STD Testing Info

There are several steps to take before trying to get pregnant. If you take care of these matters first, it is much more likely that you will have a successful pregnancy.

First, it is important to schedule an appoint with your obstetrician/gynecologist. You should have your annual check up that checks for cancer as well as be tested for all types of sexually transmitted diseases. This is important even if you are in a monogamous relationships as there are some STD’s that you can have that exhibit no symptoms. It is important to be treated for any infections before becoming pregnant. It is also important to find out how long you should wait after going off birth control before trying to get pregnant. Doctors advise waiting various amounts of time after stopping the pill for example. While you are at the doctors you should also find out how long to wait for fertility testing if you do not become pregnant. Some doctors advise a 3 month waiting period and some longer-as long as one year. You should find out from your doctor how long until they would consider testing you.

It is also important to practice proper nutrition when trying to become pregnant. Taking care of yourself is very important. You should take a vitamin-possibly even a pre-natal vitamin before you even try to become pregnant. One of the main vitamin you need during and more importantly before pregnancy is folic acid. Having enough of this in your system will help ensure a healthy baby. You should also limit your caffeine intake and quit smoking before becoming pregnant. Caffeine isn’t good for you or your baby and your doctor will likely advise you against drinking it while pregnant. It is better to try and wean yourself from it before becoming pregnant then wait until you are pregnant and go through the caffeine withdrawal symptoms as well as perhaps morning sickness.

It is very important to give up smoking before becoming pregnant. It is bad for the developing child as well as bad for the baby once they are born. The poor health effects on the mother are well documented also. Quitting smoking is very important for women who wish to become pregnant.

While trying to become pregnant, it is very important to limit alcohol and stop all drugs completely. There is about a two week window where you could be pregnant and not know it yet. Both alcohol and illegal and even some legal drugs can have devastating effects on a developing baby. It is a chance you do not want to take.

When you or someone you love comes down with a sudden illness or gets injured, you don’t want to have to scramble to find urgent medical care. Whether you live in Valley Stream or Lynbrook of Nassau County, New York, it’s important to know the location of your nearest urgent medical care facility. Perhaps it’s in Malverne or maybe it’s in Rockville Centre, or it could even be in Oceanside. Knowing the exact location, distance, and what type of care is offered will be a tremendous benefit when emergencies arise.

Urgent medical care centers are available to you if you have an urgent medical need at a time when your family physician is not available. This could be due to holidays, emergencies after hours, or heavy scheduling. Urgent care centers are also available for patients who don’t have a physician or don’t like waiting in for long periods of time at the emergency room.

Treatments Available in Urgent Medical Care Centers

There are many health conditions or needs that can be treated at an urgent medical care center. Urgent care centers offer labs on-site to patients who require blood work to determine their illness and the treatment they will need. On-site x-ray services are available to patients who are experiencing back pain, joint pain, or abdominal pain. X-ray service is also available for treatment of sports injuries such as sprains and fractures.

Service is provided for patients with cuts requiring suturing at urgent medical centers. Less severe illnesses, such as a persistent sore throat, ear or eye infections, cold and flu symptoms, skin rashes, urinary tract infections, and sinus problems can all be treated by an urgent care physician. Patients who have been diagnosed with hypertension can also receive treatment at the facility.

Exams and Screening

Different types of physical exams such as annual exams and Department of Transportation (DOT) exams for truck driving are also provided at urgent care centers.

Sexually transmitted disease (STD) screening is also available for both men and women. Cholesterol screening and diabetes testing is also offered by urgent medical care centers. Rapid diagnosis, which helps to determine the cause of the illness faster, is offered by many centers as well. This will help in treating the illness without delay.

About Urgent Care Centers

Urgent medical care centers are open seven days a week with convenient hours from morning to night for patients seeking emergency medical needs. Medical treatment is provided for patients of all ages, and since the centers are walk-in, appointments are not needed. Conveniently, most major insurance plans are accepted. Physicians at the medical centers are board certified in emergency medicine and usually provide all patients with personal attention and excellent care.

Whether you are a local resident, tourist, or business traveler in Nassau County, New York and have an urgent need for prompt and professional medical attention, it is good to know the location of the closest urgent medical center.

As a criminal defense attorney, I regularly encounter women, mostly, and sometimes men that have been arrested in a police “sting operation” that focused on targeting prostitutes and/or johns. In case someone reading this article does not know, a prostitute is one who exchanges sexual favors for some form of compensation, usually money. Johns are those who pay for the sexual favor-usually men, but as you can imagine, the roles could reverse. I believe that conducting these police sting operations reduces the quality of life in our society and that the only persons “harmed” by prostitution are potentially the actors. Not to mention, it is a waste of police time and resources to prosecute these “victimless” crimes.

Legalization improves neighborhoods and promotes safety

Consider this: if places where prostitution would naturally occur are forced out of business, like brothels, some motels, or apartments, police action drives the activity into the streets of neighborhoods where it otherwise may not exist. Thus, residents of the neighborhoods are exposed to the activity against their will.

Also because of prostitution being forced into the streets, the dangers to many prostitutes greatly increase. Prostitutes whose jobs involve working at night and getting into cars with strangers can be, and often have been, easy pickings for serial killers and other sociopaths. Some criminal justice studies have shown that prostitutes are the most frequent targets for serial killers.

A sensible solution to these problems would be to follow the example of some European cities, where prostitution is allowed in certain designated areas. People who are interested in the activity go to places where it’s permitted, and they leave alone the neighborhoods that don’t wish to be associated with it. Not only are the prostitutes working in a safer environment, but the residents of neighborhoods are not bothered with the traffic, cat-calls, or other related behaviors that they may find reprehensible.

Legalization reduces crime

Another problem with prostitution arrests is that they cause long-term increases in crime and drug abuse in society. Margo St. James, a former social worker and a leading advocate of legalizing prostitution, believes that when a woman is convicted of prostitution that it acts much like a brand or negative stigma, like the “A” in The Scarlet Letter. This could make it much harder for the female to find gainful employment, which then begins a cycle of arrests for more prostitution or other criminal offenses.

Keeping prostitution illegal also contributes to crime because many criminals view prostitutes and their customers as attractive targets for robbery, fraud, rape, or other criminal acts. The criminals realize that such people are unlikely to report the crimes to police, because the victims would have to admit they were involved in the illegal activity of prostitution when the attacks took place. Also, there is a belief that prostitutes may have large sums of cash on them, which makes them an attractive target for other criminals.

If prostitution were legal, these victims would be less reluctant to report to police any criminal acts that occurred while they were involved in it. This would significantly improve the probability of catching the criminals and preventing them from victimizing others. In many cases, it could deter them from committing the crimes in the first place. That view is consistent with the experience of the European countries where prostitution is legal. They have far lower crime rates than the U.S. overall.

Studies have been conducted in the Nevada counties where prostitution is legal and the results were similar: those counties that provide legalized methods for prostitution to exist are quite peaceable and have lower crime rates. Interestingly, in November, 2004, in Churchill County, Nevada, a ballot proposal to outlaw prostitution was rejected by a 2-to-1 margin, even though the county is primarily Republican and supported George W. Bush for president.

Legalization promotes liberty and privacy

Laws against prostitution violate Americans’ fundamental rights of individual liberty and personal privacy. Thomas Jefferson and other founders of the U.S. envisioned a society where people can live without interference from government, provided they don’t harm others. Lest we all forget, when the founders of the United States fled Europe, they were fleeing the very intrusions and governmental oversight that has developed in this country over the past thirty to fifty years, but especially in the the post 9/11 era under the watch of the Homeland Security Act.

As Jefferson said in his First Inaugural Address: “A wise and frugal Government,which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement.” Or as Arthur Hoppe wrote about consensual acts in the San Francisco Chronicle in 1992: “The function of government is to protect me from others. It’s up to me, thank you, to protect me from me.” Combined, these two statements demonstrate the very principle that I described above-that government should protect its citizens and not try to dictate their very lives.

Similar to issues such as birth control, abortion, and the right to death with dignity, this issue involves people’s fundamental rights to control their own bodies and decide the best way to conduct their lives.

In a free society, it makes no sense for the government to be telling persons – particularly the poor – they cannot charge a fee for harmless services they otherwise are at liberty to give away. To paraphrase George Carlin: Selling is legal, and sex is legal, so why isn’t selling sex legal? The simple answer is that some people are offended by this act and want to impose their “moral authority” on others.

Sex isn’t just for the handsome: some side benefits of legalization

Likewise for the customers, there’s no reason their freedom should not include the right to purchase the companionship and affection they may want but do not find in other aspects of their lives.

For example, one disabled man told researchers he was lonely and visited prostitutes because “I’m ugly, no women will go out with me. . . . It’s because of my disability. So prostitutes are a sexual outlet for me.” Another man reported that he did the same for a number of years due to being “anorexic and very reclusive. There was no chance of forming a relationship.” A physically unattractive man added, “I pay for sex because that is the only way I can get sex.” Another person said his experiences with prostitutes and other sex workers helped him overcome an extreme aversion to physical intimacy, which had resulted from years of physical and emotional abuse while growing up. He explained: “I very likely would have died a virgin if I hadn’t somehow gotten comfortable with physical intimacy, and sex workers enabled me to do that. At least for me, it’s been a healing experience.”

Consider this: in some ways alleviating the sexual need that we all have could be a form of therapy with a paid professional. It’s perfectly legal to meet with a psychologist to discuss sexual concerns, but it is not legal, in most places, to meet with a prostitute to work out that tension on your own… if you pay for it. Through prostitution, someone may be able to meet a need that would otherwise be unfulfilled, which could result in more violent criminal behavior, like sexual assault (aka “rape). In other words, I believe that the sexual drive becomes so strong at times, that some people are unable to control it and will obtain that release they desire, even against the will of the other participant. This behavior should not be condoned and must remain illegal, but consensual sex between adults, even for money, hurts no one but the “moral police”.

What about Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)?

Many who oppose the legalization of prostitution argue that STDs would spread and that some unsuspecting person may contract a STD if prostitution were legal. However, it is my contention that just like alcohol sales, which are regulated as to time, place, and quantity in some instances, that if prostitution were legalized, and monitored by the government, much like in some European cities, the government could require registration and testing for the prostitutes. Granted, this would be more governmental oversight, and while I am not a fan of “Big Brother”, I think this would be far less intrusive and more logical than the current system in place with criminalizing two already legal behaviors: sex and sales.

Consider this: the government could collect a registration fee from anyone seeking a license for prostitution, it could require testing every six months or whatever period of time was prescribed, and it could contain the behavior to registered facilities. All in all, it appears that the government would benefit by having an increase in its revenue stream, and the public would benefit because they who choose to participate in sexual encounters with prostitutes would be better protected by the registration and testing. Communities would benefit by the containment to a given area. And under this system, criminalization would occur for those not following the system put in place.

Legalization puts law-enforcement resources to better uses

Numerous legal commentators point out that using law enforcement resources against prostitution substantially diminishes the resources available to fight other crimes committed against persons or property. This nation desperately needs more efforts applied to solving those crimes, because arrests are being made in connection with only about 20% of them. And, if you look around to your local law enforcement agencies across the United States, most of them are desperate to find new recruits to fill in the already thinned lines of officers. By removing officers assigned to “sting operations” and special divisions like “Street Response Teams” more officers could be available to answer calls or follow-up on more serious reports currently on file.

While I do not have statistics to support this, though I am confident they exist, I believe that the damage inflicted on society by corporate crime and white-collar crime far exceeds the harm caused by all the street crime combined. Just ask the victims of the Enron and WorldCom scandals – many of whom lost their life savings….

As for white-collar crime, the police undoubtedly know that their jobs and careers are safer by making prostitution arrests than by investigating criminals who cause serious harm but either wield political power or have strong connections to those who do. And when the corruption involves others in the police force, the notorious “Blue Wall of Silence” leads all too many officers to ignore and protect the wrong-doing of badge-wearing criminals too.

Conclusion

Our society would be better served if the police directed their efforts away from the activities of consenting adults and toward preventing and solving real crimes involving clear victims and injustices.

Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by HSV (herpes simplex viruses). HSV type 2 (HSV-1) is the usual cause of genital herpes. Although, in some cases HSV type 1 (HSV-2) is also found responsible for this disease. Usually HSV-2 is responsible for oral herpes (herpes sores on the lips and in the mouth).

Many people have heard about the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV). But very few people know what causes it. There are several kinds of herpes strains. We will talk about the Genital herpes in this article.

Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (HSV2) is also known as genital herpes because it affects the genital area. Common areas of infection are the cervix, labia, vagina, inner thighs, and anus of female and the shaft of the penis, scrotum, inner thighs and anus for men. As per the recent research approximately 86 million people worldwide are affected by this disease. The main cause of transmission of genital herpes is through sexual contact.

Getting Diagnosed

Think you have genital herpes? See your doctor for testing and treatment right away. Doctors can diagnose genital herpes by looking at visible sores or by taking a sample from the sore for testing in a lab. Blood tests can also be done to detect HSV-1 or HSV-2.Follow your doctor’s advice and finish all the medicine that you are given. It is very important to finish all the medicine even if the symptoms go away.

If you are not affected with genital herpes then abstinence from sex is the surest way to avoid getting genital herpes. The next way is to limit sex to one uninfected partner who only has sex with you. If you have a partner with genital herpes, do not have sex – even with a condom – when he or she is affected with an outbreak.

Cure and Precautions

Unfortunately there is no cure for this disease; the virus will always be in the infected body. Certain drugs such as acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir can decrease the outbreaks, or stop them from happening. Your doctor can give you proper advice/medicine to cure the outbreaks and stop them from affecting you in future.

Always follow the following steps to stop frequent outcomes of the virus and to stop the transmission to another person.

1. Do not touch the sores with hands or with a cloth, in severe conditions one can use cotton, which can be thrown after use.

2. Wash hands after contact.

3. Clean the infected area and keep it dry.

4. Avoid sexual contact until the herpes are healed.

5. Avoid having any sexual activity while you have any symptoms of an outbreak. Be sure to tell your sexual partners, so they can also be tested. Genital herpes is a life long virus, which cannot be cured, get advice from your doctor in order to prevent the outbreak to happen and to prevent spreading of disease to any other person.

During an outbreak, there are different ways to relieve pain.

- Take warm bath. After bathing, carefully dry affected areas gently with cotton.

- Wear loose cotton clothes.

- Keep the area dry.

- Hold ice packs to the sores a few minutes, several times.

- Take aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen or doctors prescribed medicine to relieve pain and fever.

It is very important for a pregnant woman that the outbreak of the herpes should be treated before giving birth. If the mother is affected by genital herpes while she is pregnant, she is more likely to pass the virus to her baby. If the outbreak is not the first one, the baby’s risk of getting the virus is very low. Babies born with herpes may be premature or may die, or they may have brain damage, severe rashes, or eye problems. Doctors may do a C-section to deliver a baby if the mother has herpes lesions near the birth canal to help prevent passing the virus. Also, acyclovir can help babies born with herpes if they are treated right away. It is not yet known if all genital herpes drugs are safe for pregnant women to take. Herpes is spread through contact with sores and can be dangerous to a newborn while breast-feeding if the sores are on sores on your nipple or areola. Breast-feeding should be stopped until the sores are healed.

If you have never had a baby before, the first time you visit the OB can be an exciting and scary event, especially if you don’t know what to expect. The exact procedures and routines vary from practitioner to practitioner, but there are a few things that are standard across the board.

As with visiting any new medical doctor, you will first be given a gaggle of forms to fill out while you wait in the waiting room. You will fill out paperwork that gives basic information, your name, address, date of birth, social security number, marital status, spouse’s name, insurance information, date of your last period, etc. You will also probably fill out a medical history form, where you will be asked about past illnesses, injuries, surgeries, and hospitalizations. You will also be asked about your family history as well, and maybe even for some of your spouse’s information too, so it is a good idea for him to come along to this first appointment. Some practitioner’s will also ask questions about your sexual history, as well as talk to you about testing for sexually transmitted diseases. Don’t be offended, it is routine with every pregnant patient, and some STD tests are required by law.

Once you have filled out all of your paperwork, you will probably first meet your practitioner in his or her office, where you will go over the forms that you filled out, find out some background information about your practitioner, and be allowed to ask any questions that you may have. When this is over, you will be ushered into either the waiting room, or a patient examination room, depending on what is available.

A member of the staff will check your weight, blood pressure, pulse, and will likely have you give a urine sample, which will be done at every prenatal visit, to check for signs of protein or sugar, which could be a sign of a potential problem. Once this is done, you may have blood drawn for routine lab work, or may be given forms to take to another site, if your practitioner doesn’t do labs.

You will be asked to disrobe, and your practitioner will do a routine pelvic exam, and will also check your uterus, to try to get a more accurate idea of how far along you are. This can also be confirmed in other methods, blood tests, ultrasound, and amniocentesis as well. You may also get to hear the baby’s heartbeat at this time as well, which can be very exciting, especially for first-time parents. When the exam is complete, your practitioner may talk to you about exercise, diet, and answer any questions that you have. You will be instructed on when to come back in for your next prenatal checkup, and will likely either be given samples or a prescription for prenatal vitamins, which you should take everyday.

You get a lot of information at your first prenatal visit, and it can be overwhelming, so if you think of questions or concerns after you have left, don’t hesitate to call. In fact, your doctor probably expects you to, particularly if this is your first pregnancy.

Gonorrhea is a curable transmitted infection (STI). It is among the most common transmitted diseases in the world. The term comes from gonórrhoia, literally “flow of seed”; in ancient times it was thought that the pus discharge associated with the disease contained semen. More serious clinical syndromes may follow, with ascending involvement of the reproductive tract or systemic spread. Infection is due to N gonorrhoeae , a highly infectious gram-negative diplococcal organism. It is caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae , a bacterium that can grow and multiply easily in the warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract, including the cervix (opening to the womb), uterus (womb), and fallopian tubes (egg canals) in women, and in the urethra (urine canal) in women and men. Sometimes referred to as the clap, gonorrhea often is characterized by thick discharge. The gonorrhea germs are found in the mucous areas of the body (the throat and rectum). The disease spreads through semen or fluids during unprotected contact with an infected partner.

Gonorrhea is reported more frequently from urban areas than from rural areas. Gonorrhoea among females can also be transmitted from one individual to another via contact to surfaces that may still be damp from prior contact. Disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI) occurs following approximately 1% of genital infections. Patients with DGI may present with symptoms of rash, fever, arthralgias, migratory polyarthritis, septic arthritis, endocarditis, or meningitis. Gonorrhea can be passed even if the or tongue does not go all the way into the or anus. The bacterium can also grow in the mouth, throat, eyes, and anus. It can spread into the uterus and fallopian tubes, resulting in pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID affects more than 1 million women in this country every year and can cause tubal (ectopic) pregnancy and infertility in as many as 10 percent of infected women. When the infection occurs in the genital tract, mouth, or rectum of a child, it is most commonly due to abuse. About three out of four reported cases of gonorrhea in the United States occur in people younger than 30. Treatment for gonorrhea involves a course of antibiotic medications to eliminate the infection. Practicing safe is important in preventing gonorrhea.

Causes of Gonorrhea

The common causes and risk factor’s of Gonorrhea include the following:

    * Bacteria called Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
    * Use of an intrauterine device.
    * It can also be passed from mother to newborn as the baby passes through the infected birth canal.
    * Persons with a new partner.

Symptoms of Gonorrhea

Some sign and symptoms related to Gonorrhea are as follows:

    * Bleeding between menstrual periods.
    * Men infected with gonorrhea will have burning while urinating and a yellowish white discharge.
    * Anal itching.
    * Fever.
    * Soreness.
    * Thick, cloudy or bloody discharge.
    * Frequent urination.

Treatment of Gonorrhea

Here is list of the methods for treating Gonorrhea:

    * Antibiotics are used to cure gonorrhea.
    * Penicillin – once the most useful treatment but now there are resistent strains and other antibiotics are used.
    * Repeat aspiration of purulent joint effusions may improve patient comfort and speed recovery.
    * Patients with gonorrhea should also be treated for chlamydia (unless testing has ruled out chlamydia infection).
    * Contact should be avoided until the patient and all partner(s) have been treated and cured.
    * Pain relief may be needed for patients with epididymitis, PID, and DGI.
    * If you are pregnant or younger than 18, the doctor will usually prescribe the shot instead of a pill.

How great is the number for those who indulge in teen sex, regardless of numeral configuration, even if that number be one, then it is a problem and more so if both parties are unaware of what can rise from having unprotected sex. The outcome can be that of falling pregnant or catching a sexually transmitted disease (STD.) Okay, getting together with the opposite sex will eventually happen at some time or other (if gay same agenda) so why not make that some time “the right time.” When is the right time, this will depend on what your beliefs are as to whether 15 16 17 years is ideal for a sexual relationship. Remember it is a crime to have underage sex. If you are adamant to go ahead with coupling then at least do your homework first. You need to consider all possibilities which contribute to an unwanted pregnancy occurring or worse still catching a disease that can do more damage that you can imagine.

Sex statistics should never really be taken seriously because of imperfect measurements. Getting people to talk about their sex lives honestly is a difficult mission, especially if it includes a group that is in any way marginalized, as teens are. However study goes on, to help describe and understand sexual behaviors among teens. Here are some facts on statistics and sexual behaviors of interest?

In America nearly half of all 15-19-year-old`s have had sexual intercourse at least once. By the age 15, only 13% of teens have ever had sex, you are breaking the law at this age. By the time 19, seven in 10 teens have had sex. The norm we find for having sex for the first time is that of 17. Teens are wising up to the dangers than that of in the past where teen sex was greater in number. Thankfully teens are taking heed of the alerts telling of the dangers from having unprotected sex. Thirteen percent of females and 15% of males aged 15-19 in 2002 had had sex before age 15, compared with 19% and 21%, respectively, in 1995.

In England and Wales, the law on Sexual Offenses were changed. However the legal age for young people to consent to have sex still remains at 16, whether you are straight, gay or bisexual. Although the age of consent remains at 16, the law will make no intervention unless it involves abuse or exploitation. Under the Sexual Offenses Act you still have the right to confidential advice on contraception, condoms, pregnancy and abortion, even if you are under the legal age. In the US different states may have different age laws for legal sex.

Unfortunately we still have the minute few who believe they know it all until the inevitable happens. Many teens are prepared to take sexual risks despite more than ten years of public warnings. Teen sex should never be an event of chance in hope God will make things right should they go wrong. Nip it in the bud so no prayers have to be said in regards to falling pregnant or catching an STD. The outcome of intensive research showed new infections of the Aids virus in 1999 were the highest in over 10 years.

In reply from some teens who were asked why so early for sex, was, “it is trendy and everyone one else is doing it” so why not me. Another point of interest was, it was a way of showing off where teens would boast “Hey everyone I have done it.” Well this may be the in thing to do but did you ever give any thought to showing off a bump on the belly or a prison ID number when having your mug shot photo taken.

Many teens openly admit to that of feeling pressurized to lose their virginity. The most prominent fear from having unprotected sex was highlighted as to an unwanted pregnancy (88%) and 87% said an STD. To keep safe you have to think condom. Using a condom is one of the safest forms of birth control used and a powerful deterrent against catching a sexually transmitted disease.

We have the male and female condom. The male condom is made of thin latex (rubber) or polyurethane and fits over an erect penis. Condoms are lubricated to make them easier to use.
A condom acts as a barrier between the penis and the vagina, the penis and the mouth, or the penis and the anus. This does not mean sexual intercourse can not take place. A condom will cover the entire penis to prevent sperm entering the vagina.

For women the female condom is made from soft polyurethane and is located inside the vagina. It is held in place by a ring at either end; it lines the vagina and stops sperm getting into it. Using condoms bring no side affects unlike some other forms of contraception.
The female condom if properly inserted is 95% effective. Condoms have been known to split. Problems which occur from using the female condom is – if it slips or moves out of place from not being properly inserted. You can find out more at any family planning clinic where contraception and advice is given freely.

Below some useful resource centers should you need help and advice?

1 Get Connected – One-stop helpline for young people. This organization evolves round youngsters who feel they want to run away from home or have already done so. Services include compassionate support, help and guidance.

Helpline: 0808 808 4994 open 1pm-11pm seven days a week

2 Childlike – an organization which provides a free, confidential telephone counseling service for children or young people regardless of what the nature of the problem is.

National helpline: 0800 1111. Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

3 Avert services are more connected to health

International aids & medical research charity.

Telephone: 01403 210202

Never be frightened or to embarrassed to seek help. Prevention is better than any cure. Pick up the phone for a brighter future.

4 bpas (British Pregnancy Advisory Service)

Telephone: 0845 730 4030

Organization of many options i.e. dealing with unplanned pregnancy, emergency contraception, free pregnancy testing and vasectomy services.

Teen Sex
Vaginal odor
Male Erection Problems

Diagnostic Hallmarks

Distribution: trunk and extremities, special predilection for the palms, soles, face, and genitalia

White plaques on mucous membranes

Patchy alopecia

Lymphadenopathy

Positive serologic tests for syphilis

Clinical Presentation

The eruption of secondary syphilis is characterized by the presence of numerous non confluent, dome-shaped, red papules 1 to 4 mm in diameter. The amount of scale present is variable. Smaller lesions tend to have little visible scale, whereas larger lesions may be quite scaly. The papules sometimes coalesce to form small annular lesions, but the formation of large plaques almost never occurs. Annular lesions are particularly likely to be found on the face and genitalia.

The papules of secondary syphilis are randomly distributed on the trunk and extremities. In addition, they are regularly found on the face, palms, and soles. In fact, palmar lesions are sufficiently characteristic as to almost always warrant a serologic test for syphilis regardless of the remainder of the clinical picture. Papules that occur on the palms and soles are often larger, firmer, and more brown-red than are those found elsewhere. Itching, when present at all, is not usually troublesome.

Other distinctive lesions of secondary syphilis include white plaques on the mucous membranes and flat-topped, red or white, moist papules (condylomata lata) in intertriginous sites. Patchy alopecia of the scalp and loss of the lateral eyebrows occur in some patients. Lymphadenopathy, fever, and malaise may also be present. A history of an ulcerating primary lesion (chancre) mayor may not be obtainable.

A clinical diagnosis of secondary syphilis must be done either by identification of typical spirochetes on dark-field examination or through serologic testing. The histologic pattern on biopsy is also quite distinctive, and from time to time cases are first identified during examination of a biopsy specimen taken from an otherwise-unrecognized papulosquamous eruption.

Course and Prognosis

The ulcer of primary syphilis (chancre) appears 2 to 3 weeks after exposure to an infected person . It reaches its maximum size of 1 to 2 cm quickly and then remains stable until it undergoes spontaneous resolution 3 to 4 weeks later. The eruption of secondary syphilis begins at about this time, i.e., approximately 6 weeks after original contact. Occasionally, there is a short period of overlap during which both primary and secondary lesions are present. Of course, if the primary lesion occurs in a hidden site, the first apparent evidence of infection will be the secondary eruption. The lesions of secondary syphilis contain motile spirochetes, and thus contagion, particularly from moist lesions, is possible.

Left untreated, the lesions of secondary syphilis remain in place for about 2 months and then gradually undergo spotaneous resolution. Thereafter, over the next 6 to 12, ollilts, recurrent crops of secondary lesions may redevelop.

Secondary syphilis is not simply a cutaneous infection. Systematic involvement in the form of lymphadenopathy, uveitis, hepatitis, or glomerulonephritis is frequently present.

About one-third of the patients with secondary syphilis who go untreated develop tertiary disease. Another one-third remain free of clinical disease but continue to have serologic evidence of activity (latent syphilis). The final one-third appear to undergo spontaneous clinical and serologic cure.

Treatment of patients with primary or secondary syphilis excepting sometimes those with immunodeficiency) effectively halts all clinical progress of the disease. The serologic tests in these patients gradually become negative over a 12- to 36 month period. Unfortunately, little or no permanent immunity is conferred as a result of primary or secondary reinfection, and thus reinfection is quite possible.

Pathogenesis

Syphilis is caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum. This organism is passed from person to person during close skin-to-skin contact such as occurs during sexual clivity. Spirochetemia results in the subsequent presence or infectious organisms in the mucocutaneous lesions of secondary syphilis. Antibody reaction to infections with T. pallidum is brisk, but this type of immunologic response does not result in resolution of the disease; in fact, reinfection is possible even when antibodies are present. The formation of these antibodies, together with the continued presence of treponemal antigen, results in the development of circulating immune complexes that are Ihen responsible for some of the systemic symptoms and signs of the disease.

Therapy

Penicillin is the treatment of choice for syphilis. Penicillin is only effective during the process of microbial replication, and since T. pallidum replicates rather slowly, serum levels must be maintained for 10 to 20 days. This is most conveniently accomplished through the use of intramuscularly administered benzathine penicillin. The product Bicillin L-A should be specified, since Bicillin C-R contains a 50% mixture of short-acting procaine penicillin.

Some authorities suggest that for primary and secondary syphilis, 2.4 million units be given in a single injection. Most clinicians, however, administer an additional 2.4 million units 1 week later. Tetracycline 2.0 g/day for 15 days can be used for patients allergic to penicillin. After treatment, serologic tests for syphilis should be monitored at 3-month intervals until the titer of antibody has returned to zero. A rising titer following treatment suggests reinfection and the need for retreatment.

There are two major problems we are facing with genital herpes today. One is the lack of testing leaving many people infected without knowing it. The other is the ignorance by many people of just how widespread it is making it all the more likely this incredibly annoying disease is not going to go away any time soon. Those who are sexually active and especially with multiple partners are all at risk.

Unfortunately, genital herpes is not curable, only symptomatically treatable. Many people don’t even know they have it. They may have only had one outbreak years ago and mistaken it for something else.

A friend of mine had a scare when a woman he had been seeing for several years (not exclusively) told me after he had had sex with her recently that she thought she was having a genital outbreak and he may have been exposed. She told him she had it years ago one time and took something like Valtrex and got rid of it and had never had a recurrence until recently. She was under the false impression that that meant she was no longer putting others at risk of passing it along.

Some quick facts on HSV (Herpes):

About 1 in 4 to 1 in 5 of those in the US over age 12 test positive for HSV 2 with a blood test that accurately distinguishes between HSV 1 and 2. The scary part is out of those who are positive, only 1 in 10 knew it before they were tested.

70% of new herpes infections are transmitted from someone showing no symptoms at the time they infected their partner.

For women, a negative pap smear for herpes doesn’t mean she isn’t infected.

The current test known as herpes select is a blood test that accurately distinguishes between types 1 and 2 and is available through the major labs Quest and Labcorp.

A positive test doesn’t indicate when you got it only that you do have it.

It’s also important to know it can take several months after exposure for you to test positive. So those who have multiple partners or move from partner to partner frequently are putting themselves and their partners at a much higher risk.

A study on risk produced the following facts:

The risk is about 10% per year that an infected male will transmit HSV 2 to an
uninfected female. That is, if 100 infected men were having one-on-one sex with 100
uninfected women, about 10 women would get infected per year. It’s a little less likely for a woman to pass it to a man – about 4 men out of 100 will get it.

This study was based on no condom use, no sex during herpes outbreaks and no use of daily herpes medications.

Talking about STDs can take all the spontaneity and romance out of sex. Talk about a mood killer. But rather you kill the mood than get something that’ll kill you. Or better yet, get all this unpleasant talk out of the way long before getting physical with somebody.

If you’ve been having your fun and have managed to avoid catching it, don’t forget, the next new partner you hook up with may be carrying it and pass it to you without knowing it until after the fact.

When you are out there whether it’s on dating sites or where ever you are meeting a sexual partner, many people claim they are STD free and tested regularly. While that may be true, what most people don’t realize is that it usually only means they get tested for HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea and maybe warts (which are easy to spot). Unless you specifically request a herpes test, you most likely didn’t get tested for it. This is something that should really be addressed in the public health arena.

A majority of the population has HSV 1 known as the cold sore virus. This can passed orally to give someone genital herpes type HSV 1. HSV 2 can’t be passed genitally to oral, only genital to genital. A person can have one and not the other, or they can have both. However, HSV 1 doesn’t turn into HSV 2 or visa versa. Having one type doesn’t make you immune to getting the other.

So, to summarize, HSV 1 can be transferred orally to genital or genital to genital. HSV 2 is only transferred genital to genital.

***UPDATE***I recently discussed this with a dermatologist who informed me that we’re still not for sure on whether HSV 2 can be transmitted from genital to oral. So it looks like things aren’t figured out yet. Your best bet is to keep your immune system strong though healthy lifestyle choices and being careful out there. Sorry spontaneity is exciting, but it can also result in some unfortunate consequences.

Herpes testing should be made mandatory as part of your annual blood work testing if you are sexually active – not just hiv. although hsv isn’t fatal, it still carries a social stigma with it.

If you want to stay healthy and fit, follow our daily health guide.

1) You should exercise daily. It does not matter what you do. You can walk, run, swim, or jump. It is advisable to exercise for a minimum of twenty minutes a day. Daily exercise will keep you healthy, and it also elevates your mood. When you exercise, you can also make a lot of friends too.

2) Eat Right. You are what you eat. Therefore, it is important that you eat healthy. Eat fruits and vegetables everyday. You should try to stay away from greasy foods as much as possible. It is also advisable to avoid salty and sweet foods.

3) Drink water every day. You should drink at least eight cups of water everyday. Eighty percent of your body is made from water. Therefore, it is important that you drink plenty of water everyday. Especially, when you exercise, you should always have a bottle of water with you.

4) Protect your skin from the sun. When you go out to the beach, do not forget to apply sun block on your arms, necks, and hands. You do not want to get skin cancers and climatic toxins.

5) Try to laugh everyday. The research shows that people who laugh a lot will live longer. Laughing can lower your blood pressure and reduce stress.

6) Meditate everyday. Meditation can calm your mind from stress. You should spend at least five minutes to meditate daily.

7) Hug your love one everyday.

Try to avoid smoking or drinking as much as possible. Drugs is harmful for your health.