SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS: MOLLUSCUM CONTAGIOSUM. PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE (PID)

Molluscum Contagiosum

Hundreds of thousands of cases of the virus molluscum contagiosum (mo-LUS-kum con-TAY-gee-OH-sum) are diagnosed every year. The virus is often transmitted by nonsexual intimate contact. In children, it may be spread by more casual contact and is often found on various parts of the body, such as the abdomen.

Common Symptoms: Small, pinkish-white, waxy, round, polyp like growths in the genital area or on the thighs. There is often a tiny depression in the middle of the growth. Symptoms usually appear between two and 12 weeks after infection—but it can take years.

How Molluscum Contagiosum Is Spread: Vaginal, anal, and oral intercourse, as well as other intimate contact.

Diagnosis: Microscopic examination of tissue taken from the sore.

Treatment: Growths may be removed with chemicals, electrical current, lasers, or freezing.

Protection: Condoms may offer some protection, but the virus may “shed” beyond the area protected by the condom.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)

PID is a condition that harms a woman’s reproductive system. PID occurs throughout the pelvic area, in the fallopian tubes, the uterus, the lining of the uterus, and the ovaries. Treated or untreated, PID can lead to sterility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pain. The more episodes of PID a woman has, the greater are her chances of becoming sterile. PID is not always the result of a sexually transmitted infection, but in many cases it is. The sexually transmitted infections that most commonly cause PID are gonorrhea and chlamydia. More than 1 million new cases of PID are diagnosed every year in the United States. It is believed that millions of others go undiscovered.

Common Symptoms

• fever, chills

• nausea, vomiting

• pain during intercourse

• pain in the lower abdomen

• spotting and pain between menstrual periods or during urination

• unusually long or painful periods, and unusual vaginal discharge

Diagnosis

• pelvic exam

• laboratory examination of vaginal and cervical secretions

• laparoscopy, in which an optical instrument is inserted through a small cut in the navel to look at the reproductive organs

Symptoms can be confused with those of appendicitis and other infections. Diagnosis can be difficult if patients are too embarrassed to admit sexual activity.

Treatment: Antibiotics, bed rest, and sexual abstinence. Surgery may be required to remove abscesses or scar tissue, or to repair or remove reproductive organs.

Protection: Condoms offer very good protection against the sexually transmitted infections commonly associated with PID.

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