What to Know About the Most Common STIs Did you know that thousands of Warfighters are diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection (STI) each year? STIs are very common and pass from one person to another through sexual contact, such as oral, vaginal and anal sex. They can cause health problems that threaten your mission readiness, both in the short and long term. Help protect yourself by knowing the five most common STIs among Warfighters, including signs of infection and treatment options. Chlamydia | Gonorrhea | Syphilis | Human Papillomavirus (HPV) | Genital Herpes Chlamydia What is it? Chlamydia is the most frequently reported bacterial STI in the U.S., and the highest reported STI among Warfighters. Left untreated, chlamydia can cause serious damage to a woman’s reproductive system, including infertility and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). In rare cases, it can also lead to infertility in men. Who can get it? Sexually active men and women can become infected with chlamydia. What are the symptoms? Most people do not experience symptoms. When present, symptoms in women include an abnormal vaginal discharge and a burning sensation while peeing. Men may experience discharge from their penis, a burning sensation while peeing and pain or swelling in their testicles. What are the treatment options? Chlamydia can be cured with antibiotics. You should take all medicine prescribed and refrain from sex for seven days to avoid spreading the infection to your sexual partner(s). Even though treatment will heal the infection, it will not fix any long-term damage caused by the disease. How can I protect myself? Practice safe sex – Click here to learn more! Gonorrhea What is it? Gonorrhea is the second most common bacterial STI in the U.S. It can affect the genitals, rectum and throat. Without treatment, gonorrhea can lead to the development of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in women and painful swelling of the tubes behind the testicles in men. Who can get it? Sexually active men and women can become infected with gonorrhea. What are the symptoms? Many people do not experience symptoms. In women, symptoms include a burning sensation when peeing, increased vaginal discharge and bleeding between periods. Men may experience a burning sensation when peeing, discharge from the penis and painful or swollen testicles. What are the treatment options? Gonorrhea can be treated with antibiotics, but several drug-resistant strains have developed. You should take all medicine prescribed and return to your healthcare provider if symptoms persist for longer than a few days after treatment. Even though treatment will heal the infection, it will not fix any long-term damage caused by the disease. How can I protect myself? Practice safe sex – Click here to learn more! Syphilis What is it? Syphilis is a bacterial STI that develops in stages, where each stage has different symptoms. Without treatment, syphilis can cause serious health problems. It is the fastest growing STI among ADSMs. Who can get it? Sexually active men and women can become infected with syphilis. What are the symptoms? In the primary stage, sores may appear in, on or around your penis, vagina, anus, rectum, lips or inside the mouth. In the secondary stage, the most common symptom is a rash that looks rough, red or reddish-brown. Other possible symptoms include remaining sores, fever, swollen lymph glands, patchy hair loss, sore throat, headaches, weight loss, muscle aches and fatigue. In the latent stage, there are no visible symptoms. In the tertiary stage, syphilis can spread to the heart and blood vessels, the nervous system and the brain. Symptoms include severe headaches, muscle weakness, changes to your mental state (e.g., trouble focusing or personality shifts), dementia, eye pain or redness, vision changes or blindness, hearing loss, tinnitus, and dizziness or vertigo. What are the treatment options? Syphilis is curable with antibiotics, but can move through several stages that progressively worsen if left untreated. Even though treatment will heal the infection, it may not fix any damage caused by the disease. How can I protect myself? Practice safe sex – Click here to learn more! Human Papillomavirus (HPV) What is it? HPV is the most common STI in the U.S. There are about 40 types of HPV that affect the genital area. Some of these strains can cause genital warts and various cancers. Who can get it? Sexually active men and women can become infected with HPV. What are the symptoms? Often, HPV does not have any symptoms and will go away on its own. However, sometimes HPV can cause warts, lumps, sores and unusual growths in your genital area, mouth or throat. It may also lead to cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina, penis, anus and in the back of the throat. What are the treatment options? There is no treatment for HPV itself, but there are treatment options for the health problems that are caused by HPV. Genital warts can be treated with prescription medicine. Treatment for cervical precancer is available if problems are found before cancer develops. Other cancers caused by HPV are more treatable the sooner they are found. How can I protect myself? Practice safe sex – Click here to learn more! Get vaccinated: The HPV vaccine prevents genital warts and cancers of the cervix, vagina, penis, anus and throat. It is safe, effective and available at all military medical facilities for males and females aged 9 to 26. For individuals aged 27-45 years, the vaccine has less benefit but may protect against new HPV infection. Get tested for cervical cancer: Women who are 21-65 years old can prevent cervical cancer with routine screening. Genital Herpes What is it? Genital herpes is a common STI caused by two types of viruses, HSV-1 and HSV-2. It can result in painful sores that may spread to other parts of your body. Who can get it? Sexually active men and women can become infected with genital herpes. What are the symptoms? Many people do not experience symptoms, or their symptoms are mild. The most common sign of genital herpes is one or more blister-like sores on or around the genitals, rectum or mouth. During the first occurrence of these sores, you may also experience fever, body aches or swollen glands. What are the treatment options? Although there is no cure for genital herpes, medicines exist that can prevent or lessen outbreaks. A daily medicine is also available that can reduce the likelihood of transmitting the infection to your sexual partner(s). How can I protect myself? Practice safe sex – Click here to learn more! STI or STD: What’s the Difference? You may have heard the terms STI and STD used interchangeably. All sexually transmitted illnesses used to be referred to as sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs. More recently, they have been classified as sexually transmitted infections, or STIs. The main difference between the two terms is symptom progression. Many STIs do not have symptoms, so people may be unaware that they have an infection. Yet once symptoms become present, it is considered to be an STD. Ideally, STIs are prevented and treated before developing into an STD. Additional ResourcesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention - “Sexually Transmitted Infections”Warfighter Wellness - “Myth or Fact: Sexually Transmitted Infections”ReferencesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention - “About Chlamydia”Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - “About Genital Herpes”Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - “About Genital HPV Infection”Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - “About Gonorrhea”Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - “About Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)”Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - “About Syphilis”Military Health System - “Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Active Component Members of the U.S. Armed Forces, 2015-2023”
