Free How to Be a Great Lover by Lou Paget

sores, rashes on the palms and feet, and swollen lymph nodes. If the ulcer or rash is present, syphilis is highly contagious through oral, vaginal, and anal sex, as well as through open wounds on the skin. When detected early, syphilis is curable with strong doses of antibiotics. Men's symptoms are the same as for women.
TRICHOMONIASIS (TRICH) is a form of vaginitis caused by an amoeba-like organism that is spread through intercourse. An estimated three million new cases of vaginitis will be contracted in the U.S. this year. Not all forms of vaginitis are sexually transmitted, but the symptoms are similar. Yeast infections are a very common form of vaginitis not necessarily spread through sexual contact. You can get vaginitis by douching, taking antibiotics, adhering to a poor diet, and using vaginal products such as lubricants, sprays, and birth control devices. In addition, scented soaps, deodorants, detergents, and dyes in underwear or toilet tissue can also cause it. Symptoms can include discharge that is white or gray with an unusual odor, itching in or around the vagina, pain during sex, and pain during urination. It is more uncomfortable than harmful. Vaginitis is easily treatable through a prescription medication and by some medications sold over the counter.
HERPES is another common STD. What's most startling about genital herpes is how widespread it is among the American population. It is estimated that somewhere between 200,000 and 500,000 new cases of genital herpes will be contracted this year and 30 million Americans are infected already. An accountant from Milwaukee was shocked with how she had contracted the virus. She told me that after having been celibate for more than three years, she had slept with a man she worked with. She and he were friends, and after a few drinks after work one Friday, they went back to her place and ended up in bed together. Not more than three weeks later, she noticed she had painful, open sores on her labia. She went to the doctor, who confirmed that she had herpes. Then she called her friend. He was shocked: since he had never experienced an outbreak, he was completely unaware that he carried the herpes virus.
There are two types of herpes virus: the herpes simplex virus I (HSV I) and 2 (HSV II). HSV 2 causes genital herpes more often, but the HSV types 1 and 2 DNA can cause both genital herpes and cold sores. Visible symptoms include painful and/or itchy bumps or blisters near or inside the vagina and/or the rectum on women, and on the genital area for men, typically near the head of the penis. The virus can be contracted through any mucous membrane, including the eyes or any break in the skin. The first outbreak of genital herpes usually lasts between twelve and fourteen days, while subsequent outbreaks are shorter in duration (four to five days) and milder. Herpes is highly contagious when physical contact is made during an outbreak, but, as demonstrated by my seminar attendee's case, it can also be contagious when the virus lies dormant. There is no cure for this virus, though the oral medications Acyclovir, Valcyclorir, and Famcyclorir have proven to be highly successful in both minimizing the symptoms of current outbreaks and suppressing future recurrences.
What, precisely, causes a herpes recurrence has not been determined. However, studies indicate there is a strong association between herpes outbreaks and stress. While the symptoms of herpes can be very uncomfortable to those who have it, the real danger of this sexually transmitted disease is to an unborn child or an autoimmune-suppressed individual—someone with HIV or AIDS, for example. Most often transmitted during delivery, herpes can cause painful blisters and damage to the eyes, brain, and internal organs of a newborn baby. One in six newborns with herpes will not survive at all. The good news is that when knowledge of the herpes virus exists, a cesarean delivery can prevent damage to the child.
HPV (HUMAN