faq's - stis

A. Yes, it doesn’t take full penetrative vaginal intercourse to pass on some diseases. Many can be caught through other sexual contact as "skin to skin" or "fluid/fluid" contact results in possible transmission of the infective agent.

Q3. Are there any risks if you have been fingered?

A. Yes there are risks. If there is any sperm on the hands there can be a risk of pregnancy as well as a risk of infection.

Q4. When you have got a white discharge does this mean that you have a sexually transmitted disease? How do you get rid of white discharge?

A. Women get a white discharge generally in the middle of their cycle (between 2 periods) when they release their eggs i.e. ovulate. Some women ovulate at different times in their cycle so this discharge is perfectly normal; it will be white or clear in colour. However if you are experiencing an itchiness or stinginess and your discharge is yellow or smells then it may be that you have picked up an infection and you would need to visit your GP just to make sure. Is the discharge different from your normal discharge? Could you have picked up an infection?

Q5. What does VD mean?

A. VD is the old term for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI's). It stands for Venereal Disease and was usually taken to mean Syphilis or Gonorrhoea.

Q6. I have wee small lumps on my penis which look like goosebumps. I am worried that they might be genital warts but I haven't had sex before. Could it still be genital warts even though i haven't had sex?

A. Genital warts are passed by skin-to-skin contact with someone else who is infected with the genital wart virus. If you haven't had sex and have had no genital skin contact with someone else then you have no risk of having contracting genital wart virus.

The little goosebumps you have on your penis are almost certainly nothing to worry about. If they are still present in a number of weeks it might be best to attend a GP to be examined for 100% reassurance. Certainly from your history of not having had sex you can be reassured that they are not genital warts.

Q7. Yesterday I noticed a spot/wart on the shaft of my penis near the scrotal sack. I haven't had unprotected sex. I wondered if it could possibly be a spot or if I somehow have genital warts? I was wondering what the effect of genital warts are if untreated?

A. If the spot/wart is under the area covered by the condom and there has been no condom accidents then it probably isn’t a genital wart. The virus as discussed at the presentation is all over the genital skin and direct skin-to-skin contact with an infected person is what causes the infection to be passed on. There are a number of other simple non-sexually transmitted “spots/cysts” that can appear on the penis and these usually go away themselves with or without treatments.

My advice if you have been sexually active would be to attend a GP (it does not even need to be your own) or a family planning clinic that can check the spot/wart and let you know exactly what it is. Any of these doctors will see you completely confidentially and can reassure and/or treat as appropriate.

Q8. I get a whitish/yellow discharge and get itchiness around my vulva, I've been to my GP and have been treated for possible thrush, but the problem has not gone away. I'm embarrassed to go to my doctor again and i think that the problem may be crabs. I believe that symptoms of crabs may be little nits or eggs in your under wear - I don't know what these look like but i always get little bluish fluffy things in my underwear and sometimes small black dots...could this be crabs? Could crabs cause the itchiness and discharge and i also notice my vulva is very red.

A. Thrush is a common cause of an itching vulva and GPs often think of this diagnosis first. The white discharge would fit this cause. However pubic lice (crabs) and scabies can also cause intense itching and your GP might not consider these unless you mention them as a possibility. Crabs often cause tiny blue spots or bite marks and what you describe could fit with this.

The vulval itching could also be caused by a skin disorder such as eczema and may not be sexually transmitted at all, or your symptoms might be due to a mixture of the above causes.

It is very important that you do get a precise diagnosis and I would suggest that you either return to your GP with this e-mail or mention the other possible causes you are worried about, or visit the genito-urinary medicine clinic (sometimes called an STI clinic) at your local hospital. You may take a friend with you if this makes it easier. Locations of clinics are usually in your local telephone directory.

Q9. My partner had sex before we met, way back in 1996. She only had it once. Could she have become infected at this time?

A. Even if it was “way back in 1996”, if the other person was infected your partner could have contracted a sexual infection. Certainly condoms if they were used could have reduced the risk but would not completely remove the risk (particularly human papilloma virus or genital wart virus and genital herpes).

Some of the infections do not give symptoms for quite some time and certainly for peace of mind where someone has had previous partners testing for sexually transmitted infections can be helpful. If you both are clear and remain faithful to each other lifelong then you both can relax concerning sexually transmitted infections in the future.

Q10. Can any STI's be transferred if the boy masturbates the girl or vice-versa?

A. Some of the STI's can be transferred by direct skin to skin contact without full intercourse. If there is skin to skin contact then human papilloma virus (wart virus) or genital herpes could be passed one to the other if present?

Q11. With genital warts do they hurt for women? Do they have a colour or a smell? Can it be cured? How do you know if you have a wart without having to go to a clinic?

A. Genital warts are caused by infection with the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and are the commonest sexually transmitted disease in the UK.

They are usually colourless or white and can vary from a 1mm in diameter for a single warts to large crops of warts covering the vulva. They do not smell but can be transmitted along with other infections which can cause a smell so a dual infection is a possibility.

They can be diagnosed and treated by a GP and can be treated with great care at home with a cream called Podophyllotoxin (NOT Podophyllin itself which is very dangerous to use unsupervised at home). However, if there is doubt about the diagnosis or other infections being present - a visit to a gynae or GU specialist may be needed.

One final important point is that condoms offer little or no protection against HPV transmission so you may remain at risk of spreading the infection even after treatment.

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