STI Quick Facts
Syphilis
There are three ways to diagnose syphilis:
- A doctor’s recognition of its signs and symptoms
- Microscopic identification of syphilis bacteria
- Blood tests
These approaches are typically used together to detect syphilis and determine the stage of infection.
Two blood tests are usually used and repeated tests are sometimes necessary to confirm the diagnosis due to:
- False-negative results (blood tests that do not show signs of infection despite its presence) are common for up to three months after initial infection.
- False-positive results (showing signs of infection when it’s not present) are common in people with autoimmune disorders (such as HIV), certain viral infections, and other conditions.
Visit our Resources page for testing locations.
- Syphilis is treated according to the stage of infection with one or more injections of Benzathine Penicillin G. Other antibiotics can be used for patients allergic to penicillin. The longer you have had the infection, the more medication you need to cure it.
- Not everyone responds to the normal treatment so periodic blood tests to check that the infectious agent has been completely destroyed is highly recommended.
- All persons with syphilis will need to be retested for up to two years after treatment to ensure the medication worked.
- In all stages of syphilis, proper treatment will cure the disease, but in late syphilis, damage already done to body organs cannot be reversed.
Congenital Syphilis
Congenital syphilis is a disease that occurs when a mother with syphilis passes the infection on to her baby during pregnancy.
- Congenital syphilis can cause: miscarriage, stillbirth, prematurity, low birth weight, and even death shortly after birth.
Yes! All pregnant women should be tested for syphilis at the first prenatal visit, early in the third trimester and at delivery. Remember, you can have syphilis and not know it.
Yes. Syphilis can be treated and cured with antibiotics. Be sure to get treatment right away.
Having syphilis once does not protect you from getting it again. Even after you’ve been successfully treated, you can still be re-infected.
Chlamydia
- Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted disease (STD).
- Symptoms of chlamydia are rare and most people don’t know they have chlamydia so they don’t get tested.
- About 2.8 million Americans get chlamydia each year.
- Chlamydia is passed person-to-person during vaginal, anal or oral sex.
- During vaginal delivery chlamydia can be passed from mother to child.
- Anyone who has sex can get chlamydia. The more sex partners, the greater the risk of infection.
- Chlamydia is known as a “silent” disease because about 75 percent of infected women and about 50 percent of infected men have no symptoms.
- Chlamydia infection can occur in the vagina, penis, anus and throat.
- If untreated, chlamydia can develop into serious reproductive and other health problems with both short-term and long-term effects.
- Women infected with chlamydia are up to five times more likely to get HIV if exposed.
- Men infected with chlamydia can get epididymitis, a painful condition of the testicles that can lead to infertility if not treated.
- Chlamydia infection can cause Reiter’s syndrome.
- Babies who are born to infected mothers can get chlamydia in their eyes and respiratory tracts. Chlamydia is a leading cause of early infant pneumonia and conjunctivitis (pink eye) in newborns.
- Chlamydia can be easily treated and cured with antibiotics.
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease (STD). It is caused by a germ that grows easily in warm, moist areas, such as:
- Reproductive tract: cervix (opening to the womb), uterus (womb), and fallopian tubes (egg canals) in women
- Urethra (urine canal) in women and men
- Mouth
- Throat
- Eyes
- Anus
Gonorrhea is a very common infectious disease. In the United States, about 700,000 people are infected with gonorrhea each year.
Gonorrhea is spread through contact with the penis, vagina, mouth or anus. Ejaculation does not have to occur to get or give gonorrhea. Gonorrhea can also be passed from an infected mother to her baby during delivery.
Having gonorrhea does not mean a person can’t get gonorrhea again.
Anyone who has sex can get gonorrhea. In the United States, the highest reported rates of infection are among teenagers, young adults and African Americans.
Many people with gonorrhea do not have any symptoms at all. In women, the symptoms of gonorrhea are often mild and are sometimes mistaken for a bladder or vaginal infection.
For more detailed information on gonorrhea symptoms, visit the Symptoms and Treatment webpage.
Untreated gonorrhea can cause serious and permanent health problems in both women and men.
For more information on the health problems caused by gonorrhea, visit the Symptoms and Treatment webpage.
If a pregnant woman has gonorrhea, she may give the infection to her baby during a vaginal delivery. This can cause blindness, joint infection or a life-threatening blood infection in the baby.
Treatment of gonorrhea as soon as it is detected in pregnant women will lower the risk of these problems. Pregnant women should see a doctor for examination, testing and treatment, if needed.
Several laboratory tests are used to diagnose gonorrhea. Some can be performed on urine; other tests require a sample be collected from a site such as the cervix, urethra, rectum or throat.
More information is available on the Symptoms and Treatment webpage.
Several antibiotics can cure gonorrhea. However, drug-resistant strains of gonorrhea are increasing and successful treatment of gonorrhea is becoming more difficult.
More information on treating gonorrhea is available on the Symptoms and Treatment webpage.
The best way to avoid spreading STDs is to not have sex, or to have sex with only one partner who has been tested and is known to be uninfected. If used correctly every time, latex male condoms can reduce the risk of spreading of gonorrhea.
To learn more about preventing gonorrhea, visit the Prevention webpage.
See your health care provider, visit the Sexual Health Clinic webpages or call the Sexual Health Clinic at (702) 759-0702.
Updated on: March 27, 2024