Although we are not a medical clinic, Birth Choice of Temecula is able to offer you educational materials about Sexually Transmitted Diseases.  Please download this free, confidential STD wizard from the web so that you can find out more about your risks. If you think you currently have an STD, please immediately see your physician.  Remember that abstinence is the only way to prevent pregnancy and prevent STD's in unmarried couples.  It has been proven that the HIV virus can go through a condom.  Come see us for free brochures and to watch an educational DVD about reducing STD risks.

The STD Wizard is free, takes about five minutes to complete and can be accessed over the Internet at http://www.stdwizard.org

Some Important Facts for You

CHLAMYDIA
Symptoms: Men - Usually none. Some have discharge from the penis and burning with urination. Women - Usually none. Some have pain and/or vaginal discharge.	Damage: Men - Sterility. Women - Considered to be the most common cause of sterility. Advanced stage may require removal of uterus, tubes and ovaries.
Numbers: 4 million new cases reported annually; 70% are not aware they are infected; 40% of those sexually active are suspected carriers
GONORRHEA
Symptoms: Men - Pus from urethra. Burning upon urination. Women - Pelvic pain; painful urination and pus-like discharge.	Damage: Men - Sterility. Scarring of the urethra and urinary tract problems. Women - Sterility. Surgery in severe cases.
Numbers: 1.1 million new cases reported annually. 80% are not aware they are infected in the early stages.
SYPHILIS
Symptoms: Men - 1st stage: Swollen nonpainful ulcers on external genitals; 2nd stage: Changes of skin, fever, enlarged lymph nodes. Women - 1st stage: Often unnoticed; 2nd stage: Same as men.	Damage: Men - Brain disorders, heart disease; blindness, dementia and death. Women - Same as men. Also can cause birth defects or death in newborns if mother is infected.
Numbers: 120,000 new cases reported annually. 50% are not aware they have the disease.
GENITAL HERPES
Symptoms: Men & Women - Lesions appear at the site of infection - periodic eruptions of painful blister and ulcers anywhere on the body.	Damage: Men - Continuous outbreaks. Eventually may lead to hospitalization. Lifetime medication required. Women - Same as men. Also causes infant death.
Numbers: 30 million infected. 500,000 new cases reported annually. 73% show no symptoms. 20% of those sexually active have this disease.
HUMAN PAPILLOMA VIRUS (HPV)
Symptoms: Men - Wart-like genital growths. Women - Often no visible symptoms. Some experience vulvar burning, itching and pain. Abnormal pap smears.	Damage: Men - Cancer of the penis and anus. Women - Initially premalignant changes difficult to eradicate. Develops into cancer if not treated.
Numbers: 24-40 million people are thought to be carriers. 60 different strains exist today. 33% of women have this virus.
HEPATITIS B
Symptoms: Men - Often none. Some experience yellowing of the skin (jaundice), tiredness, dark urine and gray- colored stools. Women - Same as men.	Damage: Men & Women - Severe liver damage. Can eventually lead to cancer and of the liver and cirrhosis.
Numbers: 300,000 new cases annually. The most common STD in the world. 40% to 50% of children born to infected mothers develop liver cancer.
PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE (PID)
Symptoms: Men - This disease affects only women. Women - See Chlamydia and Gonorrhea. Often symptoms are minor and mistaken for menstrual cramps.	Damage: Women - Ectopic pregnancy which is fatal to the baby and life-threatening to the woman. Sterility and cancer are common.
Numbers: 1 million new cases annually, most in the 15-19 year age group. 100,000 women become infertile as a result of PID each year.
HIV/AIDS
Symptoms: Men - Fever, sore throat, fatigue, swollen lymph glands. Women - Same as men.	Damage: Men & Women - Immune system breaks down; death.
Numbers: 1 million infected. Approximately 20% in young adult population. 20% infected during the teen years.
Statistics are for 1998, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia

What is HPV?

Genital Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a common and serious sexually transmitted disease (STD). Human papillomavirus is the name of a family of viruses that include more than 100 different types of viruses. Over thirty of these are transmitted through sexual contact. HPV infects the genital region of both men and women, including the skin of the penis in men and the vulva (area outside the vagina) in women.

Some strains of HPV are considered "high-risk" types, and may cause abnormal or pre-cancerous cells to grow inside a woman's genital tract. This can cause cancer of the cervix or vagina. In men, HPV can cause cancer of the penis. In both men and women, HPV can cause cancer of the anus or rectum.

Risk Factors for HPV Infection in Women Young age (less than 25 years) Multiple sex partners Early age at first sexual intercourse (16 years or younger) Male partner has (or has had) multiple sex partners

Some strains of HPV are "low-risk" types and may cause genital warts without cancer. Genital warts are single or multiple bumps that appear in the genital area. The warts can also infect the anus, cervix, vagina, or rectum. Most people who become infected with HPV do not have any symptoms at all. Despite the absence of symptoms, the virus can still cause damage to the reproductive organs and be passed to other people.

Statistics about HPV

About 20 million people are currently infected with HPV. At least half of all sexually active men and women will get a genital HPV infection at some point in their lives. Over a lifetime, 4 out of 5 women will have acquired a genital HPV infection. About 6.2 million Americans get a new genital HPV infection every year.

Transmission of HPV

HPV is spread primarily through genital contact. Most HPV infections have no signs or symptoms; therefore, most people are unaware they are infected and unknowingly transmit the virus to their sex partner. HPV is usually transmitted through direct skin-to-skin contact, most often during penetrative genital contact (vaginal or anal sex), but all types of genital contact (including oral sex or mutual masturbation) can lead to HPV infection. A pregnant woman can pass HPV to her baby during delivery. A baby that is exposed to HPV can then develop warts in the throat or voice box.

The more sexual partners a person has, the more likely it is that he or she will contract HPV. Having sex with a new partner is even more risky than having sex with a steady partner. For women, the sexual activity of their partner(s) is also important for determining risk of getting HPV. For teens and college students, the risk of acquiring HPV is greater if a woman's partner has had or currently has other partners. HPV infections are also common in both male and female homosexual relationships. HPV infection can be detected on inanimate objects, such as clothing or environmental surfaces, however transmission is not known to occur by this route.

HPV Causes Cancer

All sexually active women should have regular Pap tests to detect pre-cancerous or cancerous cells on the cervix. All types of HPV can cause mild Pap test abnormalities which are not serious. However, about 10 of the 30 identified genital HPV types can lead to cervical cancer. Research has shown that for most women (90 percent), cervical HPV infection becomes undetectable within two years. Although only a small proportion of women have a persistent infection, persistent infection with "high-risk" types of HPV is the main cause of cervical cancer.

Regular Pap testing and careful medical follow-up, with treatment if necessary, can help ensure that pre-cancerous changes in the cervix caused by HPV infection do not develop into life threatening cervical cancer. In 2004, over ten thousand women developed invasive cervical cancer, and about four thousand women will die from the disease. Most women who develop invasive cervical cancer have not had regular cervical cancer screening.

Preventing HPV

The best way to prevent genital HPV infection is to refrain from any sexual contact with another person. For those who choose to be sexually active, a long-term, monogamous relationship (i.e. marriage) with an uninfected partner is also considered safe. However, it is difficult to determine whether a partner who has been sexually active in the past is currently infected. Even people with only one lifetime sex partner can get HPV if their partner has ever been infected. Those choosing to be sexually active outside of a faithful marriage have the highest risk of genital HPV infection.

Condoms do not fully protect against HPV. HPV infection can occur in both male and female genital areas that are covered by a latex condom, as well as in areas that are not covered. No method of contraception is considered a good way to prevent HPV.

HPV Vaccination

There is now a vaccine that protects against four common types of genital human papillomavirus (HPV). These four strains are thought to cause most cervical cancers and genital warts. The HPV vaccine is considered safe and effective for females, up to 26 years.

Ideally, females should get the vaccine before they become sexually active, since this vaccine is most effective in those who have not yet acquired any of the HPV types. Doctors recommend the vaccine be given to pre-teens and teens.

In girls/women who have not been infected with any of the four HPV types, the vaccine has been shown to be about 100% effective in preventing cancerous cells in the cervix, vulva, and vagina, and genital warts caused by those HPV types. However, the vaccine is new and there are not yet studies to show conclusive evidence of long-term effectiveness.

When vaccinated girls get older they will still need to get regular Pap tests since the vaccine does not protect against all cervical cancers. Also, once they become sexually active, they will still need to exercise caution in their sexual behaviors, since the vaccine will not prevent all cases of genital warts, nor will it prevent other sexually transmitted infections.

It is not yet known if the vaccine is safe and effective in males or in women over 26 years of age. Research is now being done with these groups. The US Food and Drug Administration will consider licensing the vaccine for these other groups when there is research to show that it is safe and effective for them.

Sources: Human Papillomavirus: HPV Information for Clinicians, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention April 2007, also CDC HPV Fact Sheet.