The use of a condom is essential to protect yourself and your partners against STDs. If you have any concerns, you should have a screening test. In the event of an infection, follow the treatment correctly and inform your sexual partner/partners.
STDs and HIV, increased risk of contamination
During sexual relations without a condom, some STDs weaken the mucous membrane and increase the risk of contamination by the AIDS virus (HIV) considerably.
Ulcerative STDs (syphilis, genital herpes or chancroid) can make a person 3 times more likely to contract HIV.
Conversely, if a person is infected with HIV, STDs can be more severe and they can complicate treatment.
Transmission of an STD from mother to child
The transmission of an STD from mother to child during pregnancy and birth can cause severe complications:
- STDll birth
- neonatal death
- low birth weight
- septicaemia (generalised infection throughout the body)
- pneumonia
- conjunctivitis in the newborn
- congenital disorders.
It is strongly recommended that women who wish to have a child and pregnant women have a screening test for HIV and syphilis. It is also possible to screen for Chlamydia and gonorrhea.
In the case of STDs, pregnant women can be prescribed antibiotic treatment.
Risk of cervical cancer and infertility
Around 70% of cervical cancers in the world are due to an HPV infection types 16 and 18.
STDs such as gonorrhea and Chlamydia are the main causes of pelvic inflammation, complications during pregnancy and infertility.