Michaelmas Term, 2004
Gonorrhea
Incubation: 1-7 days
Symptoms: puss discharge, very painful to urinate, constipation; also, more vaguely, lower abdominal pain
Chlamydia
Generally there are no symptoms- it is a silent infection, though sometimes there is bacterial vaginosis (i.e. malodour), as well as possibly vulval irritation.
The longer the symptoms go untreated, the greater the risk of infertility, as it leads to the fallopian tubes being blocked up with scar material (tubes can be partially blocked, which leads to a higher risk of ectopic pregnancy).
It is very common if you have gonorrhea to have Chlamydia as well.
Chlamydia is treated with medicine: GUM clinics generally use Doxycycline, though are other medicines.
Thrush
This is a fungal infection, and is very common and sufferers tend to get recurrent attacks.
Fungi grow in warm, dark, moist areas - nylon pants and tight trousers encourage this environment.
Symptoms include: itchiness, irritation and a white creamy discharge.
Syphilis
This takes a long time to develop and tends to look like other diseases - is a great imitator. Sufferers can develop boils, which can go anywhere on the body. The disease can also lie dormant for years and make a comeback later. If left untreated for many years syphilis can lead to neurological problems, but the days when it was a killer are gone thanks to modern medicines.
Herpes
This manifests itself in a recurrent skin infection (lesions/sores). The infection will lie dormant for periods, but does come back visibly. It is easy to pass on.
Genital sores
This encompasses syphilis and herpes.
Sores appear in 0-60 days after infection and take about 3 weeks to heal.
Left untreated wart viruses on the cervix can cause cervical cancer (the majority of cases of cervical cancer stem from warts).
More Info
For more information on these diseases and for information on others not covered here, try the following websites: