Chlamydia

Chlamydia is the most common reportable bacterial sexually transmitted infectious disease in the United States, with 1,808,703 million cases reported among men and women (rate of 552.8 cases per 100,000) in 2019 and with approximately 4 million cases being reported in 2018.

Chlamydia is more prevalent than gonorrhea as there have been reported about 600,000 cases of gonorrhea in the same year. The infection is transmitted via sexual intercourse through vaginal, anal, or oral sex with a sexual partner who has gonorrhea.

Symptoms of Chlamydia can be completely asymptomatic but patients also report dysuria (pain with urination), discharge (penile or vaginal), pain with sex, abdominal pain, testicular pain (in male patients) breakthrough vaginal bleeding (in female patients).

Risk factors for Chlamydia include a sexually active person under the age of 25, inconsistent or not using a condom regularly and having multiple sex partners as well as previous history of other sexually transmitted disease.

Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is one of the common sexually transmitted disease that can cause infection in the genitals, rectum, as well as even throat (depending on the direct contacts). It is common STD, especially among young people.

The infection is transmitted via sexual intercourse through vaginal, anal, or oral sex with a sexual partner who has gonorrhea. Also, a pregnant patient with positive gonorrhea can give the infection to her baby during a delivery.

Symptoms of Gonorrhea are like the ones of Chlamydia. However, the discharge in Gonorrhea can be yellow, or greenish in color compared to Chlamydia.

Again, symptoms of Gonorrhea can be completely asymptomatic but patients also report dysuria (pain with urination), discharge (penile or vaginal), pain with sex, abdominal pain, testicular pain (in male patients) breakthrough vaginal bleeding (in female patients).

Trichomoniasis

Trichomoniasis is another common sexually transmitted disease. It is caused by infection with a protozoan parasite called Trichomonas vaginalis.

There were more than two million trichomoniasis infections in 2018 in the US per the data from CDC. The infection is transmitted via sexual intercourse with a sexual partner who has Trichomoniasis.

Symptoms of Trichomoniasis are usually asymptomatic up to 70% but patients also report discharge (penile or vaginal), dysuria (pain with urination), pain with sex, abdominal pain, testicular pain (in male patients) breakthrough vaginal bleeding (in female patients), itching, redness or soreness of the genitals.