Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are something most women stop hearing about after high school and/or college, but it is important to know that the threat never goes away. These infections come with their own sets of signs and symptoms, but left untreated, they can also lead to serious health consequences. These consequences are often not taught in your traditional sexual education class, but it is important for all women to be well aware of them.
Infertility
STDs can lead to infertility and any untreated STD may result in this consequence. This is one of the most severe of consequences. To briefly discuss men, if they have gonorrhea or chlamydia and leave it untreated, they too can experience sterility.
Risk of Spreading HIV to Others for Life
Once you have HIV, you always have HIV. There are effective treatments available that help many women keep their symptoms under control so that they can live relatively normal lives, but the risk of spreading HIV is always there, even if being treated. It is estimated that of the women in the United States over age 15, 390,000 are currently living with HIV or AIDS, according to AVERT. If you have an active gonorrhea or chlamydia infection, your risk of contracting HIV is increased.
This is something we often see on the Discovery Channel as happening in other less fortunate countries, but it certainly happens in the United States as well, but we just do not see it in the media. Gonorrhea, chlamydia and other issues can cause scarring of your reproductive organs. This scarring may cause a fertilized egg to then implant itself outside of your uterus to grow. This is a very serious condition.
Thanks to the new HPV vaccines, we are all aware of HPV and how certain strains may cause cervical cancer. However, did you know that HPV is a sexually transmitted disease? This same STD can also cause genital warts.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
Two out of every five women who contract a chlamydia infection and leave it untreated go on to develop what is known as pelvic inflammatory disease. Untreated gonorrhea may also lead to this. This very serious condition can lead to a variety of complications, such as pelvic pain, infertility and ectopic pregnancy.
Your Heart and Brain
Both of these organs can be affected if syphilis is left untreated. When untreated, this STD can lead to neurological and cardiovascular problems.
Your Newborn
If you have an untreated herpes virus, HIV, syphilis or hepatitis B, you may pass this onto your baby. This may lead to premature birth, death shortly after being born, lifetime infection with HIV (if you have untreated HIV), stillbirth and birth defects.
Death
Of course, there are certain STDs that can lead to death when left untreated. Syphilis and HIV are very serious. As you know, HIV may eventually lead to the AIDS virus.
