Posts Tagged ‘condoms’

Am I At Risk For Having An STI?

Saturday, September 20th, 2008

If you’ve ever had sex, you may be at risk for having an STI ((Sexually Transmitted Infections) ). You’re at higher risk if you have had many sex partners, have had sex with someone who has had many partners or have had sex without using condoms.

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Disclaimer: This drug information is for your information purposes only, it is not intended that this information covers all uses, directions, drug interactions, precautions, or adverse effects of your medication. This is only general information, and should not be relied on for any purpose. It should not be construed as containing specific instructions for any particular patient. We disclaim all responsibility for the accuracy and reliability of this information, and/or any consequences arising from the use of this information, including damage or adverse consequences to persons or property, however such damages or consequences arise. No warranty, either expressed or implied, is made in regards to this information.

How Do You Get Cytomegalovirus?

Saturday, September 13th, 2008

You catch CMV from close, intimate contact with infected urine; saliva; respiratory, vaginal, or cervical secretions; breast milk; or semen. It can be sexually transmitted, but most people get CMV through close household contact. Poor people are much more likely to be infected as young children, probably because they live in crowded conditions.

Babies get it from their mothers before birth, during delivery, or in the first few weeks of life. The baby is infected during pregnancy if its mother has either a first-time CMV infection or a reactivation of a past one.

Women who have toddlers attending child care are often infected. CMV transmission is rapid in these places because urine and saliva are passed from child to child on dirty hands. Young children rarely have symptoms, but they excrete the virus in their urine and saliva for months to years. Anyone working in child care or in any area with lots of young diapered children is exposed to CMV.
It is often transmitted from blood transfusions because so many people, including blood donors, have CMV infections with no symptoms.

Most people are infected with CMV before they reach adulthood, but very few people experience any symptoms or signs of illness. People with AIDS and organ transplant recipients are at highest risk for serious CMV infection—either pneumonia or retinitis, an eye infection. Often, their own latent CMV infections will reactivate as their immune systems either weaken or are suppressed by drugs to prevent organ rejection.

People who need organ transplants are tested for antibodies to CMV. Doctors will try to match CMV-negative organ donors to CMV-negative organ recipients. But a match isn’t always possible and the CMV-negative organ recipient faces a risk of serious CMV infection from the transplanted organ weeks to months later. To prevent this, the doctor will give the transplant recipient an injection of CMV antibody.

CMV-negative organ recipients who need blood transfusions will receive CMV-negative blood. This blood is hard to come by and is saved for people who really need it. If no CMV-negative blood is available, the blood can be filtered to remove the cells containing CMV. Otherwise, transplant patients may become ill if they receive CMV-infected blood.

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Disclaimer: This drug information is for your information purposes only, it is not intended that this information covers all uses, directions, drug interactions, precautions, or adverse effects of your medication. This is only general information, and should not be relied on for any purpose. It should not be construed as containing specific instructions for any particular patient. We disclaim all responsibility for the accuracy and reliability of this information, and/or any consequences arising from the use of this information, including damage or adverse consequences to persons or property, however such damages or consequences arise. No warranty, either expressed or implied, is made in regards to this information.

Asymptomatic Shedding Transmission and Prevention

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008

Genital herpes is spread only through direct skin-to-skin contact or mucous membrane contact. It can be transmitted through penile-vaginal intercourse, anal intercourse, oral-genital sex, and other sexual body-to-body contact.

To reduce the risk of transmitting genital herpes, people who have the virus should avoid sexual contact from the time they first feel any symptoms until their lesions are completely healed. During times when there are no symptoms, using latex male condoms for genital-to-genital contact reduces the risk of transmission, according to the American Social Health Association. But condoms are only effective if they cover or prevent contact with the area of the body that has a lesion or active virus.

In one study of more than 400 monogamous couples in which one partner had genital herpes and the other didn’t, condoms were found to offer significant protection against HSV-2 infection in women, says study leader Anna Wald, M.D., medical director of the virology research clinic at the University of Washington in Seattle. Since women shed the virus from a wide genital area, condoms may be less protective for men than for women, says Wald, whose study was published in the June 27, 2001, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. However, more studies are needed to address how well condoms work for men, she says.

Lambskin or other natural membrane condoms should not be used for disease protection because the naturally occurring pores in the material are large enough to allow some viruses to pass through. The FDA recommends latex condoms or polyurethane condoms for those sensitive to latex.

Partners can be infected with different strains of herpes, but are highly unlikely to reinfect each other, says Ashley. Even if they did, each person’s symptoms are unlikely to change. “You’re not going to be suddenly having twice the attacks because you have [your partner’s] strain too.”

The virus is not transmitted through the air, nor are there any documented cases of a person getting genital herpes from an inanimate object such as a toilet seat or hot tub. “Herpes doesn’t do well in chlorinated water,” says Ashley. “The virus can be present in a hot tub, but it won’t be active.” The virus doesn’t survive well in the environment, even on a wet towel, says Ashley. However, she advises to avoid sharing razors, especially with someone who has an active cold sore. The virus can be transmitted from the razor to the skin. Other viruses, such as hepatitis C, also can be transmitted by sharing razors.

Spreading herpes from one part of your body to another (autoinoculation) is possible, but unusual. To be safe, wash your hands with soap if you touch a herpes sore.

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Disclaimer: This drug information is for your information purposes only, it is not intended that this information covers all uses, directions, drug interactions, precautions, or adverse effects of your medication. This is only general information, and should not be relied on for any purpose. It should not be construed as containing specific instructions for any particular patient. We disclaim all responsibility for the accuracy and reliability of this information, and/or any consequences arising from the use of this information, including damage or adverse consequences to persons or property, however such damages or consequences arise. No warranty, either expressed or implied, is made in regards to this information.

Free Prescriptions Aim to Reduce the Rates of Kitsap Chlamydia

Friday, August 29th, 2008

The sex partners of people who have chlamydia may receive free medication for their own treatment without ever seeing a doctor, under a new health program in Kitsap County.

The initiative, pioneered in Seattle, is designed to stem the spread of chlamydia trachomatis, the germ behind the most common sexually transmitted bacterial infection in the United States.

The approach presumes that the partner of an infected person is likely to be infected, too, and puts a priority on being practical.

“Some (people) don’t have good access to medical care,” said Matthew Golden, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Washington and one of a team of infectious disease and public health specialists in the country who came up with the program.

“We’re not telling people not to see their doctor. We’re telling them to see their doctor,” Golden said. “But if that’s not happening right away, they need to be treated.”

The program, known in medical circles as “expedited partner therapy,” began June 1 in Kitsap County, where the rate of chlamydia (kluh-MID-ee-uh) among residents ages 15 to 24 has risen an average of 5 percent a year in the past decade.

Left untreated, the infection can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease in women, which may result in sterility. More rarely, chlamydia can cause infertility in men, too. Symptoms for men and women alike include discharge from the sex organs and a burning sensation while urinating. But frequently, the pathogen lurks in the body without any signs, making it possible for an infected person to pass on the disease unknowingly.

Nationally, more than 1 million chlamydial infections were reported in 2006, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Prevention and Control estimates that 19 million new infections occur each year.

In Kitsap County, 350 cases of chlamydia were reported in the first five months of the year alone — making it far and away the most commonly reported sexually transmitted infection. By comparison, there were 33 cases of herpes, 30 cases of gonorrhea and one case of syphilis in the same period.

Expedited partner therapy aims to make treatment as available and convenient as possible for chlamydia as well as for gonorrhea. It starts when a patient who has symptoms seeks a doctor’s care, or — in the case of women — is found during her annual gynecological exam to have one or both infections.

A patient with chlamydia can be treated immediately with a single dose of the antibiotic azithromycin (sold in this country under the brand name Zithromax), said Beth Phipps, a nurse epidemiologist and chlamydia project point person at the Kitsap County Health District.

Gonorrhea also may be treated instantly with a second antibiotic.

Phipps said patients may then obtain free “Partner Packs” containing antibiotics, information about the medicine and the

disease, and a pair of condoms, directly from the health district clinic in downtown Bremerton or through their own physicians, who may call in prescriptions to any of seven Rite-Aid pharmacies in the county.

The partners never have to be identified. The patient simply gives a name under which the prescription should be written, and the person picking up the prescription asks for the packet under that name. Nor does the partner need to be the one to pick it up. “The prescription could be for Joe Schmo, but Minnie Mouse can pick it up,” Phipps said.

Phipps said discretion, delicacy and confidentiality are paramount.

When she started the job, Phipps admitted, she was abashed by the questions she had to ask her clients.

“I’m asking them about their sexual practices,” said Phipps, a grandmother who has been with the health district for 13 years. “I’m asking them about the frequency, the type, male, female, both; and that, actually, to start, was hard for me. It took me two days to call my first person.”

She has since learned to conduct interviews matter-of-factly and without judgment, as casually as if she were asking what the person had for lunch.

She’s also found that people of all types are vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections. “The perception would be icky, dirty, but not necessarily,” Phipps said. “I probably talk to more people who are regular Kitsap County citizens — professional people who just had a mishap.”

Nor are they necessarily promiscuous. One woman who had been to Harrison Medical Center’s emergency department three months in a row with a recurring chlamydia infection was, Phipps found, in a steady relationship. And her partner had been treated, too.

The problem was, the couple weren’t treated for the infection at the same time. “So they were passing it back and forth,” Phipps said. The trick was to treat them simultaneously, and counsel them to abstain from sex for one week until the infections cleared.

Golden at the UW, who also directs the sexually transmitted disease control program at Public Health-Seattle & King County, said that in the search for methods to slow the spread of chlamydia, he and a colleague at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found in a study that about half of all physicians at least occasionally give medicine to patients to take to their partners.

Until the advent of expedited partner therapy, the practice was done informally, under the radar. In fact, in some states, it is illegal to provide prescription drugs to someone who has not been evaluated by a health-care professional, although Golden said laws are changing because of the growing popularity of the formal program and its support from federal health agencies.

In Washington, the spread of partner therapy is funded largely through a five-year, $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, Golden said. Kitsap is part of a second wave of counties to join. The approach is now available in 18 counties in the state, including Clallam, Jefferson and Pierce. All of Washington is expected to be involved by the middle of 2009.

With 261 cases per 100,000 people, Kitsap’s chlamydia incidence rate is lower than the state’s rate of 283 per 100,000, which in turn is lower than the national rate of about 348 per 100,000.

However, Phipps said she expects Kitsap’s numbers to go up before they go down because of her concentrated efforts to track down infections.

In King County, where partner therapy has been available in some fashion since 1998, Golden said, the infection rate has been stable since 2002. He said researchers should be able to tell how well the program works statewide by 2011.

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Disclaimer: This drug information is for your information purposes only, it is not intended that this information covers all uses, directions, drug interactions, precautions, or adverse effects of your medication. This is only general information, and should not be relied on for any purpose. It should not be construed as containing specific instructions for any particular patient. We disclaim all responsibility for the accuracy and reliability of this information, and/or any consequences arising from the use of this information, including damage or adverse consequences to persons or property, however such damages or consequences arise. No warranty, either expressed or implied, is made in regards to this information.

Teen Sexual Health Info

Friday, August 15th, 2008

During your teens you become sexually mature. If you’re a girl, you develop breasts and begin to get your period. If you’re a boy, your penis and testicles become larger. If you have sex, you could get pregnant or get someone pregnant. Whether you choose to have sex or not, it is a good idea to know about safe sex and how sex affects your health. Besides pregnancy, having sex puts you at risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease, such as herpes or genital warts, or HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

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Disclaimer: This drug information is for your information purposes only, it is not intended that this information covers all uses, directions, drug interactions, precautions, or adverse effects of your medication. This is only general information, and should not be relied on for any purpose. It should not be construed as containing specific instructions for any particular patient. We disclaim all responsibility for the accuracy and reliability of this information, and/or any consequences arising from the use of this information, including damage or adverse consequences to persons or property, however such damages or consequences arise. No warranty, either expressed or implied, is made in regards to this information.

Taking Care Of Your Sexual Health

Monday, August 11th, 2008

Both men and women need to look after their sexual health and take time to understand the issues that surround contraception and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). For instance there are some STIs, such as Chlamydia, that you could be carrying without having any symptoms. This infection can affect fertility, so it’s important to make use of the sexual health services available for free on the NHS.

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Disclaimer: This drug information is for your information purposes only, it is not intended that this information covers all uses, directions, drug interactions, precautions, or adverse effects of your medication. This is only general information, and should not be relied on for any purpose. It should not be construed as containing specific instructions for any particular patient. We disclaim all responsibility for the accuracy and reliability of this information, and/or any consequences arising from the use of this information, including damage or adverse consequences to persons or property, however such damages or consequences arise. No warranty, either expressed or implied, is made in regards to this information.

Teen Sexual Activity Increases, Contraceptive Use Decreases

Saturday, August 9th, 2008

Almost half (48%) of high school teens say they have had sex–an increase of 2% between 2005 and 2007, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During the same time period, the proportion of high school teens who say they used a condom the last time they had sex decreased 2%.

Sex education: Talking to your teen about sex:

You understand the importance of sex education. But don’t count on classroom instruction alone. Although the basics may be covered in health class, your child might not hear or understand everything he or she needs to know. That’s where you come in. Awkward as it may be, sex education is a parent’s responsibility. By reinforcing and supplementing what your child learns in school, you can help your child.

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Disclaimer: This drug information is for your information purposes only, it is not intended that this information covers all uses, directions, drug interactions, precautions, or adverse effects of your medication. This is only general information, and should not be relied on for any purpose. It should not be construed as containing specific instructions for any particular patient. We disclaim all responsibility for the accuracy and reliability of this information, and/or any consequences arising from the use of this information, including damage or adverse consequences to persons or property, however such damages or consequences arise. No warranty, either expressed or implied, is made in regards to this information.

Teen Sexual Health

Monday, August 4th, 2008

During your teens you become sexually mature. If you’re a girl, you develop breasts and begin to get your period. If you’re a boy, your penis and testicles become larger. If you have sex, you could get pregnant or get someone pregnant. Whether you choose to have sex or not, it is a good idea to know about safe sex and how sex affects your health. Besides pregnancy, having sex puts you at risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease, such as herpes or genital warts, or HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Teens don’t need a sexual predator to introduce them to online pornography. It comes to them through porn spam on their e-mail or by inadvertently clicking on a link to a porn site. Through pornography, young people get a twisted view of what constitutes normal relationships. In fact, pornography is directly related to sexual abuse, rape, and sexual violence.

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Disclaimer: This drug information is for your information purposes only, it is not intended that this information covers all uses, directions, drug interactions, precautions, or adverse effects of your medication. This is only general information, and should not be relied on for any purpose. It should not be construed as containing specific instructions for any particular patient. We disclaim all responsibility for the accuracy and reliability of this information, and/or any consequences arising from the use of this information, including damage or adverse consequences to persons or property, however such damages or consequences arise. No warranty, either expressed or implied, is made in regards to this information.

Herpes and Pregnancy

Thursday, July 31st, 2008

Herpes, both oral and genital, are highly communicable diseases caused by the two strains of the Herpes Simplex Virus: HSV-1 and HSV-2. Genital herpes is transmitted sexually and is rarely transmitted from a pregnant mother to her unborn child, but could prove fatal for the unborn infant if it is transmitted.

It is possible, though unlikely that someone can transmit the virus through the placenta during pregnancy. If this happens, chances of the baby being born with a defect or a miscarriage increase.

The transmission also depends upon the stage of pregnancy in which the primary episode of herpes sets in. If the women had primary genital herpes during the first trimester, then there are less chances of the baby being infected. This is because it usually takes the body three to four weeks to buildup antibodies against the virus.

So if herpes happens at the onset of pregnancy, the body gets enough time to build up the immune system. As a result, these antibodies are also passed onto the baby. Generally, mothers can have a normal vaginal delivery.

But this is not so if the woman gets the infection in the second or third trimester of pregnancy. If the blood tests confirm that the women has never had herpes before the experts will recommend a caesarian delivery. This is because at these stages, the body does not get enough time to build up the immune system and the chances of transmission are extremely high.

It is easier to prevent herpes than it is to cure it. The highest risk to an infant comes from an infected mother who contracts HSV-1 or 2 during pregnancy and the best way to avoid this is by preventing this situation. Since Genital Herpes is a sexually transmitted disease, steps should be taken to ensure that you don’t transmit herpes during this crucial time.

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Disclaimer: This drug information is for your information purposes only, it is not intended that this information covers all uses, directions, drug interactions, precautions, or adverse effects of your medication. This is only general information, and should not be relied on for any purpose. It should not be construed as containing specific instructions for any particular patient. We disclaim all responsibility for the accuracy and reliability of this information, and/or any consequences arising from the use of this information, including damage or adverse consequences to persons or property, however such damages or consequences arise. No warranty, either expressed or implied, is made in regards to this information.

Rise In Sex Infection Rates

Monday, July 28th, 2008

Young people blamed for rise in sex infection rates

Casual sex is fuelling a big rise in sexual disease among young people, health experts warned today, as figures showed a 6% increase in infections.

Young people, aged 16 to 24, accounted for half of all newly diagnosed sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in 2007, though they make up only one-eighth of the population.

Infections rose across the UK, figures from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) show.

Professor Peter Borriello, the director of the HPA centre for infections, blamed the rise among young people on the prevalence of unsafe sex.

“It’s increasingly the case that among young people a casual shag is part of the territory, it’s part of life,” he said.

“Increasingly a shag now stands for syphilis, herpes, anal warts and gonorrhoea.

“If you are going to go swimming, dive into the pool, make sure you know how to swim, be safe. That really means wear a condom.”

There were 397,990 newly diagnosed STIs in clinics last year, up from 375,843 in 2006.

New cases of genital herpes rose 20% while there was a 7% rise in genital warts and chlamydia.

Young people accounted for 65% of all chlamydia, 50% of genital warts and 50% of gonorrhoea infections diagnosed in genitourinary medicine clinics across the UK last year, the HPA said.

This is the eleventh year in a row that STIs have risen year-on-year.

And young people are not the only group affected. Sexually transmitted infections among people over 45 have doubled in under a decade, a recent study showed.

The HPA said increases in testing and diagnoses accounted for some of the rise.

But Borriello called for a strong message to be delivered to those who engage in casual encounters without taking proper precautions.

The HPA want sexually active young people to be screened for chlamydia annually and every time they change their sexual partner.

Chlamydia, which often has no symptoms, remains the most common STI in the UK.

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Disclaimer: This drug information is for your information purposes only, it is not intended that this information covers all uses, directions, drug interactions, precautions, or adverse effects of your medication. This is only general information, and should not be relied on for any purpose. It should not be construed as containing specific instructions for any particular patient. We disclaim all responsibility for the accuracy and reliability of this information, and/or any consequences arising from the use of this information, including damage or adverse consequences to persons or property, however such damages or consequences arise. No warranty, either expressed or implied, is made in regards to this information.