Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD)

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I. What is an STD? STD stands for Sexually Transmitted Diseases. You can also refer to them as STIs which stand for Sexually Transmitted Infections. These infections are caused by bacteria and parasites that affect your body. (source). It is common for the infections to spread by having sexual contact with an infected person who has it. There are several transmitted diseases among people including HIV, Hepatitis, Gonorrhea and syphilis. Gonorrhea and Syphilis are the two main diseases that are widely spread around the world. These two diseases have been affecting several men and women since medieval times. Records show that syphilis was brought to the America’s during Christopher Columbus voyage. During this time, a lot of people died because …show more content…

At the doctor, he or she will usually require a sample from the infected area. Because gonorrhea bacteria can grow in different areas of the body, doctors have several methods to test for the infection. If the infection is developed around the genital areas, the doctors ask for a sample of urine from the patient. Patients who are tested through this method are not supposed to urine maximum two hours in advanced, or take any medicine. They will then take the urine to the laboratory and see if the bacteria is present in the sample of urine. This method is known as nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), because it is looking for the genetic code of the bacteria. This method is usually the most efficient in determining if a person is infected with …show more content…

This method is known as gonorrhea culture. This method is usually performed when the person has the infection around their eyes, mouth or throat. Through this method, the sample gotten from the patient is sent to the laboratory and is combined with an additional substance. This substance is supposed to make the germ grow. If nothing grows, then the person is not infected with the gonorrhea. Also, this method can determine whether or not the person can cure the infection with antibiotics or not. If the infection is internally in the body, the doctor may use a painful method to get a fluid sample from that area. For instance if the infection is near the cervix, the doctor insert a tool called the speculum through the vagina. This may leave additional pain when urinating because the vagina was opened with greater force. This method is not really common in men. Men are frequently tested with the other two methods. VI.