Genital Warts
Definition:
Genital warts are soft growths that occur on the genitals. Genital warts are a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by certain strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV). Sign and Symptoms:
Causes: The HPV virus is highly transmittable through skin-to-skin contact, which is why it is considered a sexually transmitted infection. Any sexually active person is at risk for HPV. Diagnosis: Genital warts are fairly common. Approximately 500,000 new cases of genital warts are diagnosed each year in the U.S. A typical appearance of a genital wart may prompt the physician to treat without further testing, especially in someone who has had prior outbreaks of genital warts. Most genital warts are caused by HPV-6 and HPV-11, the so-called "low risk" HPV types. Treatment: Physician may prescribe topical wart treatments, including:
If visible warts do not go away with time, you may require surgery to remove them. Your physician can burn, freeze, laser, or cut off genital warts. |
Gonorrhea
Definition:
Is a sexually transmitted disease. It is most common in young adults. Sign and Symptoms:
Causes: Is caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a bacterium that can grow and multiply easily in mucus membranes of the body. Diagnosis: Is caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a bacterium that can grow and multiply easily in mucus membranes of the body. Gonorrhea bacteria can grow in the warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract, including the cervix (opening to the womb), uterus (womb), and fallopian tubes (egg canals) in women, and in the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside the body) in women and men. The bacteria can also grow in the mouth, throat, and anus. Treatment: Antibiotics. Treatment is recommended for:
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Vulvar CancerDefinition:
Is a type of cancer that occurs on the outer surface area of the female genitalia. Sign and Symptoms: Vulvar cancer may include:
Causes: In general, doctors know that cancer begins when a cell develops mutations in its DNA. The mutations allow the cell to grow and divide rapidly. The cell and its offspring go on living when other normal cells would die. The accumulating cells form a tumor that may be cancerous, invading nearby tissue and spreading to other parts of the body. Diagnosis:
Treatment: Operations used to treat vulvar cancer include:
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Cervical Cancer
Definition:
Occurs when abnormal cells on the cervix grow out of control. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus that opens into the vagina.
Sign and Symptoms:
Causes:
Diagnosis:
Treatment:
Occurs when abnormal cells on the cervix grow out of control. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus that opens into the vagina.
Sign and Symptoms:
- Bleeding from the vagina that is not normal, such as bleeding between menstrual periods, after sex, or after menopause.
- Pain in the lower belly or pelvis.
- Pain during sex.
- Vaginal discharge that isn't normal.
Causes:
- smoking – women who smoke are twice as likely to develop cervical cancer than women who don't
- having a weakened immune system – this can occur as a result of taking certain medications, such as immunosuppressants, which are used to stop the body rejecting donated organs, or as a result of a condition such as HIV or AIDS
- taking the oral contraceptive pill for more than five years – women who take the pill are thought to have twice the risk of developing cervical cancer than those who don't, although it's not clear why
Diagnosis:
- Pap test. ...
- Biopsy. ...
- Computed tomography (CT or CAT) scan. ...
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). ...
- Positron emission tomography (PET) scan. ...
- Cystoscopy. ...
- Proctoscopy (also called a sigmoidoscopy). ...
- Laparoscopy.
Treatment:
- Radiation therapy with chemotherapy given at the same time.
- Radical hysterectomy and removal of pelvic lymph nodes with or without radiation therapy to the pelvis, plus chemotherapy.
- Radical trachelectomy.
- Chemotherapy followed by surgery.