What are urogenital infections in women

Urogenital infections, also known as sexually transmitted diseases, are a group of conditions united by a common route of transmission. These infections are transmitted sexually during unprotected intercourse with an infected partner.

All urogenital infections are transmitted through unprotected sexual contact, including vaginal, anal, and in most cases oral sex, and only very rarely through household contact, for example in the case of syphilis or chlamydia.

It is important to understand that sexual contact includes more than intercourse alone. Sexual contact also includes kissing, oral genital contact, and the use of sexual “toys” such as vibrators. During natural childbirth, infection with sexually transmitted diseases may occur when the baby passes through the mother’s birth canal. There are also other routes of transmission of urogenital infections that are not related to sexual contact, such as blood transfusion, the use of shared non sterile syringes, and others.

The term urogenital infections is much broader than simply venereal diseases. In addition to venereal diseases such as gonorrhea, syphilis, trichomoniasis, and rarer diseases usually found in tropical countries, urogenital infections also include infections of the genitourinary system such as gardnerellosis, genital herpes, candidiasis, genital warts, mycoplasmosis, ureaplasmosis, AIDS, and even skin diseases such as scabies, pediculosis, and molluscum contagiosum.

Symptoms of urogenital infections

• itching and burning in the external genital area;
• unusual bloody discharge or bleeding from the genital tract;
• redness, sores, warts, or blisters in the genital or anal area;
• painful and frequent urination;
• purulent discharge or discharge with an unusual smell or color.

The risk of urogenital infections increases if:

• you have changed sexual partners and did not use condoms;
• you used intravenous drugs;
• you received a blood transfusion.

If this is the case, delay can literally be life threatening. By the way, anonymity in testing for urogenital infections is guaranteed by the legislation of the Russian Federation. In practice, this means that a person seeking testing for sexually transmitted diseases has the right not to provide any personal information or to provide fictitious information. What that person does after receiving the test results for urogenital infections is entirely a personal matter.

Important

• many people infected with sexually transmitted diseases have no symptoms and do not know that they are infected. Therefore, safe sex using condoms and regular medical examinations are essential;
• you should not rely on a partner’s assurance that they “do not have anything like that”;
• there are no means capable of developing immunity against sexually transmitted diseases, except for hepatitis B;
• repeated infection with sexually transmitted diseases is possible;
• it is foolish to think that sexually transmitted diseases happen to others and not to you. You are certainly included among those “others.”

Tests for urogenital infections

In men, the diagnosis of sexually transmitted diseases is based on the examination of urethral smears and prostatic secretions by microscopy, PCR diagnostics, that is polymerase chain reaction, and bacteriological testing. Blood is also tested for HIV infection, syphilis, and viral hepatitis B and C.

Treatment of urogenital infections

Under no circumstances should you treat urogenital infections with antibiotics on your own. If tests for urogenital infections confirm that you are ill, inform your partner immediately. Naturally, during treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, sexual activity should be avoided. At our clinic in Turkey, a venereologist provides diagnosis and treatment of urogenital infections in both women and men. Timely treatment significantly increases the chances of a positive outcome. If there is suspicion of any infection or sexually transmitted disease, a woman should consult a gynecologist and her partner should consult a venereologist.

One of the severe complications of urogenital infection is impairment of a woman’s reproductive function, including infertility. It has been proven that urogenital infections can cause inflammation of the reproductive organs and disrupt their structure and function.

In addition, these infections can have a toxic and destructive effect on reproductive cells. To support this, I can cite data obtained from a study of 105 women suffering from infertility. Most of the women in this group, 82.3 percent, suffered from chronic inflammation of the uterus and adnexa, and 55.2 percent had repeatedly undergone different kinds of treatment from gynecologists in their local area. However, they had not been tested for the presence of urogenital infections. Our investigations revealed chlamydia in 12.3 percent of patients, urea and mycoplasmas in 32.4 percent, and gardnerella in 19.0 percent. Mixed urogenital infection in various combinations was found in 21.9 percent of the women in this group. Only 14.2 percent of those examined had no infection detected.

These observations show that incomplete and delayed examination of patients with urogenital infection can allow a far reaching inflammatory process to develop, overshadowing the life of the woman and her family. Laboratory testing for these infections can be carried out in specialized dermatovenereological medical institutions. To avoid such complications, at the first signs of disease in a woman or her partner, it is necessary to consult a dermatovenereologist in order to receive qualified medical care.