Have you been infected with any STDs? Or has someone close to you gotten STD infections? What was the experience in terms of the kind of life they lived? Answering this question lets you know precisely how STDs can impact your life.
However common STDs are, they still come with stigmatization and can significantly affect your life in many ways, as they cause stress and depression. Before we dive deeper into the impacts of STDs on quality of life, let’s understand them first.
What are STDs?
Sexually transmitted diseases are infections from bloodborne pathogens like bacteria and viruses transmitted through sexual contact. They are common in youths and younger adults between the age of 15-24 though they can affect anyone and can be transmissible through fluids like vaginal fluid, semen, blood, breast milk, pre-seminal fluids, and rectal fluids.
Because they are sexually transmitted, they majorly occur in the genitals but can also occur in the mouth and anus. Besides vaginal sex, you can also transmit STDs through oral and anal sex and skin-to-skin contact. This can happen when you come into contact with infected fluids in your genitals and then touch your mouth or eyes with the infected hands, meaning you can transmit some STDs from one part of your body to another.
The most common STDs are;
- Gonorrhea
- Syphilis
- HIV/AIDS
- Trichomoniasis
- Genital herpes
- Hepatitis B
- Human papillomavirus
- Chlamydia
How STDs impact the quality of life
One of the ways STDs impact one’s life is by stigmatization, which is mainly associated with.
Those with STDs fear rejection, which makes them not open up about their situation and live a stressful and depressing life. When this goes on for a long, their bodies might start deteriorating.
STDs like HIV are known to suppress the immune system of the body. With the compromised immune system, their bodies cannot fight off chronic and opportunistic diseases like diabetes, the common cold, asthma, etc. With constant infections, their bodies usually deteriorate faster.
It is expensive to treat some of these STDs, and sometimes, those infected don’t have enough money to manage the conditions and afford basic needs simultaneously. Because of their search for life, most go for medication and forgo some basic requirements, thus jeopardizing their lives.
Why are STDs common?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2018, 24 million teens and young adults were infected in the US alone.
STDs rarely show symptoms, and you can live with them for days or years without knowing. For this reason, many sexually active young people transmit these infections without knowing, making them spread rapidly and very common.
Not regularly going for STD testing also leads to a high number of STD cases because, without testing, it is difficult to know whether you’re positive, especially with STDs that don’t show symptoms.
What are the symptoms of STDs?
Most sexually transmitted infections are asymptomatic, meaning they have no signs or symptoms, but you can still pass infection through sex partners even without the symptoms. Some are symptomatic, and the characters may include:
- Itchy genitals or anus
- Rashes
- Blisters and sores in genital areas and anus
- Abnormal vaginal discharge between the periods and after sex
- Painful urination
- Pain during or after sex
- Abnormal vaginal and penile discharge
- Warts in and around genitals, anus, throat, or mouth.
How to prevent STDs
Knowing how to prevent STDs is essential, especially if you are sexually active. Below are some ways of avoiding common STDs:
STD screening
Knowing your STD status is the first step in preventing the spread of STDs, as it will help you avoid participating in any sexual activities while you’re under medication. Therefore, ensure you regularly go for STD screening.
Safe sex
Most people find it hard to abstain or be in a monogamous and honest relationship. In this case, the best you can do to avoid contracting STDs is to consistently use condoms during sex, whether oral, vaginal, or anal.
Conclusion
Sexually transmitted diseases are common due to their rapid spread, which is asymptomatic. Unfortunately, one can still transmit these infections if in an asymptomatic state. And because of these, STDs are prevalent.
STDs impact both the infected and the affected as it lowers the quality of life of a person due to stigmatization, stress, depression, embarrassment, fear of rejection, and guilt that it comes with.
