Kitty's Corner

"infected people have no symptoms"
Then how would they know they have it?

Love your chose of photos.

They eventually lose their fertility.

It's such a weird disease.

Women (as usual) get a worse deal than Men. And I quote :
" In women, untreated infection can spread into the uterus or fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This happens in up to 40 percent of women with untreated chlamydia. PID can cause permanent damage to the fallopian tubes, uterus, and surrounding tissues. The damage can lead to chronic pelvic pain, infertility, and potentially fatal ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the uterus). Women infected with chlamydia are up to five times more likely to become infected with HIV, if exposed. All pregnant women should have a screening test for chlamydia."

Compared to... "Complications among men are rare." Yay for the guys.

How do you find out if you've got it?? You get screened once a year, if you're sexually active with multiple partners, or if your partner isn't faithful.

Not fun. Especially if your partner, who is faithful, turns up a positive result....a relationship-limiting result, I expect.

And if that's not enough, F Y I - it can also be spread from hand to eye, so the BJ can pass it on too....so - time for a quiet couple of contemplative hours at the local STD clinic?? You never know...

*reads... Reads...*

Um... Nice informative post, but sometimes reading medically informative pieces give me... Well... the heebie jeebies.

Abstinence makes the heart grow fonder...

Originally posted by Pussy Cat:

bad news for the guys as well...

yeah, not so good - but at least there are symptoms in those cases - itching or soreness, maybe swelling, some discharge...

Chlamydia can also occurr in the throat, after oral sex. Typically the tonsils get white spots & inflammation, some time after the 'event', which disappear after a while. You are however probably still infected & need testing at least.

Not only that, it can also occur in the anus.

@Pussy Cat - 'caught it from a toilet seat'?? Jeez - what a dumbass thing to say!! It'd be funny if it wasn't so stupid...

*laughs*

*confesses low* I used to wanna be a surgeon, but I have a... Lack of natural grace in everyday life, shall we say?

Dentists always look down in the mouth.

Ewww, that condom wrapper with the pope print is such a turn off!

Wow - double the amount in only a decade... How sad!

Originally posted by Pussy Cat:

I think there's only one thing I wanna be less, than a surgeon...

...and that's a Proctologist

Scary.

Originally posted by Pussy Cat:

she actually believed him to start with...

...oh, really? - so what caused her to stop believing him? :interested:

You are such a hard case (this is a compliment, b t w )

It's just a pity that she didn't know him better before getting involved with him. .

The photos are good

Talked about this in health class tho I wonder how many kids paid attention

...and this is what it looks like...
http://www.cpnhelp.org/publicimages/EBsOnRBCs.jpg -

...the bug is the little bumps on the blood cells....

And indeed, the Chlamydia doll is recognisable

It probably burns *just* that same

Thank god for that!!! Herpes is a friend you can't ever lose

In a previous life in the NHS in central London, I worked with a lot of the staff at the Margaret Pyke Centre - a Sexual and Reproductive Health centre - I got to know a *lot* about STDs and contraception and all that...it is fascinating, and you're right - you'd be *amazed* at how many people do have a secret STD that they have no idea they're carrying about with them. If you haven't been tested in the last year (and you've had it off with someone you're not absolutely[/i] sure about, in that time) - then you've probably got around a 50\50 chance at best of having a new friend of some kind - not necessarily Herpes, there's more than 25 fairly common ones hitching rides all the time out there

\\edit - strictly speaking, I should call them STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections), because they don't all necessarily present any symptoms (Chlamydia being one of those). But they still need treatment.

......and if those are used during oral sex as well, then the possibility of transmission is certainly minimised (although can still occur, of course - from hand-to-eye contact for instance).

There are a number of free condom schemes in various countries - the problem is probably down to education, and maybe lots of people only think about pregnancy rather than STIs....?? Probably the best chance at education in these matters would be at school, don't you think??

I agree that free Condoms aren't enough - just waiting for people to go & collect them is *never* going to work, (for the vast majority of the target audience anyway) - I think that full & frank sex education, in terms of prevention (rather than cure, if you know what I mean) - should happen in *all* schools, as a matter of course, all the time. With a repeat say, every 6 months, a 'catch up', if you like - until it just becomes part of our culture, so that schoolkids grow into their teens being in full posession of the facts, and with the confidence and at least a few emotional tools to look after themselves.

Dunno if that's a bit idealistic, but I M O it should certainly be *law*, with no opt-out clauses based upon religion or shallow social mores.

<and f y i - I haven't figured out a way to get shoes into this post yet >

Originally posted by FlaRin:

There are a number of free condom schemes in various countries

http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/confusion_reigns_about_faulty_condoms_1_367734
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Faulty-condoms-given-to-public-20070822
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Govt-faces-R5bn-condom-lawsuit-20071130
Should we really trust our lives to 'free' condoms?! .

OMFG - That really gives everyone confidence, doesn't it

I must admit I was wondering whether to mention HIV and how, if you get Chlamydia, and remain HIV free, you're a very lucky statistic (how lucky I guess depends upon where you live, judging by the post from Mr M Scientist...)

Lets face it, using a condom might make you feel smug, but it's only half the story. Kissing, oral sex, masturbation - it all adds up and it's all going on in the same scene at the same time - just because the guy's wearing a condom is *not* going to stop STD transmission the way it stops pregnancy, it just gives both participants somewhat better odds of getting away with it.....I'm interested as to how sex 'health' education, (as opposed to 'avoiding pregnancy' education) deals with that...it strikes me as a tough one...it's a tough issue...

...and on a lighter note...
http://files.myopera.com/FlaRin/files/firefox-creative-ad.jpg -
...it makes sense...

...

.
That makes so much sense its almost too obvious! .

Anonymous writes: ^^^^ You don't keep condoms in your back pocket!! :O Unless, you want them to break :/ Trust me, I have learnt plenty at school on the topic. As my health teacher says, Play it safe!!!! ;)

Hahaha yeah, I guess condoms in the front pocket are maybe more useful than condoms in the back pocket