ACTION: a handy STD guide for gay, bi and trans men


	CHLAMYDIA Description A bacterium-like organism that infects your cock, ass, vagina, throat and eyes. It often occurs at the same time as gonorrhea. Symptoms It's common not to have any symptoms, so it's important to be tested regularly. If they occur, it's usually within 2-14 days, but can take up to 3 weeks. Symptoms include eye irritation, milky or clear discharge from your cock, ass or vagina, an itching or stinging sensation while pissing, and testicular pain or tenderness. Prevention It's easily transmitted by giving or receiving anal, oral or vaginal sex, and by fingerfucking or fisting. It can be transmitted by touching an infected area and then your own genitals or ass. Someone with no symptoms can still transmit it. Using condoms and latex gloves can help prevent it, as can washing your hands right after sex. Treatment It’s easily cured with antibiotics. What else you should know Having chlamydia makes it easier to transmit or get HIV. Untreated, it can result in serious infections of the balls and urethra, and Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, a condition in which the bacteria move up through the cervix, into the uterus, tubes and ovaries. CRABS Description Tiny mites that live on the skin, and lay eggs which attach to hair. Usually seen in the pubic area, crabs can also be found in facial and chest hair, armpits and eyelashes. Symptoms Crabs show up 3 days to several weeks after exposure. They can cause intense itching. A close look should show tiny brown lice and/or white eggs attached to the hair. Prevention Crabs are transmitted by close physical contact including sex, and sharing bedding, clothes and towels. There’s no way to prevent the initial infection. To prevent recurrences, wash all fabrics that may have come into contact with the lice in hot, soapy water, and wash everything again after 7 days. Partners and anyone else in close physical contact should also be treated. Treatment You can cure crabs yourself with genital lice shampoos from the drugstore. About a week later, eggs may hatch, and a follow up treatment may be needed. For crabs on eyelashes or eyebrows, coat them with petroleum jelly and they should die from lack of oxygen. If you have a stubborn case that won’t go away, see a healthcare provider. GENITAL AND ANAL WARTS (HPV) Description A virus (HPV - Human Papilloma Virus) that may cause warts in or on your cock, ass, vagina or surrounding areas. Symptoms Symptoms, if they occur, show up in 2-3 months or longer. Symptoms include small bumpy warts on, in or around your cock, balls, ass or vagina, discomfort when going to the bathroom if the ass is infected, and anal or vaginal itching. Warts are often painless. Prevention HPV is passed on by skin to skin contact with an infected person. Warts may not always appear in the place where skin contact occurred. Condoms can reduce the risk of transmission but do not always cover the infected area. Treatment There’s no cure for HPV. Doctors can remove the warts by freezing, burning, laser or by applying wart paints or creams. Recurrences can occur and treatment can require several visits. Don’t use over the counter wart medications on genital or anal warts. What else you should know HPV can increase the risk of anal and cervical cancer. Bi-annual anal pap smears are recommended for HIV- people. For HIV+ people, they’re recommended annually. HIV and HPV co-infection can increase the size and frequency of warts. Vaginal pap smears are recommended annually. GONORRHEA Description A bacterium that infects your cock, ass, vagina, throat or eyes. It often occurs at the same time as chlamydia. Symptoms It’s common to have no symptoms, so it’s important to be tested regularly. If they do occur, it will be in 2-10 days. Symptoms include a dry, sore throat, itchiness and pain during bowel movements, a clear, yellow or green discharge from your cock or vagina, pain or burning when urinating and testicular pain or tenderness. If the bacteria infect your vagina, abdominal and pelvic pain may occur. Even if the symptoms clear up, the infection may remain. Prevention It’s easily transmitted by giving or receiving anal, oral or vaginal sex, and by fingerfucking or fisting. Touching infected genitals or ass and then your own genitals, ass or eyes can also transmit it. Using condoms and latex gloves can help prevent transmission, as can washing your hands right after sex. Treatment It’s easily cured with antibiotics. What else you should know Having gonorrhea makes it easier to transmit or get HIV. Untreated, it can result in throat or ass ulcers, serious infections of the balls and urethra, and Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, a condition in which the bacteria move up through the cervix, into the uterus, tubes and ovaries. GUT INFECTIONS Description Gut infections are caused by parasites or bacteria including giardia, shigella, entamoeba, salmonella and cryptosporidium. Symptoms Symptoms may show up within several hours of exposure, and include severe diarrhea, stomach cramps, excessive farting and fever. Prevention Gut infections can be passed on sexually or through food and water. Sexual transmission can occur when small amounts of infected shit get into your mouth from your fingers, rimming, fucking, scat, or handling used dildos. Gut infections can be avoided by wearing latex gloves for assplay and by using a dam for rimming. Also helpful in prevention are: washing your hands after handling used condoms or after any assplay, not sharing insertive sex toys, unless new condoms are used each time, and cleaning sex toys between uses. Treatment Antibiotics may be used. Exact treatment varies depending on the specific infection. Anti-diarrheal treatments can make the infection worse, so only take them on recommendation of a healthcare provider. What else you should know Can be particularly serious for HIV+ people and lead to longer term opportunistic infections. HEPATITIS A Description A virus which causes inflammation of your liver. Symptoms Symptoms may appear 2-4 weeks after exposure, and resemble a mild flu like illness, accompanied by vomiting, abdominal pain, and jaundice (yellow skin and eyes). Some people have no symptoms. Prevention There’s an effective Hep A vaccine, and a Hep A and B combo vaccine. Hep A is transmitted by small particles of infected shit entering your mouth through assplay and rimming. Using dams, and washing your hands after sex with an infected person, can help reduce the risk. It can also be passed on through using eating and drinking utensils handled by an infected person, or by infected food. Treatment There’s no effective medication for Hep A. Getting proper rest and nutrition, reducing alcohol consumption, and avoiding medications toxic to the liver such as acetaminophen are important. Most people who get Hep A will recover and develop an immunity to the virus. What else you should know The liver processes medications, so Hep A could affect a person’s ability to metabolize medications. This could especially impact HIV+ people. HEPATITIS B Description A virus which causes inflammation of your liver. Symptoms Symptoms may occur 1-6 months after exposure, and include loss of appetite, tiredness, nausea, dark urine, and jaundice (yellow skin and eyes). Some people have no symptoms. Prevention There’s an effective Hep B vaccine, and a Hep A and B combo vaccine. Hep B is transmitted by infected blood or cum entering your bloodstream through activities like unprotected fucking, sharing infected injecting equipment, toothbrushes or razors, oral sex, and tattooing and body piercing with unsterilized equipment. Treatment With proper rest, nutrition and monitoring, many people recover from Hep B. Some retain the virus in their body. There are treatments available for those who become chronic carriers. These treatments are often difficult. What else you should know A compromised immune system, due to HIV for example, increases the likelihood of becoming a chronic carrier. Chronic Hep B can increase the risk of cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. HEPATITIS C Description A virus that can cause serious damage to your liver. Symptoms Symptoms are similar to those of Hep A and Hep B, and may take between 6 weeks to 6 months to show up. Many people with Hep C never have symptoms until decades later. Prevention There’s no Hep C vaccine. The virus is spread by Hep C positive blood entering your bloodstream. If Hep C is transmitted during sexual activity, it’s likely that it would be through blood to blood contact. Transmission through sexual body fluids is thought to be very rare. If injecting drugs, avoid sharing any injecting equipment, including needles, spoons and tourniquets. Also avoid sharing straws to snort drugs. Treatment Regular injections which last for several months or pills are common treatments, but they don’t work for everybody. What else you should know Becoming a chronic carrier of Hep C is more likely than with Hep B. Being HIV+, or otherwise immune compromised, can increase the likelihood further. Chronic Hep C can increase the risk of cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. HERPES Description A virus that’s caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). There are two types of HSV. Type 1 is usually found around your mouth and is also known as cold sores. Type 2 is usually found around your cock, ass or vagina. However, both Type 1 and Type 2 can occur in any of those places. Symptoms Symptoms, if they are going to occur, often appear 2-30 days after exposure, but can take months to years. Symptoms include itching or tingling around the infected area(s), an outbreak of painful blisters or sores which later form scabs, and a mild flu like illness. Prevention Condoms can reduce the risk of transmission but do not always cover the infected area. HSV can be passed on both sexually and non-sexually during skin to skin contact by: direct contact with a sore, mouth to genitals, genitals to mouth, genitals to genitals, and mouth to ass. It can be transmitted when there are no symptoms present. Treatment There’s no cure but there is treatment that can reduce symptoms and speed up recovery. The possibility of repeated outbreaks varies from person to person. In time, outbreaks may become less frequent or stop altogether. What else you should know Because of the sores, a herpes outbreak makes it easier to transmit or get HIV. HIV/AIDS Description HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that attacks your body’s immune system. HIV infects and destroys key cells in the body which fight off invading organisms, germs or cancers. AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) refers to the range of specific illnesses that a person with HIV may get when their immune system is badly damaged. Symptoms A person newly infected with HIV may show no symptoms at all. Some people experience acute retroviral syndrome/illness in the weeks following infection and show flu like symptoms which may include fever, swollen glands, sore throat and a rash. The most common test for HIV is an HIV antibody test. The antibodies can take up to 3-6 months to develop. This is called the window period. There’s also a test measuring the amount of virus in your blood, but it’s not approved to diagnose HIV infection. Prevention HIV can be transmitted by blood, cum, pre-cum, vaginal fluids or breast milk entering the bloodstream. Traces of HIV can be present in other body fluids like saliva and mucous, but not in sufficient concentration to transmit the virus. The most common ways HIV can be transmitted are: Anal or vaginal sex if you are fucking or being fucked without using condoms. Sharing drug injecting equipment, including needles and works. Sharing body piercing or tattooing needles. For sexually active people, HIV infection is best prevented by using condoms and plenty of lube when giving or receiving anal or vaginal sex. If you have cuts or sores in your mouth or if you’ve had recent dental work, using a condom when giving oral sex or avoiding oral sex altogether is helpful in prevention. HIV can be transmitted during the window period before HIV antibodies appear. Treatment Although we know more about HIV than ever before, there’s still no cure and no effective vaccine. HIV treatments are complex, have numerous side effects, and don’t always work for everyone. There are several treatment options available, and several different classes of anti-HIV drugs. A common treatment is combination therapy which usually uses three or more anti-HIV drugs simultaneously. Vaccines While there are many HIV vaccines at different stages of testing around the world, there is currently no vaccine proven effective in preventing HIV infection in humans. What else you should know See HIV Status & STDs. MOLLUSCUM Description A viral infection of your skin caused by a pox virus. Symptoms Lesions usually occur between 2-12 weeks after exposure. They look like waxy pimples with a dimple in the middle, and can appear in the genital area and elsewhere. Sexually transmitted lesions are usually found on the lower abdomen, pubic area and thighs. Prevention Molluscum can be transmitted by sexual and non-sexual skin to skin contact. Only an area covered by latex is protected from the virus. To help prevent transmission, examine your sex partner’s skin and wash thoroughly after sex. Treatment Molluscum is treated by freezing or scraping the lesions off the body, or the core of the lump, which contains the virus, can be extracted with a fine needle. It can’t be completely cured, but symptoms can be eliminated. What else you should know Early treatment is important, since molluscum lesions can grow and spread over time. Immune compromised individuals are at particular risk for larger lesions and greater spread. SCABIES Description Scabies is an infection caused by tiny mites (smaller than crabs) that burrow under your skin. Symptoms Scabies are hard to see, and are usually noticed within 1 month of exposure. The most common symptoms are a rash or itching caused by the mite burrowing under the skin to lay eggs. The mites prefer warm areas such as your armpits and groin, and are also commonly found in the spaces between your fingers and toes. Prevention Scabies is passed on by skin to skin contact, sexual or otherwise. It’s difficult to prevent initial infection. To prevent recurrences, wash all fabrics that may have come into contact with the mites in hot soapy water. All contacts including partners and roommates need to have treatment and it is advisable to repeat it after 7 days. Treatment Scabies is treated with a prescription cream. It’s the same medication used to treat crabs, but in a stronger concentration. Itching may take longer to disappear than the scabies themselves. SYPHILIS Description An STD caused by a bacterium which infects your blood. Symptoms Early stages of infection may show up 10-90 days after exposure. It’s common for the symptoms of syphilis to go unnoticed. Symptoms centered on the mouth, anus or vagina can be especially difficult to identify. Syphilis usually follows 3 stages, each with different symptoms. Stage 1: A painless red sore on your cock, balls, mouth, throat, ass or vagina which turns into a scab and then heals. Stage 2: A rash on your palms, soles of your feet, or other parts of your body. Symptoms may also include fever, swollen lymph glands, sore throat, patchy hair loss, headaches, weight loss, muscle aches and tiredness. These symptoms usually occur 7-10 weeks after exposure. Stage 3: If untreated, syphilis remains in your body and begins to damage internal organs including your brain, nerves, eyes, heart, blood vessels, liver, bones and joints. In about 1/3 of untreated people, internal damage shows up many years later. This damage may be serious enough to cause death. Prevention It’s transmitted by giving or receiving anal, oral, or vaginal sex and by assplay with an infected person. A person can easily pass the disease to sex partners during Stages 1 and 2. Only areas protected by condoms, dams or gloves are protected from infection. Avoid touching any sore or rash. Treatment If caught early, it’s easily cured with antibiotics. Exact treatments vary depending on the stage. What else you should know Syphilis sores greatly increase the risk of HIV transmission. For HIV+ people, syphilis can be harder to diagnose and can progress more quickly.