Lifestyle Corner

Despite the fact that 15 million people become newly infected with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) each year, most people remain unaware of the risks of all but HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

But the truth is, there are more than 25 other STDs that also pose significant health risks. While syphilis is at all time lows, other STD infections, like genital herpes, human papillomavirus (HPV), trichomoniasis and chlamydia are at epidemic proportions.

One of the primary reasons for the current epidemic of these STDs is that sexually active people today are more likely to have multiple sex partners during their lives, potentially putting themselves and their partners at risk for an STD.

By far, women bear the greater burden. They suffer more frequent and serious complications from STDs than men. Most women are less likely to experience any symptoms and therefore are less likely to consult a health care professional, allowing serious problems to develop. Some STDs can spread into the fallopian tubes and tissue in and near the uterus and ovaries to cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), an infection of the reproductive organs. PID is a major cause of both infertility and tubal pregnancy. HPV causes genital warts and is believed to be responsible for cervical and other genital cancers. Some medical professionals test for HPV as an adjunct to the Pap test. One test now available is called Hybrid Capture II, a DNA-based technology that, like a Pap test, is performed on cells collected from cervical tissue with a swab. Even when an STD causes no symptoms a person who is infected may be able to pass the disease on to a sex partner. That is why health care professionals recommend periodic testing or screening for people who have more than one sex partner or who are beginning a relationship with a new partner.

The surest way to avoid infection with STDs is to abstain from sexual intercourse or have a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with someone who does not have an STD. For heterosexual or gay male couples who are at risk for STDs, correct and consistent use of the male latex condom is highly effective in preventing transmission of HIV, and can reduce the risk of other STDS, including discharge diseases (like gonorrhea, chlamydia and trichomoniasis) and genital ulcer diseases (like syphilis, herpes and chancroid). While the effect of condoms in preventing HPV infection is unknown, condom use has been associated with a lower rate of cervical cancer, an HPV-associated disease. However, the use of condoms should not be a substitute for routine screening with Pap smears to detect and prevent cervical cancer.

To find more information about STDs, including prevention and treatment options, I recommend visiting the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, located at www.cdc.gov/std. The American Social Health Association also operates an STD hotline. For details about it, as well as online support groups and fact sheets, you can visit their Web site: www.ashastd.org.

STDs: What To Ask Your Doctor

Anyone who is sexually active should have regular checkups for STDs, even when no symptoms are present, and especially if considering sexual relations with a new partner. These tests can be done during a routine visit to your doctor. Take this opportunity to ask your doctor about STDs. Some questions you might ask:

• How are STDs diagnosed?
• Does having one STD put me at greater risk for another, such as HIV?
• What are the consequences of getting an STD?
• Are all STDs curable?
• Can I get an STD from oral sex?
• Do I need to talk to my partner about my infection?

Pamela M. Peeke MD, MPH, Pew Foundation Scholar in Nutrition and Metabolism, is Medical Advisor to the NWHRC; she also is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and author of the best selling book Fight Fat After Forty (Viking Press, 2000).

Click www.drpeeke.com, Dr. Peeke's Web site featuring health and wellness issues for women.