For sexually active couples in the swinging lifestyle, checkups should be conducted every three months.  If you think you have any symptoms of any STD, you should have the symptoms checked out at your local clinic immediately!

ARE YOU 20 YEARS OLD OR YOUNGER?
There are many satellite clinics in the Ottawa region in schools and clinics!
Call 234-4641 for a sexual heath satellite clinic location near you.
If you have trouble getting down town in Ottawa and under 21 years of age, these clinics are available just for you!

Sexually transmitted diseases are uncommon among swingers.  In fact, many couples confine their outside sexual recreation to club swing parties for this reason.  STD's are generally easily diagnosed and cured.  The local health department is usually the best bet.  It is nothing to be ashamed of or fear.  AIDS, very much in the news the past couple of years, is difficult to contract.  It is very rare in the swing community.  Primary methods of transmitting the AIDS virus are sharing needles in drug use and intercourse, especially anal, with a man who shares needles or practices receptive anal intercourse with other men.  If neither of these categories fits, your unlikely to get AIDS through swinging.

If you suspect you have an STD go to your doctor and get a diagnosis immediately.  Most common sexually transmitted diseases can be cured.  The following information is not meant to displace sound medical advice from a licensed physician.

 

Chlamydia

Chlamydia (pronounced "cl-mid-ee-ah") is a bacterial infection that is sexually transmitted. It's estimated 40% to 60% of women with chlamydia and 10% to 30% of men with chlamydia have no symptoms. Chlamydia is a major cause of NGU (non gonococcal urethritis) in men. If left untreated, which happens often since most cases are asymptotic, chlamydia can cause infertility in men and women.

TRANSMISSION
Direct contact of mucous membranes during sexual activity, causing the exchange of bodily fluids. Whether chlamydia can be transmitted orally is as yet unclear. Mothers can transmit to their baby during childbirth. Many of these babies suffer from eye infections and a potentially fatal form of pneumonia. It is possible to contract this disease repeatedly; having been infected once does not ensure immunity against future exposures. High risk groups include white males aged 15-24, people with multiple partners, and women using oral contraceptives or IUDs.

SYMPTOMS
When symptoms do appear, they do so from 1-4 weeks after exposure.

Women
 80% of women have no symptoms. Symptoms include any or all of the following: vaginal discharge (most common), spotting between periods, abdominal pain, sometimes with fever and nausea and burning on urination.

Men
 10% of men have no symptoms. Symptoms include: burning on urination, watery, white penile discharge (sometimes present only in the morning, and can disappear spontaneously. This does not mean that the infection is gone.), testicular pain and tingling inside the penis or frequency of urination.

DIAGNOSIS
Several chlamydia tests are available in the general community. Clinicians test and treat a woman who has cervicitis or an unusual discharge or a man who has unusual discharge or other symptoms.  ALL suspected cases of Chlamydia should be supported with lab diagnosis, as it can very often occur in conjunction with gonorrhea and can persist after the gonorrhea has been successfully treated.  As the test required to diagnose is fairly *discomfort free*, a scraping should be taken in all suspect cases.  It is recommended that high risk groups (sexually active women <25 years of age; men or women with a new sexual partner or more than 1 sexual partner in the preceding year; and women using
non-barrier contraceptives, be screened annually.  Also, as men fear the *swab* and generally don't go to the clinic because of that fear, chlamydia can be detected in a urine specimen in this population.  Not quite as sensitive, but if it gets them to the clinic.
 

Women
A slide test examines endocervical, a sample of cervical cells are taken with a paddle and brush.

Men
Tests examine cells from the urethra for the presence of chlamydia, A sample of cells from the urethra are taken with a swab (inserted about 1/2").

TREATMENT
Notification and treatment of partners is essential to stopping the spread of chlamydia, whether they have symptoms or not.

Oral antibiotics
The medication should be taken exactly as instructed and completely finished, even if symptoms disappear, or the infection can come back. Alcohol and physical exertion should be avoided during treatment. Sexual abstinence until a clinician confirms a cure. Follow-up exams 7 days after treatment are essential to ensure chlamydia is completely gone. Your partner(s) should be treated.

CAUTION:
Some studies show antibiotics may decrease the effectiveness of birth control pills. Therefore, females should continue birth control pills as well as using another form of birth control (i.e. condom, foam, diaphragm, abstinence) until you finish the cycle of birth control pills and have a normal cycle.

DANGERS
Since most do not know that they have chlamydia, the infection can spread and cause painful and permanent damage to sex and pelvic organs. The scarring it leaves can leave both men and women unable to have children. Eye infections result from contact with infected secretions. Babies can contract chlamydia during birth, and develop eye infections and a potentially fatal pneumonia. 4-10% of all pregnant women have chlamydia, and unless they receive treatment, more than half of their babies will have eye infections, while 10%of their babies contract pneumonia.

Women
Champ is thought to be behind up to 50% of the cases of PID in women, a potentially sterilizing, sometimes fatal, illness. PID is the most common complication of chlamydia in women. 10-15% of infected women get it. Can be fatal. Can scar fallopian tubes, causing sterility or ectopic pregnancy. Women who have PID once have a 10% chance of tubal scarring; twice increases it to a 30% chance; three times increases to a 60% chance. PID often develops in women who have had repeated chlamydia or gonorrhea infections. PID is generally a "mixed" infection, caused by more than one bacterial agent. Symptoms include: fever, fatigue, severe lower abdominal pain, lower abdominal tenderness, enlargement of the fallopian tubes, and vaginal discharge. Treated with multiple antibiotics. In severe cases, hospitalization and IV antibiotics are needed. Women with IUDs are at higher risk for PID if they contract chlamydia or gonorrhea. The IUD should be removed before treatment.

Men
Can develop Procitis, as well as epididymitis and prostritis, which can lead to sterility. In men, chlamydia may lead to epididymitis, an inflammation of the testicle that may cause sterility if not treated.

PREVENTION
Condoms DO prevent the spread, and their use should be encouraged.  Knowing your partner's sexual history and thoroughly examining his or her genitals for sores or discharge prior to intimate contact provides some protection.  Supremacies tend to kill the bacteria that cause chlamydia.  Wash genitals after sexual contact.  Urinating after sexual contact.  People with more than one partner should have an STD check every six months, even if there are no symptoms.

 

GONORRHEA

Male Symptoms
Yellowish discharge from the penis. Painful, frequent urination. Symptoms develop from two to thirty days after infection. Roughly 20% of infected men have no symptoms. Later stages of the infection may move into the prostate, seminal vesicles, and epididymis, causing severe pain and fever. Rare cases can lead to septic arthritis. Untreated, gonorrhea can lead to sterility.

Female Symptoms
Under half of women with gonorrhea show no symptoms, or symptoms so mild they are commonly ignored. Early symptoms include increased vaginal discharge, irritation of the external genitals, pain or burning on urination and abnormal menstrual bleeding. Women who are untreated may develop severe complications. The infection will usually spread to the uterus, Fallopian tubes, and ovaries, causing Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID). PID, though not only caused by gonorrhea, is the most common cause of female infertility. Early symptoms of PID are lower abdominal pain, fever, nausea, vomiting, and pain during intercourse.

Treatment
Gonorrhea is a bacterial infection, and is therefore treated with standard antibiotics, usually a member of the penicillin family. Tetracycline drugs frequently do not cure gonorrhea, especially in cases of anal infection. One variety of gonorrhea, penicillinase- producing Neisseria gonorrhea, (the isolate which is resistant to penicillin). The treatment for the penicillinase producing neisseria gonorrhoeae is a third generation CEPHALOSPORIN.  Drugs in this category are ceftriaxone and cefixime.

Transmission
The bacteria that causes gonorrhea can be passed through sexual contact, such as intercourse, fellatio, anal sex, cunnilingus and even kissing, although the last is rare.
 

Hepatitis A

Transmission
Hepatitis A is spread by the fecal-oral (both direct and indirect contact) route, as this transmission can also occur with sexual activity, especially among homosexual males.  Hepatitis A has a 14-40 day incubation period (mean about 25 days) which is actually most contagious before any symptoms are displayed.  Most people are asymptomatic, although there are some documented acute hepatitis cases
noted.  It is self limiting and there is no chronic carriage of the disease.

Treatment
There is a vaccine available, however, unless you are planning on traveling to a *developing country* it is not necessary.  Best prevention is good hygiene and safe sexual practices.

 

Hepatitis B

Symptoms
About half of those who get hepatitis B will suffer from an inflammation of the liver, called acute hepatitis. Many people with hepatitis B mistake the symptoms for other illnesses, such as the flu, while others are more seriously affected and may miss school or work for months. Other common symptoms include skin rashes and arthritis, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, malaise, abdominal pain, and jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin).

Treatment
There is no cure for hepatitis B. There is a vaccine, however, that is very effective.  The vaccine is not that expensive, one's life and health is priceless is it not? and should be taken - especially in a population with multiple sexual contacts.  Consult your physician or sexual health clinic.  A small percentage of people who acquire hepatitis B will carry the virus in their blood streams for the rest of their lives as carriers.  Health departments are now vaccinating kids in school, as the vaccine is highly effective and can prevent the transmission of this deadly disease.

Transmission
Hepatitis B is transmitted through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, and that includes sexual contact.  It is a considered a highly infectious disease and should be taken seriously.

 

GENITAL HERPES, HSV

Full Name
Herpes Simplex Virus I and Herpes Simplex Virus II. HSV-I is most often associated with cold sores or fever blisters about the mouth and lips, while HSV-II is associated with sores around the genital area. There is some crossover, however, and each virus will survive quite comfortably in both regions.

Symptoms
Herpes is marked by clusters of small, painful blisters on the genitals. After a few days, the blisters burst, leaving small ulcers. In men, the blisters usually appear on the penis, but can appear in the urethra or rectum. In women, they usually appear on the labia, but can appear on the cervix and anal area. First outbreaks are accompanied by fever, headache, and muscle soreness for two or more consecutive days in 39% of men and 68% of women.

Other relatively common symptoms include painful urination discharge from the urethra or vagina, and tender, swollen lymph nodes in the groin.  These symptoms tend to disappear within two weeks. Aseptic meningitis occurs in 8 percent of cases, eye infections in 1% of cases, and infection of the cervix in 88% of infected women. Skin lesions last on average 16.5 days in men, 19.7 in women. Secondary symptoms are most prominent in the first four days and then gradually diminish.

Recurrence
None in 10% of cases.  Frequency for the remaining population is from once a month to once every few years. The majority of sufferers do not have repeat attacks after a few years.  Most repeat attacks are less severe than the initial attack.

Treatment
There is no medical cure for herpes.  Treatment with acyclovir reduces pain and viral reproduction during outbreaks of sores, although it will not delay or prevent recurrences.

Transmission
Generally by sexual contact.  Direct contact with infected genitals can cause transmission via intercourse, rubbing genitals together, oral genital contact, anal sex, or oral/anal contact.  In addition, normally protected areas of skin can become infected if there is a cut, rash, sore.  Herpes viruses can be spread in some instances by kissing, if one participant has the infection sited in or near the mouth.  HSV 2 Condoms should be worn at all times if one/both parties are positive, as the virus can be present and *shedding* even in the absence of lesions.

Practice SAFE sex!

 

HIV / AIDS

Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome. It is important to distinguish between the two. HIV is the virus that ultimately causes AIDS. AIDS is a syndrome, a collection of symptoms associated with HIV infection.

Symptoms
People infected with HIV may have no symptoms for up to fifteen years. During this time, they are capable of infecting anyone they have sex with or donate blood to. Initial symptoms of HIV infection include inexplicable weight loss, persistent fever, swollen lymph nodes, and reddish spots on the skin (Karposi's Sarcoma). HIV causes the destruction of the immune system. It's most pronounced symptoms, therefore, are opportunistic infections of pneumocystis carinii, fungal infections, tuberculosis, and various herpes forms.

Treatment
There is no cure for HIV / AIDS.  Treatment may fend off infections, however the typical course is for one overwhelming infection to follow another until the victim succumbs.  There are some great drug combos now that do allow people to lead fairly normal lives, and as we learn more about the process, outcomes will continue to improve.

Transmission
In a person infected with HIV, the virus can be present in the body's semen and pre-ejaculate, blood, cervical mucous, and breast milk. It can also be present, in much smaller quantities, in vaginal secretion, saliva, and tears.
The AIDS virus can be transmitted via any of these fluids, but only the first two -- semen and blood -- are likely to be involved. Anal sex is the most commonly perceived method of transfer, but vaginal sex has been repeatedly shown to transmit HIV. Men are less likely than women to be infected through vaginal sex, but there are recorded cases of men having been infected this way. Cunnilingus and fellatio have also been established as capable of transmitting the virus. Sexual activities, not sexual orientation, transmit the virus.
HIV cannot be passed on through casual contact, hugging, hand-shaking, touching the sweat of an infected person, or mosquito bites.

Testing
The HIV test shows the presence of antibodies to HIV. It does not show the presence of the virus: the body first has to develop antibodies, which normally takes about six weeks. Hence, a positive result means that someone has antibodies and could possibly develop AIDS in the future. A negative result means that someone does not have antibodies at the moment. If there is a reason to think that exposure was more recent than six weeks, then a test taken immediately can only serve as a baseline to compare against a test taken later. Within six months of HIV infection, 99% of the population will test positive. No one should be tested for HIV without first obtaining counseling and ensuring beforehand support from his or her family or friends.

 

CRABS, PUBIC LICE

Symptoms
Pubic lice are just that, lice that has infested your public hair. The most common symptom is intense itching, usually felt mostly at night. Some victims have no symptoms, others may develop an allergic rash.

Treatment
Various shampoos and lotions exist to kill lice, but the best solution is simply to shave off the pubic and hair and shower vigorously afterwards.

Transmission
Nominally through sexual contact, however they may be picked up through use of sheets, towels or clothing used by an infected person.

 

Nonspecific Urethritis (NSU)

or

Nongonoccal Urethritis (NGU)

Caused by
Chlamydia trachomatous, T. mycoplasma, ureaplasma urealyticum, mycolasma hominis. An estimated quarter of cases are allergic reactions to latex or spermicide.

Symptoms
Similar to gonorrhea but usually milder. Urethral discharge is generally thin and clear. Planned Parenthood estimates that half of the women with one of these diseases doesn't know it. NSU/NGU in women can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and sterility.

Transmission
In cases involving a pathogen, sexual intercourse, as well as hands with semen or vaginal secretions on them infecting the eye.

Treatment
Penicillin is generally not effective against NGU/NSU-causing organisms. Tetracycilne is generally prescribed; sulfa drugs are effective against chlamydia but not the others.
 

SYPHILIS

Symptoms

Primary Stage
A chancre sore develops at the site of infection from two to four weeks after infection has occurred. The chancre is painless 75% of the time. The chancre starts as a dull red spot, turns into a pimple, which ulcerates, forming a round or oval sore with a red rim. The sore heals in 4-6 weeks - however, the infection is still present. The chancre is usually found on the genitals or anus, but can appear on any part of the skin.

Secondary Stage
One week to six months after the chancre heals. Pale red or pinkish rash appears (often on palms or soles), fever, sore throat, headaches, joint pains, poor appetite, weight loss, hair loss. Moist sores may appear around the genitals or anus and are highly infectious. Symptoms usually last three to six months, but can come and go.

Latent Stage
No apparent symptoms, and the carrier is no longer contagious. However, the organism is insinuating itself into the host's tissues. 50 to 70 percent of carriers pass the rest of their lives without the disease leaving this stage. The reminder pass into Last Stage syphilis.

Last Stage
Serious heart problems, eye problems, brain and spinal cord damage, with a high probability of paralysis, insanity, blindness or death.

Treatment
Penicillin by injection, or a two-week regimen of tetracycline, is the standard treatment for syphilis. Two follow-up blood tests two weeks apart after ending treatment are necessary to ensure the treatment is complete. The first three stages of syphilis are completely curable, and even in the last stage syphilis can be stopped. With the present medical technology to diagnose and treat syphilis, no one should ever suffer the effects of last-stage syphilis.

Transmission
Nominally sexual contact, but can be transmitted by blood transfusion or from an infected pregnant woman to her fetus.

 

GENITAL WARTS

&

HUMAN PAPILLOMA VIRUS

Symptoms
Half of the people infected with HPV do not show any symptoms.  When symptoms are present, they are small, visible warts appearing at the tip of the penis or at the opening of vagina.  In women, HPV also causes cervical lesions.  Warts can occur anywhere on the shaft of penis or the scrotum in men, and anywhere around the labial area or inside the vagina in women.  In women, an abnormal Pap smear may indicate cervical lesions, but a coloscopy is necessary to confirm this.

Treatment
Warts are pinpoint infections, and can be treated as such.  Podophyllin solution, trichlorocetic acid, and fluorouracil cream are three chemical solutions used to burn warts from the skin.  Liquid nitrogen or lasers are sometimes used, as well as electrodessication.  A six-month check-up is necessary to confirm that all the warts were destroyed, and even then a small percentage of people may experience a recurrence of warts within 18 months.

Transmission
The virus is transmitted through sexual contact.  Warts are considered very contagious even in people who show no visible symptoms.
 

WRAP UP! (Pun intended)

Safe sexual practices include good personal hygiene (remember, some of these little bugs will live on your hands, for easy transport to your, or your partner's eye), consensual sex and CONDOMS, CONDOMS, CONDOMS.

It is very important that you clean up before and after being sexually active, especially if you have multiple partners!!!

If you are a young adult and going to get sexually active, don't be afraid to ask for condoms at a local or satellite health centre!  Pregnancy and most STD's are preventable!

NEVER RUSH INTO SEXUAL ACTIVITIES, IF YOU ARE NOT SURE, DON'T DO IT!