Sexually transmitted diseases affect many Americans today. The United States has the highest rates of STDs of any developed nation. By age 21, 25% of all people will have an STD. Some of these include Chlamydia, the most common infection, gonorrhea, and Hepatitis B.
             Chlamydia trachomatis causes Chlamydia, the most prevalent bacteria infection in the United States, with 3-4 million new cases occurring every year. An estimated 10% of all sexually active women in the United States are infected with this disease; rates among men are almost similar. Symptoms may be minimal or absent entirely. When they do show up, it will be 7-21 days after having sex. Most women and some men have no symptoms. Women bear the greater burden because of possible complications and consequences of the disease. Discharge and bleeding from the vagina between periods, burning or pain upon urinating, pain in the abdomen, sometimes with fever and nausea are some of the common symptoms. Men usually experience watery discharge from the penis, and/or burning or pain upon urinating. Chlamydia can also lead to infertility in men, although not as often as in women. You can easily give Chlamydia to your sexual partner. When untreated, Chlamydia can lead to more serious in!
             fection. Reproductive organs can be damaged, resulting in sterility. A mother with Chlamydia can give it to her baby at childbirth.
             Gonorrhea, also known as Clap, Drip, or GC, is caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae that flourishes in mucous membranes. The microbe cannot thrive outside the warm, moist environment of the human body and dies within moments of exposure to light and air. If contracted with Gonorrhea, symptoms show up 2 - 21 days after having sex. Many women and men may have no symptoms. Women experience thick yellow or white discharge from the vagina, and burning or pain upon urinating or having a bowel movement. Men experience thick yellow or white discharge from th...