Information here should not replace the informed information you will receive from your local health care professional. If you suspect you have an STD you should immediately seek out a doctor and be tested.

Chlamydia:
A chlamydial infection can cause many different health problems, including vaginal discharge, spotting and pain with sex, lower stomach aches, irregular periods, a burning feeling when urinating, a discharge from the penis and trouble getting pregnant. Sometimes, however, a chlamydial infection causes no symptoms at all. You could get a chlamydial infection by having sex with a person who has a chlamydial infection. If you have had sex with a new partner, or with many sex partners, or with a partner who has had many sex partners, and especially if you don't always use condoms, you are at higher risk for a chlamydial infection.

Genital Warts & HPV:
Genital warts, also known as HPV, is a sexually transmitted disease (STD). The most common way to get HPV is by having sex with someone who has HPV. The only way to make sure you don't get it is to avoid having sex at all, or to have sex only with someone who doesn't have HPV and is only having sex with you. Just because you can't see warts on your partner doesn't mean your partner doesn't have HPV. The infection can have a long incubation period, meaning months can pass between the time a person is infected with the virus and the time a person notices warts in the genital area. Sometimes, the warts can take years to develop. And, in women, the warts may be where you can't see them--inside the body, on the surface of the cervix. Using condoms may prevent you from catching HPV from someone who might have it. However, condoms can't always cover all of the affected skin.

Syphilis:
In men, the first sign of syphilis may be a sore on the penis. In women, the first sign may be a sore around or inside the vagina. You might not even notice the sore, because syphilis sores don't hurt. The sores go away after 3 to 6 weeks. If you don't treat syphilis early, it spreads from the sore into your blood. When syphilis gets into your blood, it can cause many problems. The most common sign is a rash. The rash may show up, often on the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet, from 2 weeks to 2 months after the sore appeared. Other signs of syphilis include fever, sore throat and swollen lymph glands. After many years, people with syphilis who don't get treatment may begin to have problems in their brain and spinal cord. Syphilis may damage the heart and other organs, too. Some people with syphilis don't have any signs of infection. In other people, the signs may be very mild. They might not even know they have it. But even if the signs of infection go away on their own, the germs are still alive. They can cause serious health problems many years later.

There are many other types of sexually transmitted diseases that have not been described above. If you have reason to believe that you have an STD, please look to a certified health professional or your family doctor for advice and treatment.