4 STDs you might already have BUT don't know yet

STDs are like a silent epidemic as most of the times they do not show any visible signs. This means that you and your partner could be affected by an STD even without knowing. Dr Poonam Agarwal, consulting gynaecologist at Bombay Hospital tells you about the STDs that you might have already.

Gonorrhea

This bacterial infection spreads through unprotected, vaginal, oral or anal sex. Women often do not show any symptoms of gonorrhea, but when they do, the symptoms are mild. As for men, if the infection is in the rectum or throat, it probably won’t show any symptoms.

Herpes

Herpes simplex type 1 usually affects your mouth as cold sores and herpes simplex type 2 mainly targets your genitals. Almost 70 percent of the people infected with the virus do not show any symptoms. If you do, you may notice some blisters in your genitals and experience some burning.

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)

Low-risk HPV only causes genital warts, and high-risk HPV can even lead to penile and anal cancer. However, HPV almost never has visible symptoms, and most strains do not even cause warts.

Chlamydia

This bacterial infection also spreads through unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex and shows and rarely has noticeable symptoms either in men or women. However, symptoms like penile discharge and burning can creep up a week after exposure.

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