One of the most common physically transmitted diseases is chlamydia. Chlamydia is a type of infection caused by the bacteria "Chlamydia trachomatis". The symptoms of Chlamydia are similar to the symptoms of Gonorrhoea (a bacterial sexually transmitted infection). Chlamydia infection causes permanent fallopian tube damage in women, leads to future ectopic pregnancy (the fertilised egg attaches itself outside the uterus) and infertility.

Symptoms of Chlamydia 
Men and women afflicted with chlamydia exhibit different symptoms.
The symptoms of chlamydia in women include:
1. Abnormal, sometimes foul-smelling, vaginal discharge
2. Bleeding between menstrual cycles
3. Painful periods
4. Abdominal pain, accompanied with fever
5. Pain during intercourse
6. Burning or itching around or in the vagina
7. Painful urination

Men usually display the following symptoms if they have chlamydia:
1. Minimal amounts of cloudy or clear discharge from the head of the penis
2. Painful urination
3. Itching and burning around the slit of the penis
4. Swollen and painful testicles

Treatment options available
1. Chlamydia is diagnosed by taking a swab from the cervix (in women) or the urethra (in men). These swabs will be sent to the laboratory for analysis. Urine samples can also be taken to check for the appearance of bacteria.

2. Since chlamydia is a bacterial infection, it can be easily treated with antibiotics. Oral antibiotics such as azithromycin or doxycycline are commonly prescribed by doctors. Azithromycin is usually prescribed in a large, single dose. The dose may also be stretched out for five days. Doxycycline is taken two times daily for a week.

3. With the right antibiotic therapy, the infection will clear up in 1 to 2 weeks approximately. It is very important that you finish the medication course if you wish you heal completely without having to suffer from further bouts of this disorder.

4. Women with critical chlamydia may need hospitalisation, pain medicine and IV (intravenous, or directly through the vein) antibiotics. Pregnant women with chlamydia infection can be safely cured with antibiotic such as erythromycin ethylsuccinate, amoxicillin and azithromycin.

Your partner needs testing and treatment as well to avoid further spread and reinfection. It is vital not to engage in any sexual activity while the treatment is ongoing. A further retest should be done three months later to make sure the infection is rectified.

Symptoms of Chlamydia and Ways to Treat the Disease

Virus, the bad ones, in particular, can have serious effects on the body, which a person would not like to have, in any case. This is surely true when the case of herpes zoster is being talked about. This form of herpes is commonly known as shingles. But what if there was a proper solution to this issue? When a person has blisters forming and causing a rash in a limited area, shingles is likely to be the cause of the same.

What is interesting to know too many people is the fact that the virus, which is responsible for shingles or herpes zoster is the same one which is the cause for chickenpox! This virus is never cleared out even when the symptoms of chickenpox have long left the body of the person who had it. As a matter of fact, in some cases, it does reappear and affects the body again except this time in the form of shingles. However, doctors do not know why this occurs. Is that not weird?

Most people who have the bad luck of dealing with shingles are over sixty years of age. While knowing all this is quite beneficial, what about the treatment of shingles?

When it comes to the homoeopathic treatment of shingles, there is a range of options, which can be made use of. That being said, it is of the highest importance to keep in mind the fact that medicine should only be taken as per the prescription of a trained professional in homoeopathic medicine. This is especially true as homoeopathic treatment is very subjective and under the wrong course of medication, the result is not likely to be desirable!

Arsenicum album is one of the most popular medicines from the homoeopathic field. In most of the cases, where it is ideally used, the patient is undergoing pain with a burning sensation on the affected area of the skin. When a rash begins to form, there is normally some tingling in the skin in the run up to it.

Homoeopathic treatment is so good that there is medicine to nip the problem in the bud before it has the chance to cause the affected person a whole deal of anguish. Aconite is the medicine, in this case.

Hepar sulphur and Rhus Toxicodendron are also used often over the course of treatment. The former is useful especially for people with unhealthy skin while the latter is commonly used for herpes of the face and around the joints.

Shingles and Herpes - How Homeopathic Remedies are Helpful?

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, also known as PID, is characterized by an infection that occurs in a lady's reproductive organs. Usually this occurs as a result of a complications arising from a STD. The disease causes severe damage to the ovaries, fallopian tubes and the uterus. It is one of the bigger causes of infertility in women. 

Causes-

The cervix which is the entry to the uterus has the function of stopping bacteria that are present in the vagina from spreading to the other organs. Once infected by a STD, the cervix can no longer perform its function of preventing the bacteria from spreading to other organs. PID develops when the infection spreads from the cervix to the upper areas of the genital tract. 

There are certain factors which increase the chances of being affected by PID: 

Being sexually active 
Already affected by STDs such as gonorrhea 
Past history of PID 
Having multiple sexual partners 
Symptoms-

Women may experience pain while urinating and engaging in sexual intercourse, coupled with sore feeling in the stomach along with nausea. Abnormal vaginal discharge and a rise in body temperature are common symptoms as well. 

Treatment-
Once the disease has been diagnosed by a doctor, a treatment plan is devised. The treatment options that you can avail of are: 

Medications: If the symptoms are mild, then the doctor will prescribe antibiotic medications. Usually the antibiotics are administered by mouth unless the symptoms are severe, when the drugs are administered intravenously. Your partner would also require medications if you happen to be diagnosed with PID, so that he/she does not catch it. 
Surgery: Surgery is recommended by the doctor in case of tissue inflammation and the presence of pus (abscess). The aim of surgery is to get rid of the abscess to prevent any further infection. 
In addition to the treatment methods, there are certain precautionary measures that you can adopt to be safe: 

Have protected sex.
Try and stick to one sexual partner.
Visit your gynecologist for regular checkups.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease - Can STDs be the Reason Behind it?

Gonorrhoea is transmitted infection caused when people come in a physically intimate contact. It can affect both male and female. The most vulnerable organs that are susceptible to gonorrhoea infection include rectum, urethra, and throat. In females, gonorrhoea might affect the cervix as well. Since the infection spreads from having sex, there are wide chances that the baby gets affected too. Although there could be no visible symptoms of gonorrhoea, early detection and treatment increase the chances of a permanent cure.

How does gonorrhoea affect the sexual life?
Once a person gets affected, gonorrhoea may wreak havoc on the sex life of both a male and female. In males, there could be swelling and pain in one testicle leading to difficulty in having sex. Additionally, urination after sex becomes painful. There could be a pus-like discharge from the penis thereby completely obstructing the chances of sex.

In females, there could be abdominal pain during the intercourse. Intercourse itself could be extremely painful. Apart from this, the urination after sex could be very painful. Additionally, there are chances of vaginal discharge after sex. There are high chances of vaginal bleeding after sex followed by itching of the anus. If the bacteria are very active, lymph nodes of the throat getting swollen after oral sex.

The treatment plan for gonorrhoea in adults

Adults infected with the gonorrhoea bacteria are treated with antibiotics. Since gonorrhoea bacteria are increasingly becoming drug-resistant, doctors treat the patient with an antibiotic known as Ceftriaxone in the form of injection.
In addition to this, two antibiotics that are prescribed to be taken in the oral form include Doxycycline and Azithromycin. There are some studies which revealed that injectable Gentamicin along with oral Azithromycin is a successful combination that can treat gonorrhoea. Furthermore, this combination proves to be highly successful in treating patients who are allergic to cephalosporin-based antibiotics.
In addition to the treatment of the infected patient, the partner should also be thoroughly checked for symptoms of gonorrhoea treatment even if there exist no symptoms of the disease as such. There is a high likelihood of one partner getting infected in case the other one is infected.
If a baby gets infected with gonorrhea in the womb, he/she should get immediate eye medication to ensure that there no loss of vision when he/she is born. Babies should also get a dosage of antibiotics.
Some basic hygiene such as not having sex during the course of the treatment, use of protection during sex, avoiding oral sex, avoiding sex with multiple partners etc. should be followed.
Regular consultation with the doctor is necessary till the condition gets cured for good. 

Gonorrhea - How It Is Affecting Your Sexual Life?

12 Changes in your body you can expect during the second trimester of pregnancy

The second trimester (starting from the 4th and lasting through the 6th month) of pregnancy is considered to be the easiest for a woman. During the second trimester of pregnancy, you can expect several changes in your body and baby. Here are the changes to expect:

Increased energy: Many women find that they have more energy during the second trimester, after the fatigue of the first trimester.
Quickening: Around the middle of the second trimester, you may feel your baby moving for the first time. These movements, called quickening, are often described as fluttering sensations.
Growing belly: As your baby grows, your uterus will expand and your belly will start to become more noticeable.
Changing breasts: Your breasts will continue to grow and may become more sensitive. You may also start to produce colostrum, a pre-milk substance that will nourish your baby in the first few days after birth.
Changing skin: As your skin stretches to accommodate your growing belly, you may develop stretch marks. You may also experience changes in skin pigmentation, such as darkening of the areolas or the appearance of a line down the center of your abdomen.
Increased risk of miscarriage: While the risk of miscarriage decreases significantly after the first trimester, it is still possible during the second trimester. Most miscarriages occur during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Backaches: The additional weight that you gain during these past few months begins to bear down on your back, making it achy and tired. For relief from pressure, there are certain things that you can do such as using a chair that offers strong support to your back; sleeping on the side with a pillow placed in between your legs, and wearing shoes that come with solid arch support. 
Bleeding gums: Hormonal changes occurring during this period bring about a greater flow of blood to the gums, making them extremely sensitive and prone to bleeding. The gums don t remain tender for long and return to their normal form after delivery. But during these three months, make sure to use toothbrushes with softer bristles and be gentle when flossing.
Congestion and bleeding of the nose: In addition to making your gums tenderer, hormonal changes also bring about the swelling of mucous membranes that line your nose. These changes can lead you to have a stuffy nose as well as may even cause your nose to bleed very easily. To clear any nasal congestion that may occur during this period, you should use natural methods or saline drops obtained from a chemist. 
Hair growth: Pregnancy also sees your hair growing rapidly due to the action of the hormones on the hair follicles. Additionally, you also experience hair growth in places where hair is sparse. To remove unwanted hair, you should stick to tweezing or shaving, waxing and the use of depilatories aren t recommended by medical experts as they aren t considered safe for the baby.
White vaginal discharge: White vaginal discharge during this time is very common. The discharge ensures that harmful yeast or bacteria don t breed in your private areas. But if the discharge takes on a foul smell and a green or yellow color, you should immediately consult a gynaecologist as you may be down with a vaginal infection.
Leg cramps: A very common occurrence during the second trimester, leg cramps usually last through the last leg of pregnancy, which is the third trimester as well. The reasons behind their occurrence may be hormonal, weight-related, or deficiency of magnesium and calcium.
It's important to remember that every pregnancy is different, and you may experience different changes or none of these changes at all. It's always a good idea to discuss any concerns you have with your healthcare provider.

'Consult'.

12 Changes You Can Expect During the 2nd Trimester of Pregnancy

Are you experiencing reduced libido along with intense dryness in your genitals? Loss of libido is a tough thing to cope with in women. In spite of having a great sex life, your vaginal area can become nonresponsive because of several reasons. You might not even know what is happening and the reasons which are causing the condition. These conditions are common in the menopause stage in women.

Reasons for decreased libido and vaginal dryness: 

1. Several changes occur in a woman s body during the menopause stage. The sex hormones, which include estrogen and progesterone start decreasing. This may lower your libido, cause vaginal dryness and affect your sex life to a great extent.

2. Testosterone is the sex hormone which turns you on or gets you into the mood for having sex. When the production of this hormone is insufficient, the urge for having sex gets affected and reaching an orgasm gets even harder.

3. The decrease in estrogen production causes several physical changes in a woman. The blood circulation to your sexual organs gets reduced, making you less sensitive to any kind of sexual stimulation. It also leads to vaginal dryness. The walls of the vagina also become thin due to which penetration may get painful.

Remedies for decreased libido

1. You should start practicing breathing exercises and do meditation for at least thirty minutes every day. This will enable you to eliminate stress, which is a primary trigger for decreased libido.

2. For balancing the estrogen levels, you should consume phytoestrogenic tea and supplements. Some important herbs which you should take include black cohosh, red clover and dong quai.

3. You should also consume aphrodisiac food items. Garlic is such a food item, which contains allicin and increases the blood flow to the vagina. Dark chocolate can also be taken.

Remedies for vaginal dryness

Several conventional vaginal lubricants may lead to irritation, infection and dryness of the vagina.

1. You should always use a natural lubricant, which is not associated with side effects and works effectively. Natural lubricants such as tea tree oil, coconut oil and vitamin E based oils provide effective vaginal lubrication. They also moisturize and repair the vagina.

2. You must keep fit and active. Regular cardio or yoga sessions will help with enhanced blood flow to your sexual organs, making you feel wet.

3. You should drink plenty of water and always stay hydrated in order to prevent dryness in the vagina.

Most importantly, it is a good idea to continue having sex. If you shy away and do not make any effort, the problem of decrease in libido will continue. Therefore, sex is the best way of encouraging your body. Proper communication with your partner is also necessary.

Decreased Libido and Vaginal Lubrication. What can you Do?

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