Ah ha! The reason for this delightful little post is along those lines. I want to tell you something I learned that you may not know about because frankly, not a lot of doctors know about it either and only recently, a new test has been developed to help diagnose it.
Curious? I thought so.
You know that STD isn't a "thing" anymore. It's now STI...sexually transmitted infection. What? Is that, like, a less painful description?
There's a rapidly mutating STI, called mycoplasma geniitalium (Mgen) that's not routinely screened for and is tough to identify and now, it's rapidly developing resistance to treatment. It's a parasitic bacteria.
The consequences of having it are potentially catastrophic, leading to infertility or premature birth.
Here's the problem. It rarely causes symptoms. In women, there might be pain during sex and bleeding afterwards. For men, there is a burning sensation on urination and a watery discharge.
It is effectively treated with a 5-day course of azithromycin, but you can get reinfected. And, as I said, it becomes resistant to treatment. At what point is this going to be a persistent condition for you?
Stress causes the bacteria to multiply and since most of us have stressful lives, guess what's happening in your body?
One in 100 adults in the US are thought to be infected and there's a new test to help doctors diagnose it.
Now that you're aware, be smart. Protect yourself. Talk with your doctor about protecting yourself.
Cases of STIs are surging. There are now 2,000,000 cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in the U.S. The incidence rate is increasing for both men and women.
You're smart. Now, act smart. Protect your future. S/He just isn't worth the risk.
Claudia
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