Sexual Health Conditions & Infections — A Patient Guide What Each Infection Is, How It Is Tested & How It Is Treated

How to Use This Guide

This page summarizes main sexually transmitted and related infections in plain language — what each infection does, how it is correctly diagnosed (which test, which specimen, which timing), what treatment involves, and what happens if it is left alone. Each condition links to a dedicated page with full detail.

Two patterns matter across almost all of these conditions. First, many are silent — a large fraction of chlamydia, early syphilis, herpes and HPV infections produce no symptoms, so testing after risk is only reliable check. Second, outcomes are far better when treatment is early — every condition here is either curable or well-manageable when caught in time.

If you recognize a symptom or situation below, next step is a confidential consultation — not self-treatment. Antibiotics bought without testing cause resistance and can mask infection, making correct diagnosis harder later.

Curable Bacterial Infections

Chlamydia is commonest bacterial STI — roughly 70% of infections in women are asymptomatic, yet untreated infection can ascend to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in ~10–15% and damage fertility. Diagnosed by NAAT on a site-matched specimen; cured with a short antibiotic course.

Gonorrhea infects urethra, cervix, throat and rectum; urine testing alone misses most throat and rectal infections, so site-matched swabs matter. Treated with ceftriaxone-based therapy; untreated it causes PID in women and epididymitis in men.

Syphilis progresses in stages — a painless chancre, then rash (classically palms and soles), then latency. ~70% is detected only by screening. Two-test serology diagnoses it; penicillin cures it at early stages. Trichomoniasis (~50% asymptomatic) is cured with metronidazole, with partner treatment to prevent reinfection.

Manageable Viral Infections

HIV is managed with antiretroviral therapy: suppressed viral load (~<200 copies) means effectively no sexual transmission — U=U — and a near-normal lifespan with consistent treatment. Screening is by fourth-generation blood test (window ~2–4 weeks); reactive results are always confirmed before diagnosis.

Herpes (HSV-1/HSV-2) is lifelong but manageable — recurrences decrease over time and suppressive therapy reduces both outbreaks and transmission by roughly half. HPV usually clears naturally within ~2 years but persistent high-risk types cause cervical and other cancers — vaccination and screening prevent most of that burden. Hepatitis B is monitored and treated when indicated; hepatitis C is now curable in most cases.

Other Common Conditions

Several common presentations are not classic STIs but belong in same evaluation: bacterial vaginosis (a dysbiosis, not strictly an STI — ~50% recurrence despite treatment), candida/yeast infection, pubic lice and scabies (skin-to-skin transmission, curable), molluscum contagiosum (self-limiting skin infection), and mpox (lesion illness requiring isolation and supportive care).

Non-infective conditions also present similarly: urethritis and prostatitis, epididymitis (testicular pain — torsion must be excluded urgently), balanitis, and genital skin conditions like lichen sclerosus. Distinguishing infection from non-infection is what consultation is for.

When to Get Tested

Test after any unprotected sex with a new or non-exclusive partner, after a partner is diagnosed or discloses an infection, when symptoms appear (discharge, ulcers, rash, pelvic or testicular pain, dysuria), and routinely — every 3–6 months for people with ongoing risk.

Window periods apply: chlamydia/gonorrhea ~1–2 weeks; HIV fourth-generation ~2–4 weeks; syphilis ~3–12 weeks; hepatitis weeks to months. A negative too early is not definitive — retest at recommended interval.

Getting Assessed

Consultation Rs. 450; tests priced before sampling.

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