If you’ve ever had sex, it’s likely that STIs (sexually transmitted infections) have crossed your mind at some point. And how can we blame you? There are just so many of them. Bacterial STIs. Viral STIs. It can be hard to keep everything straight. To help you out, we’ve included an overview of some common STIs below, including information on what they are, how you can get (and prevent) them, and how they can be diagnosed and treated.
Note: Information about HIV won’t be found here, as we include various HIV-specific sections on our site. Additionally, more information about STI Testing can be found in our STI Testing section.
BACTERIAL STIs
Gonorrhea & Chlamydia
How do you get gonorrhea and chlamydia?
First of all – let’s talk about where these bacteria live. Gonorrhea and chlamydia can be found in your urethra, throat, anus and front hole/internal genitalia (for trans guys). Oral sex, anal sex, frontal sex, and sharing sex toys are all ways that these bacteria can be passed from one person to another. Like many STI’s, they are transmitted through bodily fluids such as semen, blood, anal/vaginal fluid or through discharge.
How can you tell if you have a gonorrhea and chlamydia infection?
Because these bacteria can live in different places in your body, signs of an infection vary depending on where the infection is.
If the infection is in the urethra, it can cause a burning sensation while peeing; whitish to whitish green discharge; and in some cases, pain in the testicles.
If the infection is in the anus or rectum, it can cause itching; anal discharge; or painful bowel movements.
If the infection is in the throat, then it will show up as just a sore throat.
Although these are the most common signs of a bacterial STI, many people with gonorrhea and chlamydia infection will have no symptoms at all. Therefore, determining whether you might have something based on symptoms is not reliable. The only way to know for certain is to get tested frequently which involves testing both the urine and getting swabs of the throat and anus/front hole to make sure that you are testing all the areas these bacteria can live. An important rule is swab wherever a penis has been!
How do you get rid of gonorrhea and chlamydia?
Since gonorrhea and chlamydia are bacterial infections, they can be cured with antibiotics. One dose of oral antibiotics is enough to get rid of these infections, and symptoms will generally start to go away a few days after taking the medication. These infections should not be left to “deal with themselves” – if they are left untreated, they can spread up your urethra (where urine comes out) into your body and cause serious problems.
What’s next?
If the results are positive, then you will receive antibiotics to get rid of the infection. The STI Clinic, and most doctor’s offices, will have the proper medication on hand to treat you – there is no need to go to a pharmacy. Additionally, you will also need to provide contact information for any sexual partners that you have had in the past 2-6 months. This is done to ensure that anyone who may have been exposed is notified that they need to get tested. Check out our PARTNER NOTIFICATION section to learn more about what this is, and how it works.
The truth is that most sexual activity comes with a risk of potentially catching an STI. The best way to protect yourself from getting a bacterial STI is to use condoms consistently and correctly. Even though condoms remain the gold standard in STI prevention – they are not 100% effective. Therefore, routine testing is important to make sure that both you and your partners remain happy and healthy.
Syphilis
How do you get syphilis?
Syphilis can be transmitted through contact with a syphilitic sore (called a chancre) through condomless oral, anal or frontal sex. You can also get syphilis by sharing drug use equipment.
How can you tell if you have syphilis?
Syphilis progresses in a few stages that all look and feel a bit different.
Stage one begins with the appearance of painless sores or ulcers called chancres. These can show up on the genitals including in and around the anus, and on the lips or in and around the mouth. These sores will eventually go away, and some guys might not even notice that they were infected in the first place. However, even though the sores are gone, the bacteria remain in the body. This is known as the “primary” stage and is the stage of infection where the bacteria is most easily transmitted.
Stage two begins with the appearance of a rash on the feet or hands, or swollen lumps in the groin, armpits and neck. These symptoms will also eventually disappear without treatment, but the bacteria once again remain in the body. This is known as the “secondary” stage.
The final stage of syphilis causes damage to the brain, heart, eyes, and bones – which can cause a change in vision, hearing and behavior. This is known as the “tertiary” stage, and if left untreated can have very serious effects on your health.
Blood tests are commonly used to detect whether you have a syphilis infection. Additionally, fluid from any ulcers that develop can be tested for bacteria to determine whether it is a syphilis chancre.
How do you get rid of syphilis?
As bad as it sounds, syphilis is a bacterial infection that can be treated with antibiotics. This involves between 1 and 3 injections of the medication into the hip, depending on the stage of infection. The antibiotics take about a week to completely get rid of all the bacteria in the body. During that time, you will need to avoid any sexual contact to ensure that you don’t pass the bacteria to someone else, or become re-infected.
What’s next?
If the results are positive, then you will receive antibiotics to get rid of the infection. In addition, you will also need to provide contact information for any sexual partners that you have had in the past 3-12 months. This is done to ensure that anyone who may have been exposed is notified that they need to get tested. Check out our PARTNER NOTIFICATION section to learn more about what this is, and how it works.
Condoms are still the best line of defense against syphilis; however, it is important to keep in mind that sores that transmit syphilis can be present in locations that are not protected by condoms or other barriers. Make sure you get tested regularly if you have more than one sexual partner, especially since there might not be any signs of infection.
VIRAL STIs
What are Viral STIs?
Viral STIs are different from bacterial STIs in that they cannot be treated with antibiotics. Instead, these infections are managed using antivirals to either cure or control the infection. Viral STIs include the 4 H’s: Hepatitis, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Herpes, and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). We’ll cover the first three in this section – we include various HIV-specific sections on our site. Additionally, more information about STI Testing can be found in our STI Testing section.
Hepatitis
What is hepatitis?
Hepatitis is a virus that affects your liver and comes in three different types (strains): A, B, and C.
How do you get hepatitis?
Hepatitis is transmitted a bit differently depending on the strain.
Hepatitis A is transmitted through fecal matter, AKA poop. While this is not commonly referred to as an STI, some sexual activities like rimming can expose you to the virus and potentially lead to an infection.
Hepatitis B is found in the blood, and bodily fluids such as cum or anal fluids; and is passed through sexual contact or by sharing drug equipment like needles.
Hepatitis C is passed through blood-to-blood contact, which can occur while sharing injection equipment as well as rougher, higher risk sexual activities.
The good news is that hepatitis A and B are both vaccine preventable. While there is currently no vaccine to protect against hepatitis C, new treatments are available with very high chances of curing infection. To learn more about these vaccines and how to prevent hepatitis A&B, check out our PREVENTION section.
How can you tell if you have hepatitis?
While the signs of a hepatitis infection are overall pretty similar, symptoms can look a little different depending on the strain of the virus you are infected with.
Hepatitis A mainly causes nausea, vomiting, fever and fatigue that could last for a few weeks. Additionally, you might have symptoms like yellowing or itchiness of the skin or dark colored urine.
Hepatitis B can cause abdominal and joint pain, fever, and fatigue as well as dark urine and yellowing of the skin.
Hepatitis C generally doesn’t cause serious symptoms until much later in the infection. Approximately 30% of people show signs of an early hepatitis C infection, which can include: tenderness on the right side of the abdomen, bleeding or bruising easily, dark colored urine, yellowing of the skin, and flu like symptoms. Symptoms of a long-term infection can include swelling in the abdomen, yellowing of the skin, and bloody poop or vomit.
It’s important to point out that relying on these signs and symptoms to tell whether you are infected with hepatitis is not a reliable way to diagnose yourself. Many people will have no symptoms at all, and won’t even know that they have hepatitis. Getting tested is the only sure-fire way to know whether or not you are infected.
How do you deal with hepatitis?
Dealing with hepatitis can be as simple as waiting for the infection to go away on its own; but in some cases, can require ongoing treatment to deal with the virus and prevent it from spreading.
Hepatitis A will eventually go away on its own, and after you have it once you develop a lifelong immunity to the virus. The best way to treat hepatitis A is to get rest and manage any symptoms such as nausea and fever.
Hepatitis B can be either acute or chronic. Acute infections are the most common (~85%) and are short-lived, meaning your body will deal with the virus on its own and you will be protected from getting the virus again. However, some people may not fully get rid of the virus and develop a chronic infection which remains for life. These cases require treatment with antivirals to prevent liver damage and virus transmission.
Hepatitis C can also be acute or chronic. Only about one-quarter of people will get rid of the virus after the acute infection; the rest develop a long-lasting chronic infection. Chronic infections can be cured through antiviral treatment that lasts 8 to 12 weeks.
What’s Next?
Acute infections with hepatitis A and B have no specific treatments – you just have to wait for your body to clear the virus. Chronic infections with hepatitis B and C can be treated successfully using antivirals, and in the case of hepatitis C completely cured. This will require ongoing testing and monitoring by your doctor to make sure that the virus is being properly managed.
You can reduce your risk of getting hepatitis by getting vaccinated against hepatitis A and B, using condoms, not sharing drug equipment, and practicing good personal hygiene.
HPV
What is HPV?
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a viral infection that can cause genital warts, and in some cases, cancer. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection; it’s estimated that about three-quarters of sexually active Canadians will develop an HPV infection at some point in their life.
How do you get HPV?
HPV can be passed through any sexual activity that involves skin-to-skin contact, or through sharing sex toys that have come into contact with infected fluids. Risk of transmission can be reduced – but not eliminated completely – by using barriers like condoms or dental dams for oral, anal, or frontal sex.
How can you tell if you have HPV?
For the most part HPV infections are harmless, and you won’t develop any symptoms. Your body will get rid of the virus on its own. You really only know if you have an infection if you have a strain of the virus that causes warts. These warts are usually flesh colored or darker in color and can be found anywhere on or around your genitals including on the penis, under the foreskin, or around the pubes or anus. For trans guys they can also be found in or around your front hole.
How do you deal with HPV?
If you develop warts, they can be easily treated with prescription creams or frozen off with liquid nitrogen. In more extreme cases they may need to be surgically removed. Try to avoid shaving or scratching the area as that can help the warts spread. Additionally, do not use any sort of over-the-counter wart treatments. These are not made specifically for genital warts and can cause a lot of pain.
What’s Next?
If you end up getting HPV that develops into warts, don’t worry too much. The strains that cause HPV are mostly harmless to the rest of your health. A vaccine called Gardasil 9 is also available which protects against the 9 strains of the virus most likely to cause cancer and genital warts. Even if you already have warts/HPV, you can still benefit from getting vaccinated. HPV vaccines boost your antibodies for the HPV strain you may already have and helps lower future reoccurrence rates. It also protects you against those strains you do not have.
As of February of 2018, Alberta Health and Alberta Health Services have started distributing the HPV Vaccine (Gardasil 9) free of charge for men who have sex with men and trans women between 17 and 26. Right now, you can access the vaccine at any Alberta Public Health or STI clinic (call ahead to make sure they have some on-hand).
You can search for a Public Health Centre near you HERE. Even if you’re above 26 and don’t qualify for 100% public coverage under the current criteria, you might still want to consider getting vaccinated, as recent evidence demonstrates that HPV vaccination could be of benefits to all adults. Many private insurance plans will cover a portion of the vaccine which significantly reduces the cost.
Herpes
What is Herpes?
Herpes Simplex Virus – or just herpes for short – is a virus that can cause blisters or sores. There are two types of herpes: Type 1 which most often causes cold sores around the mouth; and Type 2 which most often causes cold sores in the genital area. However, you can get either type in one or both places. For example, if you had a cold sore and gave someone a blowjob, you could give them genital herpes. Or vice versa, if you had a herpes blister on your penis and someone gave you a blowjob, you could pass it on to their lips or mouth.
How do you get herpes?
Herpes can be passed through any skin-to-skin contact, as well as through oral, vaginal, or anal sex. You are most contagious when blisters are present; however, you can still pass it on before or after an outbreak and don’t have any visible sores.
How can you tell if you have herpes?
Many people will have no symptoms, and if they do, they tend to be mild and can go unnoticed. Signs that you have a herpes infection include an itching, tingling or burning sensation under the skin, swelling in the groin (lymph nodes), and the appearance of the trademark blisters which can pop up individually or in clusters. For most people, the first outbreak will be the most painful, and might take a bit longer to heal. Future outbreaks will usually be less severe and occur less often.
How do you deal with herpes?
Like most viral infections, herpes will remain with you for life. While there is no cure for herpes, there are treatments that can reduce the symptoms of an infection. Antivirals prescribed by a doctor can help to reduce the length and symptoms of an outbreak. Additionally, medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, using an icepack on the affected area, or wearing loose-fitting clothing are all ways to reduce discomfort when you have an outbreak. It’s important not to put any creams or lotions on the blisters – this can cause them to spread and make any future outbreaks even bigger!
What’s next?
People who have genital herpes should avoid having sex if they are experiencing any symptoms – either before or during an outbreak. Specifically avoid oral, vaginal or anal contact if you are experiencing any sores as this is when the likelihood of transmitting it to your partner is the highest. Using a condom consistently and correctly can reduce the risk of passing herpes on to your partner – but remember that condoms don’t cover all the skin that is exposed during sexual contact. Therefore, transmission can still occur if infected skin areas aren’t completely covered. Internal condoms that are put in the vagina or rectum cover more skin and provide more protection.