sickness and diarrhea. If it progresses to the chronic stage, a patient can be given oral antivirals. These treatments can slow down the progression of cirrhosis and cancer by suppressing the disease's ability to replicate.
What about Curing Hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is the only non-curable Hepatitis. Scientists have cured A, C, and D, and are hopeful for a cure of B. Again, it is all about collaboration and working together to end the Hep B misery. Currently, they are working on combining suppression technology and immunomodulation drugs to create a cure.
Herpes
What is Herpes?
Herpes is a common virus, of which there are two types. HSV-1 – which is the illness that causes cold sores, and HSV-2 – genital Herpes. After being infected with genital Herpes, you may show no symptoms, but it can activate at any time. Most people who are infected suffer bouts of Herpes around two to three times a year. Once infected with Herpes, you have it for life, although some people will live their whole life and no symptoms ever rear their heads.
What are the Symptoms?
Genital Herpes can manifest with these most common symptoms:
- Blisters and sores around your genitals. They can also affect the anus, thighs, and buttocks.
- A tingling, burning or itching sensation in your genital area.
- Pain when you urinate.
- Women may experience unusual vaginal discharge.
- Other less common symptoms include flu-like manifestations such as a fever, headaches, swollen glands, appetite loss, and fatigue.
How do you Test for Herpes?
Diagnosing Herpes usually is done via an STD Testing blood test. Although sometimes a viral culture or a PCR – Polymerase chain reaction test can be done.
What is the Treatment?
Herpes can be treated with the use of antiviral drugs. These drugs can help you recover from the initial breakout of sores. Make your subsequent breakouts less severe. Help reduce how often these occurrences happen. They can also minimize the risk you pose to other people. In order words, it makes it more difficult for you to transmit the virus to your loved one.
What about Curing Herpes?
There is hope in there one day being a cure for the incurable STD Herpes. This is coming in the guise of gene therapy. By doing this, scientists are finding that they can destroy or remove tiny levels of the virus in mice. The dormant herpes virus can be disabled by an injection that traces the virus and uses gene-cutting enzymes to attack it. This is still in the experimental stage, but it does seem hopeful.
Get Your STD Testing Done Today!
If you have any reason at all to suspect that you may have an STD, then STD Testing is an absolute must. Even if you have one of the non-curable STDs, it is far better to know about it than not know. That way, you can start treatment. It is in your best interest to order STD tests online, as this is an easy way for peace of mind. Not only that, but it is confidential STD testing, so there is no need to worry about someone else finding out.
