GYT Screening

Campus Health - What is Gonorrhea? (.PDF download)

Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can cause infections in the genitals, rectum, and throat. It’s especially prevalent among young people, particularly those aged 15-24.

Signs & Symptoms

Gonorrhea often has no symptoms, but it can still cause serious health problems. If you notice any of the following, see a healthcare provider:

• Painful or burning sensation when urinating
• Increased vaginal discharge
• Bleeding between menstrual cycles
• Discharge from the penis (white, yellow, or green)
• Painful or swollen testicles (less common)
• Anal/rectal discharge, itching, soreness, bleeding, and/or painful bowel movements

How Is Gonorrhea Spread?

You can get gonorrhea through vaginal, anal, or oral sex without a condom with someone who has the infection. A pregnant person with gonorrhea can pass the infection to their baby during childbirth.

Are You at Risk?

Anyone who is sexually active is at risk, especially if:

• You don't use condoms consistently
• You have multiple sexual partners or a partner who has an STI

Testing is recommended for sexually active individuals, particularly those under 25 or with risk factors like new or multiple partners.

Prevention

Reducing the risk for those who are sexually active (including anal, rectal, vaginal and oral encounters):

• Use condoms, correctly, every time during vaginal, anal, and oral sex
• Engage in sexual activity with one or a small number of partners who have been tested and with whom you communicate openly about sexual health.
• Get tested regularly for STIs

Testing & Diagnosis

Your healthcare provider will typically use a urine sample to test for gonorrhea. If you’ve had oral or anal sex, they may take samples from your throat or rectum.

Talk to your provider about getting tested, especially if you’re sexually active.

Treatment & Recovery

Is Gonorrhea Curable?
Yes! Gonorrhea can be cured with the right antibiotics. It's important to complete your healthcare provider’s instructions and finish all of the prescribed medication.

When Can I Have Sex Again?
Wait at least seven days after finishing your treatment before having sex. Both you and your partner(s) should complete treatment before resuming sexual activity to avoid reinfection.

What Happens If Gonorrhea Is Untreated?
Untreated gonorrhea can lead to serious health problems, including:

• Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain for people who can become pregnant
• Painful testicle conditions, potentially leading to infertility for people who produce sperm
• Other risks: Untreated gonorrhea can spread to your blood or joints and increase the risk of contracting HIV.

Key Takeaways for College Students

• Get tested regularly if you’re sexually active.
• Use condoms every time to prevent gonorrhea and other STIs.
• Gonorrhea can be treated, but untreated infections can lead to serious, permanent health problems.
• Talk openly with your healthcare provider about STI prevention and treatment.

Campus Health - What is Chlamydia? (.PDF download)

Chlamydia is a common STI that can cause infections in the genital area, rectum, and throat. It can cause permanent damage to the reproductive system, potentially making it difficult or impossible to get pregnant later. Chlamydia can also lead to a potentially fatal ectopic pregnancy (when a pregnancy occurs outside the womb).

Signs and Symptoms

How do I know if I have chlamydia?
Chlamydia often does not cause noticeable symptoms but can still lead to serious health problems. Symptoms, if they do occur, may not appear until weeks after sexual contact with an infected partner.

Chlamydia can be passed through vaginal, anal and oral sex. Symptoms may differ, depending on the body parts that are penetrated.

Symptoms may include:

• Bleeding between menstrual cycles
• Abnormal genital discharge (vaginal and penile)
• A burning sensation when urinating.
• Pain during sex (rectal, vaginal)
• Painful, swollen testicles (less common)
• Rectal pain
• Discharge from the rectum
• Bleeding from the rectum
• Sore throat

Risk Factors

Am I at risk for chlamydia?
Anyone who is sexually active can get chlamydia through vaginal, anal, or oral sex without a condom with a partner who has the infection.

If you are sexually active, have an open discussion with your healthcare provider about whether you should be tested for chlamydia or other STIs.

How Chlamydia Spreads

Chlamydia is spread through vaginal, anal, or oral sex without a condom with someone who has the infection. A pregnant person with chlamydia can pass the infection to their baby during childbirth.

Prevention

How can I reduce my risk of getting chlamydia?

• Engaging in sexual activity with one or a small number of partners who have been tested and with whom you communicate openly about sexual health.
• Using condoms correctly every time you have sex.

If I am pregnant, how can I protect my baby from getting chlamydia?
If you are pregnant and have chlamydia, you can pass it to your baby during delivery. This can cause serious health problems for your baby. If you are pregnant, talk to your healthcare provider about testing and treatment as soon as possible to reduce risks.

Testing and Diagnosis

Should I be tested for chlamydia?
If you are sexually active, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you should be tested for chlamydia. You should be tested every year if:

• You are sexually active and under 25 years old.
• You are 25 or older and have risk factors, such as having multiple sex partners or a partner with an STI.

Testing is also recommended during pregnancy in some cases.

How will my healthcare provider know if I have chlamydia?
A healthcare provider will diagnose chlamydia using laboratory tests. This may involve providing a urine sample, or using a swab to collect a sample from the genital area or throat.

Treatment and Recovery

Is there a cure for chlamydia?
Yes, with the correct treatment, chlamydia can be cured. It is important to complete the full course of medication provided by your healthcare provider. Chlamydia treatment stops the infection but cannot undo any permanent damage caused by the disease.

Repeat infections are common, so it is important to be retested approximately three months after treatment, even if your partner has been treated.

When Can I Have Sex Again?

Do not have sex until you and your partner(s) have completed treatment and your symptoms are gone. If you were given a single dose of medication, wait seven days after taking it before having sex. If you were prescribed medication for seven days, wait at least seven days after finishing your treatment before having sex. Both you and your partner(s) should complete treatment before resuming sexual activity to avoid reinfection.

What Happens If I Don’t Get Treated?

If left untreated, chlamydia can cause serious health problems. Some of the complications include:

• Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) – This condition can cause permanent damage to the reproductive system, leading to difficulty or inability to conceive.
• Ectopic Pregnancy – A potentially life-threatening pregnancy that occurs outside the womb.
• Infertility – Not being able to get pregnant.
• Chronic Pelvic Pain – Ongoing pain in the pelvic or abdominal area.

In rare cases, chlamydia can cause issues like fever and pain in the testicles. It can also increase the chances of acquiring or transmitting HIV.

Campus Health - What is HIV? (.PDF download)

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).

There is currently no cure for HIV, but proper medical care can control the virus. People living with HIV who receive effective HIV treatment can live long, healthy lives and protect their partners.

Symptoms

How do I know if I have HIV? Most people have flu-like symptoms within 2 to 4 weeks after being infected with HIV. These symptoms may last for a few days or several weeks. However, having these symptoms alone doesn’t necessarily mean you have HIV. Other illnesses can cause similar symptoms.

Some people with HIV have no symptoms at all. The only way to know if you have HIV is to get tested.

How It Spreads

How is HIV spread? HIV is most commonly transmitted through anal or vaginal sex, or by sharing needles, syringes, or other drug injection equipment.

Only certain body fluids can transmit HIV. These fluids include:

• Blood
• Semen (cum)
• Pre-seminal fluid (pre-cum)
• Rectal fluids
• Vaginal fluids

These fluids must come in contact with a mucous membrane or damaged tissue or be directly injected into the bloodstream for transmission to occur.

Factors like a person’s viral load, other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), having sex with multiple partners, having sex without using condoms, and alcohol or drug use can increase the chances of getting or transmitting HIV.

Prevention

How can I reduce my risk of getting HIV? There are more tools than ever to help prevent HIV transmission, including:

• Using condoms the right way every time you have sex
• Never sharing needles, syringes, or other drug injection equipment
• Using PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis)

If you have HIV, there are many ways to prevent transmitting HIV to others, including taking HIV treatment to achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load.

Testing

Should I get tested for HIV? The only way to know your HIV status is to get tested. Everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 should get tested for HIV at least once. People with certain risk factors should get tested more often. Knowing your HIV status helps you take steps to stay healthy and prevent transmission to others.

There are many options for quick, free, and painless HIV testing. If your test result is positive, you can take medicine to treat HIV and live a long, healthy life. If your test result is negative, you can take steps to prevent HIV.

Treatment

Is there a cure for HIV? There is currently no cure for HIV, but HIV treatment (antiretroviral therapy or ART) can reduce the amount of HIV in the blood (viral load). With effective treatment, the viral load can become so low that it’s undetectable on a test. If you have an undetectable viral load, you cannot transmit HIV to others through sex. Having an undetectable viral load also lowers the chances of HIV transmission through sharing drug injection equipment or during pregnancy, labor, and delivery.

You should start HIV treatment as soon as possible after being diagnosed.

How HIV Progresses

Without treatment, HIV typically progresses through three stages, but effective HIV treatment can slow or prevent progression of the disease.

Stage 1: Acute HIV Infection

• People have a high amount of HIV in their blood and are highly contagious.
• Many people experience flu-like symptoms.
• If you have flu-like symptoms and think you may have been exposed to HIV, get tested.

Stage 2: Chronic HIV Infection

• Also called asymptomatic HIV infection or clinical latency.
• HIV continues to reproduce in the body, but people may not have symptoms or get sick during this phase.
• People who take HIV treatment as prescribed may never progress to Stage 3 (AIDS).
• Without treatment, this stage may last for years or progress more quickly.

Stage 3: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

• The most severe stage of HIV infection.
• People with AIDS have a damaged immune system and can get serious illnesses.
• If untreated, people with AIDS typically survive for about three years.
• People with AIDS have a high viral load and can easily transmit HIV to others.