Frequently Asked Questions

Gonorrhea is transmitted through sexual contact with an infected person, including vaginal, anal, and oral sex.

Yes, gonorrhea can be effectively cured with appropriate antibiotic treatment. However, reinfection is possible if exposed again.

Untreated gonorrhea can lead to serious health complications, including pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in women, epididymitis in men, and increased risk of HIV transmission. It can also cause infertility in both men and women.

Yes, if left untreated, gonorrhea can cause long-term health issues such as chronic pelvic pain, infertility, and disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI), which can affect joints and other parts of the body.

Yes, it is possible to be reinfected with gonorrhea if exposed again. Previous infection does not provide immunity.

Regular STI screenings are essential as chlamydia often does not show symptoms.

Yes, chlamydia can be cured with antibiotics. It’s crucial to complete the full course of treatment.

It’s recommended to wait at least seven days after completing treatment before engaging in sexual activity.

Yes, you can get chlamydia again if you are exposed to the bacteria. Practice safe sex and ensure your partners are treated as well.

Untreated chlamydia can lead to serious health problems, including pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in women, which can cause infertility, and epididymitis in men, which can also lead to infertility.

Trichomoniasis is one of many common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). It is a parasitic infection transferred by having unprotected sex. Birth control methods do not protect against STDs. One of the only options that offer protection from most STDs is condoms.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 70% of people who have trichomoniasis may not experience any symptoms. It is, therefore, possible for you or your partner to have had the infection from a previous sexual relationship without realizing it. The best way to prevent this is to get regular tests done as long as you are sexually active with new or changing partners.

It’s very unlikely for trichomoniasis to go away on its own. The best way to cure the condition and manage the symptoms is to treat trichomoniasis with doctor-prescribed medication. The most common medication used is prescription antibiotics. You can get trichomoniasis treatment online. Start an STI consultation now to connect with a CallonDoc physician.

The best way to manage trichomoniasis is if it is caught early on through testing. Early treatment is essential, especially for pregnant women or women looking to get pregnant in the future. Left untreated, trichomoniasis can spread to other organs and cause premature births for expecting women and infertility in men. Having untreated trichomoniasis can also increase your risk of contracting the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Trichomoniasis is typically treated with antibiotics. The two most common antibiotics used are metronidazole and tinidazole. These antibiotics may take anywhere between a few days to a few weeks to clear up the infection, depending on how severe the condition is. For the best results, both you and your partner should take an antibiotic as they may have trichomoniasis without showing STI symptoms. With CallonDoc, you can get half-off STI care for your partner with CallonDoc’s Expedited Partner Treatment.

Yes, genital warts can sometimes go away on their own, but treatment can help speed up the process and reduce symptoms.

Yes, genital warts are highly contagious and can be spread through skin-to-skin contact during sexual activity.

It's unlikely to get genital warts from non-sexual contact as HPV is typically spread through intimate skin-to-skin contact.

It's recommended to wait until all warts are completely healed to reduce the risk of transmission.

The strains of HPV that cause genital warts are generally not the same as those that cause cancer, but it's important to get regular screenings for other potential HPV-related issues.

Yes, syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease, although it can also be passed from mother to unborn baby.

Syphilis is primarily transmitted through sexual intercourse. However, exposure to an ulcer or sore caused by syphilis could transfer the bacteria through the skin. Due to this, condoms cannot 100% prevent the transmission of syphilis. Nonetheless, use of condoms can sharply reduce the likelihood of transmission compared to unprotected sex. Syphilis can also be transferred through oral sex.

An individual can be infected with syphilis for years without noticing any symptoms. Therefore, testing regularly is essential if you are sexually active. Syphilis is usually diagnosed by a lab order blood test. There are two types of testing that can be done for syphilis: screening and confirmatory testing. 

With syphilis screening, if you test positive, it does not necessarily mean a person has syphilis. If tested positive in a screening, a person could have syphilis or something else; however, you will need confirmatory testing to get proper treatment. If treated for syphilis and you experience other similar symptoms after treatment, a person could also have a UTI or something else. It is important to not only get treatment, but also get a syphilis test to ensure cure.

There are three main stages of syphilis: primary (first stage), secondary (second stage), and tertiary (third stage). People are usually more infectious during the early stages of the condition. Primary syphilis typically occurs around three to four weeks after first contracting the bacteria. The most common, mild symptoms at this stage of syphilis are sores around the mouth, genitals, and rectum, and swollen lymph nodes. These sores can stick around for up to six weeks before disappearing. 

Secondary syphilis can happen at any point after the primary stage. The two most common symptoms are skin rashes and a sore throat. As a result of the relatively general nature of the symptoms, secondary syphilis is often mistaken for other skin conditions like psoriasis.

An additional stage is sometimes referred to between secondary and tertiary syphilis. It’s known as latent syphilis and refers to a period of time where the infection becomes dormant again, and people experience little to no symptoms. Tertiary syphilis is the most advanced stage of the disease and could lead to major health problems like blindness, hearing loss, heart disease, and even death.

The duration for Mycoplasma genitalium to clear after antibiotic treatment begins can vary, but symptoms often improve within a few days to a week of starting treatment.

Without appropriate treatment, a Mycoplasma genitalium infection can persist for months or even years. The duration of the infection can vary widely among individuals, depending on factors such as the body's immune response and the presence of other co-existing infections or conditions. Mycoplasma genitalium is known for its capacity to evade the immune system, allowing it to establish long-term infections in the host. 

Mycoplasma hominis (M. hominis) is another common species of Mycoplasma. It has symptoms very similar to M. genitalium, such as pelvic inflammatory disease. However, it often causes no symptoms at all.

Genital herpes cannot be cured. The virus remains in the body for life, but symptoms can be managed with antiviral medications.

The frequency of outbreaks varies. Some people may experience frequent recurrences, while others may have infrequent or no outbreaks after the initial episode.

Yes, the virus can be transmitted even when no symptoms are present, through viral shedding.

Using condoms, taking suppressive antiviral therapy, and avoiding sexual contact during outbreaks can help reduce the risk of transmission.

Genital herpes can pose risks during pregnancy, especially if the initial infection occurs during pregnancy. It's important to discuss with your healthcare provider to manage and reduce risks.

No, urethritis and a urinary tract infection (UTI) are two different conditions, although symptoms of a UTI and urethritis may be similar (such as pain while urinating). Urethritis refers to inflammation caused by a bacterial infection in the urethra. A urinary tract infection refers to the infection of the urinary tract. While both conditions affect parts of the urinary system, their causes, treatment, and prevention strategies can differ. Despite this difference, it is possible to have a UTI and urethritis simultaneously, which can make the two conditions difficult to distinguish. 

One way to ensure proper treatment or clearance of an STD is through testing to confirm your diagnosis and cure. CallonDoc can provide both treatment and testing as well as a test of cure. 

Urethritis is primarily caused by bacterial and viral infections. Non-infectious causes of urethritis can include physical injury, chemical irritation from products like soaps or spermicides, and procedures such as catheterization. It's important to identify the specific cause to determine the appropriate treatment.

Urethritis is most commonly caused by an infection from bacteria. The most common bacterial causes are sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, responsible for chlamydia and gonorrhea, respectively. Bacteria affecting the bladder or kidneys may spread to the lining of the urethra. In other cases, bacteria found in the genital area may also cause inflammation leading to urethritis.

Urethritis is most commonly diagnosed during a medical consultation, where a discussion of symptoms can help a doctor determine whether you have the condition or not. If the symptoms don’t offer a clear diagnosis, a doctor may order a urine test to confirm the presence of bacteria.

Urethritis can be cleared up by treating the source of the infection that caused your urethra to be inflamed. A board-certified doctor may recommend varying treatments depending on the cause of the urethritis. If your condition was caused by a virus, an antiviral medication will be prescribed according to treatment protocols recommended by the American Board of Medical Specialties. If your urethritis was caused by a bacterial infection, a course of antibiotics might be prescribed to clear up the condition. 

The most commonly prescribed medicine to treat urethritis include:

• Azithromycin 
• Doxycycline 
• Erythromycin 
• Ofloxacin