Signs of STD

Final Verdict The myLAB Box V-Box is the most comprehensive at-home test on our list, since it not only checks you for common BV-causing bacterial strains but also four other frequent causes of vaginal itching, helping you better pinpoint the source of your symptoms. If you're looking for speedy (but less comprehensive results), the AZO Vaginal pH Screening Kit will give you instant clues to your vaginal health. If you need to test regularly,  Natureland Vaginal Health pH Test Strips are a reliable value option on a budget, while the Evvy Vaginal Health Test provides lab results on the presence of harmful bacteria. Compare At-Home Bacterial Vaginosis Tests Guide to Choosing an At-Home Bacterial Vaginosis Test Who Should Use An At-Home Bacterial Vaginosis Test? You may want to consider an at-home BV test if you're experiencing any unusual vaginal symptoms such as discharge, foul odor, discomfort, burning, or itching. People with a histo...

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) result from sexually transmitted infections (STIs). These infections can be viral, bacterial, or parasitic. An STI may not turn into an STD. This article will discuss types of STDs, how they spread, how they are treated, and ways to prevent them. Guido Mieth / Getty Images List of Common STDs Common STDs include: How Are STDs Transmitted? STDs are caused by viral, bacterial, or parasitic infections that are spread from one person to another. They can be transmitted through: Ejaculation and/or penetrative sex do not need to occur for an STD to be spread. They can be spread from vagina to vagina and from mouth to genital/anal contact as well as penis in vagina or penis in anus. The consistent and correct use of condoms can help prevent the spread of STDs, but some STDs can be transmitted even with a condom. For example, herpes sores and syphilis sores may occur outside the area cov...

We have made extraordinary progress in our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic since the dark days of 2020. Yet, in many ways, we are back to square one. Public-health precautions are virtually nonexistent in most parts of the world, and the current vaccines and drugs can neither prevent nor even effectively treat infections in broad swaths of the population. Make no mistake: COVID-19 still poses a clear and present danger. Research shows that two or more COVID-19 re-infections doubles the risk for death, blood clots, and lung damage, among other negative health outcomes. The risk of cardiovascular events has been found to increase by 4.5% for up to 12 months after an infection, regardless of age, race, sex, obesity, smoking, or other factors. Nearly one in five Americans are reporting ongoing Long COVID symptoms, and recent research estimates that as many as four million people with the condition are unable to work. The long-term social and economic impact of continual...

The term sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is now the correct name for what many people still call sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), or venereal diseases (VD). They are something nobody wants, and nobody wants to talk about, but health care professionals hope that learning about them will help you avoid ever having to deal with them. The 3 major causes of STIs Bacteria — The most common are chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. Viruses — These include herpes simplex virus (HSV), human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B, or hepatitis C. Parasites — Examples are trichomonas vaginalis,  or insects such as crab lice or scabies mites. STIs spread through sexual activity – intercourse, oral, anal, or other sexual activity. STIs are still transmittable even if there is no ejaculation. Some STIs are even transmittable without having sex. Sharing contaminated needles during drug use and using contaminated body piercing or tattooing equipment can spread infections s...

What is HIV? Understanding what HIV is is important for understanding the difference between HIV & AIDS . There are two main types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2.  HIV-1 is the most common form of the virus and is responsible for the majority of HIV infections worldwide. HIV-2 is found primarily in West Africa and is not as widely spread as HIV-1. Most people who are infected with HIV will develop AIDS, but some people can live for many years without developing any symptoms. This is because they have a strong immune system that can keep the virus under control. There are many different ways that you can contract HIV, including through sexual contact, sharing needles, or being born to a mother who has HIV. If you think that you may have been exposed to HIV, it's important to get tested right away so that you can start treatment if necessary.  What is AIDS? There is a lot of confusion surrounding the difference between HIV infection and AIDS . To put it sim...

Article content LONDON — British drugmaker GSK has signed deals with three companies allowing them to make inexpensive generic versions of its long-acting HIV preventive medicine for use in lower-income countries, where the majority of new HIV cases occur. The injected drug cabotegravir was approved by regulators in the United States in late 2021. Last July, GSK announced a program with the United Nations-backed healthcare organization, the Medicines Patent Pool, aiming to get poor countries access to new HIV therapies far earlier than they did for previous HIV medicines. Article content During the HIV/AIDs epidemic in Africa in the 1990s and early 2000s, in which many millions of people died, treatments used widely in wealthy countries were unavailable on the continent. GSK said last year the new program could result in the generic form of its injection being available in lower-income countries beginning in 2026. The drugmaker's HIV treatment division, ViiV Healthcare...

With recent innovations in the development of antiretroviral therapy (ART), there is growing interest in the use of long-acting injectable (LAI) therapy. Patients may benefit from the use of an injectable regimen to avoid pill fatigue and reduce confidentiality concerns, and it may also promote therapy adherence. Cabotegravir and rilpivirine (Cabenuva; ViiV Healthcare) is the first FDA-approved LAI ART regimen for HIV, composed of an integrase strand transfer inhibitor; cabotegravir (CAB); and a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, rilpivirine (RPV). 1 The US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) currently recommends CAB/RPV as a replacement for a stable regimen in virologically suppressed patients (HIV RNA, < 50 copies/mL for 3-6 months) with no history of treatment failure or suspected resistance to either CAB or RPV as either a monthly or every-8-week regimen. 2 Although the original approval was based on results from the FLAIR (NCT02938520) and AT...

Abstract Poor medication adherence is a pervasive issue with considerable health and socioeconomic consequences. Although the underlying reasons are generally understood, traditional intervention strategies rooted in patient-centric education and empowerment have proved to be prohibitively complex and/or ineffective. Formulating a pharmaceutical in a drug delivery system (DDS) is a promising alternative that can directly mitigate many common impediments to adherence, including frequent dosing, adverse effects and a delayed onset of action. Existing DDSs have already positively influenced patient acceptability and improved rates of adherence across various disease and intervention types. The next generation of systems have the potential to instate an even more radical paradigm shift by, for example, permitting oral delivery of biomacromolecules, allowing for autonomous dose regulation and enabling several doses to be mimicked with a single administration. Their success, however, is&...