I think I have and STD. It’s a brown dot on my testicular sac. What do you think?
Hey there…I’m happy you’re reaching out for advice and taking control of your health. 🙂
So, I’ve talked to one of my MD (Medical Doctor) friends and he says it could be a simple mole, a freckle or a birth-mark that just wasn’t noticed before. It is common as youth get to know their bodies more, that they start to notice things that may have always been there. But of course you should probably get it checked out to be sure. Still, he wants me to review some common symptoms of STDs with you. And, for you, I will add a few to the list that focus on skin symptoms, since that’s what you’re concerned about.
You may have heard that most people don’t experience any symptoms for STDs. However, 1 in 2 people who have sex will get an STD by the age of 25. Here are some symptoms for different STDs that you should be on the lookout for:
• Itching, pain, bleeding, or abnormal discharge from the vagina, penis, or rectum
• Burning or itching when you pee
• Pain or discomfort during sex
• Sore throat or unusual appearance in your mouth or throat (if you have oral sex)
• Nausea or fever
• Painful bowel movements
For symptoms you can see on your skin, be on the lookout for the following:
- Small flesh colored bump or group of bumps in the genital area. They can be large, small, raised or flat, or shaped like a cauliflower. They may be the same color as your skin or they could be lighter or darker.
- Something you might see in the genital area is an ulcer or just a firm, non-itchy “sore” or many sores called a chancre. They usually last 3-6 weeks, but don’t think they’ll go away. They’ll come back with a vengeance.
- Brown spots on the skin (but not the genitals) these brown spots are also painless and can be seen almost anywhere, but especially on the palms of hands and bottoms of feet (most rashes do not occur on the palms and soles, but syphilis does). Small painful fluid-filled bumps called vesicles could be herpesvirus. They are usually clear or white bumps surrounded by redness and they are very painful. When these bumps appear, the virus can be spread to others so a person should not have sex if they have these bumps (besides it would hurt!).
- And you’re probably going to guess what I’m going to say next…GET YOURSELF TESTED.
WHY GET TESTED? Many times, people who are infected with an STD don’t experience any symptoms. So a lot of people who are infected don’t actually know it, which means they could be spreading STDs to others and not know it. Not getting treated for an STD can have serious consequences – like in fertility (not being able to have children). Also, some STDs can increase your risk for certain types of cancer. The only way to know if you or anyone else has an STD is to get tested.
If you want more info about what’s involved in testing or where to get tested check out http://www.wernative.org/SubTopicDetails.aspx?id=153&type=SexualHealth
Again, thanks for checking in on your health…you’ve got your body your whole life, so good for you on starting to take care of it now. 🙂
Good luck,
Auntie Manda
