Sexually Transmitted Infections and Stigmatization

STIs and stigma

We must understand that STIs affect the entire sexually active population, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, race, socioeconomic context, place of origin, etc. That is why it is important to adopt an intersectional view to analyze this issue, that is, it is not only that STIs produce stigma, but that if the person carrying that STI is also a homosexual, migrant, in a situation of prostitution, racialized , etc., the stigma will still be elderly.

Not necessarily, many infections do not present symptoms, they are asymptomatic. Some studies show that almost 50% of gonorrhea cases and more than three out of four chlamydia infections are asymptomatic. Likewise, more than 20% of people who are HIV positive do not know it since they do not have symptoms and more than 85% of the sexually active population will contract HPV at some point in their life, although it will disappear in the majority of cases. cases before 2 years of age ( Farley , 2003).

Absolutely. In fact, some studies show how receiving anal penetration without a condom increases the chance of contracting HIV between 10 and 12 times compared to vaginal sex ( Pebody , 2019). Other STIs , such as gonorrhea, can also be transmitted orally when the penis or vagina comes into contact with the mouth.

Most STIs do not go away on their own, but require treatment. In fact, it is necessary to treat them quickly to avoid experiencing serious side effects, even if we are not experiencing symptoms. For example, gonorrhea not treated with antibiotics can lead to complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease ( PID ), difficulties during pregnancy, and infertility, among other things.

There are exceptions to this general rule, such as human papillomavirus ( HPV ) infection. 70% of these cases disappear on their own in 1 year, and 90% in 2.

After infection with some STIs (such as Chlamydia), it is possible to acquire temporary immunity. However, this does not always happen, so we must bear in mind that having an STI does not free the person from being infected again a few months or years later if they do not take the relevant protective measures.

Yes, you can have several STIs at the same time and, furthermore, it is quite common since the transmission methods are usually shared or common. For example, more than 20% of people infected with HIV also have other STIs , such as chlamydia (10%), gonorrhea (9%), and syphilis. We must also think that open wounds, sores and eczema favor the spread of infections.