• Tingling or itching around your sex organs. Small painful blisters which become ulcers. These usually heal within a week or two.

• Flu-like symptoms such as head ache, fever, backache, and leg pains, or constipation, but usually only during the first attack.

• Pain of burning when peeing, sometimes very bad.

• Difficulty with emptying bladder. Pain in the back passage with anal herpes.

Treatment

• Treatment will ease the pain, and shorten or help prevent further attacks of herpes, although there is no cure.

• Pregnant women must tell the STD clinic or doctor if they have, or have had, genital herpes. The bugs may come back when you are pregnant and can sometimes hurt the baby.

• If you think you have genital herpes, your partner must also be checked even if there are no symptoms because they may be infected.

• You must get to your STD clinic as soon as possible as you may have more than one STD.

• Cervical cancer can be cured if the first signs are found early enough. It is vital that you should have a cervical smear test every three years, more so if you have ever had any STD's.

CHLAMYDIA

Chlamydia are bugs that cause the commonest of all STDs in New Zealand, Chlamydia are very common in women (under 20) and men (under 25) who do not use condoms when they have sex. Chlamydia are really bad for both women ar men because if left untreated the bugs car. lead to infertility (inability to have a baby) in both sexes, are can also cause swelling of the eyes, joints or liver.

Symptoms

Women
Most women have no symptoms at all. But some women may notice:

• lower tummy pain (like period pain),

• a changed discharge from the vagina,

• pain when peeing.

Men
Quite a few men have no symptoms at all. But some men notice:

• a thin white or thick yellow drip from the penis

• a burning, stinging or mild pain when peeing

• a really bad pain, sometimes with swollen balls.

Getting Treatment.

It is very important to treat Chlamydia during pregnancy. You might pass the bugs on to your baby and cause an eye infection or pneumonia (a chest infection)

Treatment
If you have any symptoms you need a full check up at your local STD clinic, a doctor or Family Planning clinic. Even if you haven't got any symptoms, but have sex without using a condom, it is best to have a check up.

You will need to be sure that both you and your partner's have treatment at the same time - or the bugs will "ping-pong" - meaning that you will catch it again and be back to square one.

Men must not have a pee for about 2-3 hours before seeing the STD clinic or doctor. Tell the STD clinic or doctor if you are pregnant, or might be pregnant, before getting treatment. It is important to treat Chlamydia during pregnancy as you can pass it on to your baby where it can cause eye and chest infections.

Tell the STD clinic or doctor if you are taking any medicine (including the pill) or have any allergies or previous bad reaction to medicines. Tell the doctor if you have any medical conditions or have recently been overseas.

You and your partner must complete all treatment including taking all medicines. You and your partner must return to the STD clinic or doctor when asked to do so. Do not have sex until the doctor says you can.

Counselling, advice and information are available at the STD clinic if you or your partner feel that you need it.

Condoms reduce the risk of catching STDs including AIDS and hepatitis B.

GONORRHOEA

Gonorrhoea is a common STD that can cause a discharge in men and women or low stomach pain in women. Occasionally it can be present without any sign of infection.

Usually a visit to the STD clinic and a simple course of penicillin is enough to cure the problem.

Antibiotics to cure Gonorrhoea are only available from an STD clinic and are not generally available at a GP.

If you receive treatment for gonorrhoea at your GP please check that it will cover penicillin resistant strains.