If you had sex education at school, then we have no doubt that you would have had it drummed into your mind that sex is some incredibly dangerous thing. Almost as if you are likely going to be getting an STD from every sexual encounter ever. Now, obviously, this isn’t going to happen. STDs are not all that common. They become even less common when you take proper precautions when you are about to shag somebody.
The problem with education isn’t so much the fact that they make sex seem incredibly scary. It is more the fact that they do not actually give you a complete STD list. In fact, if you are given a list of STD names, it may be just 3-5 names strong. So, we are going to shake things up here a little bit.
What follows is a list of 20 STDs. Some of them you may have heard of. Others, not quite so much. All of these are diseases that you could potentially catch if you are not cautious while in bed.
Chlamydia
Let’s start with chlamydia. This is because it is one of the more dangerous of the common STDs. While it is not going to kill you, there is a chance that it can cause long-term damage to a woman’s reproductive system. This can make them virtually infertile.
If they have chlamydia when they are carrying a child, then they may even pass the condition onto their unborn child. The thing with chlamydia is that it often may not have any symptoms. This means that you do not know whether you are carrying it or not. The symptoms that can appear may be a small amount of pain in the testicles or the vagina.
There may even be a small amount of discharge. Now, thankfully, Chlamydia is a condition that can be cured. However, you will never be able to undo that reproductive damage if you let it get out of hand.
HPV (Human Papillomavirus)
In the United States, HPV is the most common STD. The thing with HPV is that you can often have it for years and not know that you have the condition. This means that it is easily spread around. It is one of only a few STDs that you can actually be vaccinated for, though.
You may want ot have regular tests carried out to ensure that you do not have HPV. If the symptoms do occur, then you are going to be experiencing gential warts. In rare cases, HPV can also lead to the development of certain cancers. This includes vaginal cancer. If you are a female, you may actually be tested for HPV fairly regularly to make sure.
Syphilis
Syphilis was an immensely common STD in the past. It was pretty much everywhere, and the disease was enough to bring down Kings and Queens. It would often present the symptom that somebody is going completely insane.
Now, thankfully, this is not something that should happen today. We are hoping most people catch syphilis early enough. However, do bear in mind that it can be dangerous if untreated. As with many STDs, it may actually be difficult to spot syphilis as it may not have any symptoms. Sometimes, when you think it is cured, it isn’t.
It will just sit in your body for decades and then reactivate. If it is not treated, then it can kill your brain and heart. Yeah. It isn’t very pleasant at all.
HIV
HIV is probably one of the diseases on this STD list that you have been told about. In the past, HIV was often seen as a problem among the gay crowd. However, this was somewhat harsh on homosexuals. This is because HIV can impact just about everybody.
HIV is not necessarily a problem in itself. It will cause a couple of issues here and then. However, it will eventually progress to AIDs. This will completely mess up your immune system and you will be killed by conditions that you could normally fight off.
Thankfully, while AIDs is still dangerous, we have plenty of drugs that can help to stop HIV from progressing into AIDs nowadays. We even have drugs that can reduce the chances of you passing the condition on. Although, sadly, you will never be fully cured of HIV once you have it.
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is another condition that was exceedingly common in the past but, with proper protections, is now starting to die out. Now, while Gonorrhea can be treated, it can cause long-term problems. This means that it can potentially cause infertility in both men and women.
It can cause death, but this is exceedingly rare. It can also be passed onto children if you get gonorrhea while you are pregnant. The condition can lead to painful bumps or eye trouble. In some cases, it may not even cause any symptoms at all. it just happens.
Pubic Lice (Crabs)
The STDs that we have talked about so far are just viruses. Not public lice. Oh no. If you have crabs, then you are going to have tiny, little insects living in your pubic area. Although, they can spread to various places throughout your body. As you can imagine, having public lice is never going to be a good thing.
They need to eat something, and that is going to be your blood. This can cause a ton of painful lumps. Oh, and they are going to be laying a few eggs here and there too. The problem with pubic lice is that they can be dreadfully difficult to get rid of. You can’t just shave off your pubes. You actually need to get them all killed. A doctor is going to be able to help you with this.
Trichomoniasis
We have another disease that is virtually undetectable in people. If you have Trichomoniasis. There is a good chance that you will never know that you have Trichomoniasis. This is because about 70% of people that suffer from the condition will never have any symptoms of the condition. When you do have symptoms, they can be fairly minor.
This means a little bit of itching here and there. It can also mean vaginal or penis discharge. The big issue with trichomoniasis is that if you suffer from this, it makes it a little bit easier for you to become infected with HIV. So, if you are the type of person that has a lot of casual sex, then trichomoniasis is never going to be a good thing to have. It can also become dangerous for a baby if you become pregnant.
Herpes
Herpes is a common STI that can be easily caught. It can appear around your mouth, vagina, anus, etc. So, you may end up suffering from herpes, even if you have never had sex before. Kissing somebody with herpes is sometimes enough to allow the disease to travel between two people. When you have herpes, you will notice that small scabs appear around the area.
These are going to be incredibly sore. The problem with herpes is that it can never be cured. Once you have it, you have it. However, there are drugs out there that can reduce the symptoms. This means that you will suffer from fewer outbreaks. Sadly, because it is so common, there is a strong chance that you may encounter herpes if you sleep around quite a bit, and it is going to pass on quickly.
Chancroid
Chancroid is a bacterial infection that can impact both men and women. It can be treated using medication or surgery. However, if you do have it, then it is going to be causing a lot of pain. Think along the lines of painful sores on the penis or vagina that can ooze fluid or blood. It isn’t very pleasant.
If you do have chancroids, they are not necessarily going to damage you in a serious way long term. The small ulcers that appear may cause scarring if you do not treat the condition. The big issue with chancroid is that you are going to be opening up a few wounds. This means that other STDs on this list are going to have an easier time impacting you.
Granuloma Inguinale
This is not a condition that is going to appear all that often nowadays, thankfully. It certainly isn’t a condition that seems to appear in Western Nations all that much. It seems to have been successfully treated. The condition is going to start causing a few ulcers here and there.
These ulcers may not be painful at the start, but they are going to get larger and larger. When this happens, they will painfully explode, letting blood and pus escape. Antibiotics will cure the condition rather easily. It is also difficult to spread as there needs to be open wounds and, we assume, most people are not going to be having sex when they have open wounds on their penis or vagina.
Molluscum Contagiosum
We are going to be talking about Molluscum Contagiosum here as if it is an STI. it is. It can spread via sexual contact. However, it is more common in children. The disease can be passed by skin to skin contact. It will create small lumps on the skin, almost like chicken pox. These will eventually clear up.
Your body will also build up protection against the condition in the future too. This means that you probably won’t ever suffer from it again. So, if you have suffered from Molluscum Contagiosum in the past, you shouldn’t actually have any issues having sex with people with the condition in the future. Although, we can’t imagine why you would want to risk it.
Scabies
We have another condition that involves small bugs living on your skin. Yay! Scabies will have small bugs living on your skin, and eventually burrowing inside of it. Here, they will lay their eggs and feast away.
This can cause painful bumps all over your skin. You can’t actually see the scabies, but you will be able to see all of the damage that they end up doing your skin. The thing with scabies is that they are incredibly easy to spread around. All it takes is a bit of light skin contact and they will just hop on over to another person.
Well, a few of them will. You can’t just knock into somebody and expect to be cured. This means that you do not even need to be having sex if you want to spread the scabies. Thankfully, the condition should be fairly easy to treat. You will need a doctor to help you out, though.
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B, sometimes known as HBV, is an STI that is common. It can be vaccinated against. Sadly, if you do not treat Hepatitis B, it can lead to death. It does not even need sex to pass on. It is a common condition among drug users. There will not be any symptoms at the start of the condition.
However, over time, it will start to attack your liver. This will cause a ton of problems in your body. This will lead to the yellowing of the skin. It may lead to serious illness. It can lead to death although, thankfully, this is a rarity. We are going to assume that you will have been treated by that point, at least.
Bacterial Vaginosis
Bacterial vaginosis is not exactly a condition that you can receive. It just naturally happens. As the name also suggests, it cannot be passed onto people with a penis. Bacterial vaginosis is a condition that can happen later on in life. It occurs when there is too much yeast floating around the vagina.
As you may well know, your vagina will already have some yeast around there. However, this is just an overgrowth. It can cause pain in the vagina, as well as discharge. Not having sex will reduce the chances of suffering from bacterial vaginosis as you are not going to be messing up the delicate biological balance around there.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, or PID for short, is a condition that impacts females. It occurs when the disease spreads up into the reproductive system. This can cause pain, discharge, inflammation, the works. If the disease progresses a lot, then it can cost an ungodly smell coming from the vagina.
We are talking about intense smells. It is awful. It can also lead to severe sickness. If you are suffering from any of those symptoms, then you will need to see a doctor right away. There are other conditions that can cause more problems.
Mycoplasma Genitalium
This is one of the few STIs that is actually on the rise. This is a condition that can make it incredibly difficult to pee. It will impact the urinary tract. If this happens, it will burn when you pee. Of course, this is not going to be all that pleasant. In some cases, it can have no symptoms.
The problem with Mycoplasma Genitalium is that while it can be treated right now, it is starting to become resistant to drugs. This means that if it continues to become a common condition, there may be a point where it is almost impossible to treat.
Lymphogranuloma Venereum
Lymphogranuloma Venereum is actually caused by an offshoot of Chlamydia. It can cause painful skin lesions. Thankfully, it should be pretty easy to treat. However, do bear in mind that if it is not treated quickly, then it can cause long-term scarring of the skin. Although, you won’t be able to pass it on at that point.
Cytomegalovirus Infections
This infection is similar to herpes. This means that it may show itself as skin issues. It is also a condition that is going to be lasting for the rest of your life too. Although, of course, there will be ways in which you can control the flare-ups.
It doesn’t need sex to be passed on, and some babies can be born with the condition if their mother has the condition. The symptoms can be rather serious. During flare-ups, you may end up suffering from fever, brain, and heart issues. It cannot be cured.
Urethritis
Urethritis is not a condition as such. It is more a symptom. it is caused when there is a bacterial infection in your urinal tube i.e. where you pee from. This can cause inflammation and make it tough to pee. Thankfully, most infections can be cleared up with a few antibiotics.
Proctitis
This is another symptom rather than a condition. With this one, you are going to be suffering from inflammation in the anus. This happens when you get bacteria in the anus for whatever reason.
So, as you can imagine, it will happen due to anal sex. Again, this can easily be cleared up. However, it will be dependent on the bacteria that is causing the condition in the first place.
Final Word
So, that wraps up our STD disease list. Hopefully, we haven’t put you off sex too much. Just make sure that you take precautions, and you should be fine!
