Gonorrhea in Pregnancy: Risks to Baby & Treatment
Gonorrhea in pregnancy is a treatable bacterial infection that needs prompt attention because it can pass to the baby during vaginal birth and cause a serious eye infection.
152 articles
STD Condition Guides, Page 2
Plain-English deep dives on HIV, hepatitis, HPV, syphilis and more.
STD Condition Guides articles
Syphilis vs Herpes: Sores, Tests & Treatment
Syphilis and genital herpes both cause genital sores, but they're fundamentally different. Syphilis is a bacterial infection that produces a single painless, firm sore and is curable with penicillin.
BV Testing: Diagnosis, pH & At-Home Options
BV testing checks whether the bacteria in your vagina have shifted out of balance. A clinician confirms bacterial vaginosis using the Amsel criteria - thin discharge, clue cells, a vaginal pH above th
HPV Wart Removal: Home Treatments vs Doctor Care
HPV wart removal means clearing the visible bumps caused by low-risk HPV types - either with a prescription cream you apply at home or a procedure your clinician does in the office, like freezing.
HIV Treatment Side Effects: ART & What to Expect
Modern HIV treatment (antiretroviral therapy, or ART) is well tolerated for most people.
Molluscum Contagiosum Treatment & Removal Options
Most molluscum contagiosum clears on its own within several months to about a year, so watchful waiting is reasonable for many people.
Mgen Symptoms in Women: Discharge, Bleeding & Pain
Mycoplasma genitalium (Mgen) in women most often causes cervicitis - inflammation of the cervix - which shows up as abnormal vaginal discharge, bleeding after sex, spotting between periods, and pelvic
HIV CD4 Count & Viral Load: What Numbers Mean
Your CD4 count measures how strong your immune system is - higher is healthier - while your viral load measures how much HIV is in your blood, where lower is better. On effective treatment, the two mo
Injectable HIV Treatment: Long-Acting Cabenuva
Injectable HIV treatment means swapping daily pills for provider-given shots. The main option, Cabenuva, combines two drugs - cabotegravir and rilpivirine - and is given as injections every one or two
Can NGU Go Away on Its Own Without Treatment?
NGU sometimes quiets down on its own, but "symptoms fade" is not the same as "infection cured." The organisms behind it - most often chlamydia or Mycoplasma genitalium - can persist silently, keep spr.
Chlamydia Symptoms in Women: What to Look For
Most women with chlamydia have no symptoms at all - about three quarters notice nothing CDC fact sheet.
Genital Warts Treatment: Removal Options
Genital warts are treated by removing the visible growths - either with a prescription cream you apply at home (imiquimod, podofilox, or sinecatechins) or with an in-office procedure like freezing, acid, or surgical removal.
HPV Pap Smear vs HPV Test: Which Do You Need?
A Pap smear and an HPV test are two different cervical screens.
Syphilis vs Gonorrhea: Symptoms & Tests
Gonorrhea and syphilis are both curable bacterial STIs, but they behave differently: gonorrhea is the classic "discharge" infection - burning urination and penile or vaginal discharge - while syphilis.
Tinea Versicolor vs STD Spots: Is This Rash an STI?
Patchy discolored spots on your chest, back, or trunk are far more likely to be tinea versicolor - a harmless skin yeast - than an STI.
PID and Pregnancy: Ectopic & Fertility Risks
PID and pregnancy collide in two ways: pelvic inflammatory disease can scar the fallopian tubes, which raises the risk of an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy and can cause infertility, and the scarring compounds with every repeat episode.
Crabs Symptoms: Itching, Bites & Blue Spots
Crabs symptoms most often show up as intense itching in the genital area, plus tiny lice or pale eggs (nits) glued to the base of coarse pubic hair.
Genital Herpes Symptoms in Men
Genital herpes symptoms in men usually start as small blisters on or around the penis, scrotum, anus, buttocks, or thighs that break into painful sores and crust over within a week or more. A first ou
HIV Treatment: How Antiretroviral Therapy Works
HIV treatment is antiretroviral therapy (ART) - a daily combination of HIV medicines that everyone diagnosed with HIV should start as soon as possible and take for life. ART can't cure HIV, but it dri
Scabies Treatment: Permethrin & Ivermectin
Scabies is treated with a prescription scabicide.