Chlamydia and HPV. Two different types of STDs (bacterial and viral, respectively), but both are the most common in their categories. Both can cause irreparable harm if not caught early and treated. If you are sexually active, please read through this carefully and thoroughly. It could save your life!
In 2018, according to the CDC, at least 4 million people tested positive for Chlamydia. As a bacterial STD, it can be treated with an antibiotic if caught. But Chlamydia doesn’t always have symptoms. Regular testing is needed if a person is sexually active, especially if there is a changing of partners, multiple partners or if a partner has never been tested.
If left untreated, Chlamydia can lead to PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease), which can cause issues, including infertility, because of fallopian tube scarring that can occur. Untreated Chlamydia can also leave a person more susceptible to contracting HIV.
At Abiding Care, we are currently testing and treating females for Chlamydia. If you are sexually active, we would urge you to come in and get tested – at no cost to you. If your test is positive, both you and your partner can be treated, again, at no cost to you.
To read further on Chlamydia, check out this info from the CDC: Detailed STD Facts – Chlamydia (cdc.gov).
HPV is the most prevalent STD, with about 43 million cases detected in 2018. According to the CDC, HPV is so common that nearly everyone who is sexually active will get it at some point in their life. The question is, will it be a strain that runs its course? Or will it be one that causes genital warts, or even worse, cancer? For every 10 people with HPV, 9 of them will have a strain that will run its course and leave the body on its own. But for the one, it will stay and can lead to health concerns, including several types of cancer.
Health problems related to HPV include genital warts and cervical cancer.
Genital warts: Genital warts caused by HPV affect roughly 340,000 to 360,000 people yearly. * About 1 in 100 sexually active adults in the U.S. has genital warts at any given time.
Cervical cancer: Every year, nearly 12,000 women living in the U.S. will have cervical cancer. More than 4,000 women die each year from cervical cancer—even with screening and treatment.
* These figures only look at the number of people who sought care for genital warts. The actual number of people who get genital warts could actually be larger.
At this time, Abiding Care is unable to test or treat for HPV. What our nurses can do is educate and refer you to your primary physician for testing and treatment. To read more about HPV, check out this fact sheet: STD Facts – Human papillomavirus (HPV) (cdc.gov).
There are many things you can do to protect your sexual health, and the nurses at Abiding Care are here to have those conversations with you. Testing is just one step, but it’s your best first step. Contact us today if we can be of help!
Source: CDC.gov
