Syphilis
Syphilis
Women’s Health
Overview
• Syphilis is an STD that can cause long-term complications if not treated correctly. Symptoms in adults are divided into stages. These stages are primary, secondary, latent, and late syphilis.
Transmission
• You can get syphilis by direct contact with a syphilis sore during vaginal, anal, or oral sex.
Sores can be found on the penis, vagina, anus, in the rectum, or on the lips and in the mouth.
Syphilis can also be spread from an infected mother to her unborn baby.
Symptoms
• The painless syphilis sore that appears after you are first infected can be confused for an ingrown hair, zipper cut, or other bump. The nonitchy body rash that develops during the second stage of syphilis can show up on the palms of your hands and soles of your feet, all over your body, or in just a few places. You could also be infected with syphilis and have very mild symptoms or none at all.
Syphilis during Pregnancy
• If a woman is pregnant and has syphilis, she can give the infection to her unborn baby. Having syphilis can lead to a low birth weight baby.
It can cause an early delivery or the baby may be stillborn. An infected baby may be born without signs or symptoms of the disease. However, if not treated immediately, the baby may develop serious problems within a few weeks. Untreated babies can have health problems such as cataracts, deafness, or seizures, and can die.
Primary Stage
During the first (primary) stage of syphilis, you may notice a single sore or multiple sores. The sore is the location where syphilis entered the body. The sore is usually firm, round, and painless.
Because the sore is painless, it can easily go unnoticed. The sore lasts 3 to 6 weeks and heals regardless of whether or not you receive treatment. Even though the sore goes away, you must still receive treatment so that the infection does not move to the secondary stage.
Secondary Stage
• During the secondary stage, the patient may have skin rashes and/or sores
Women’s Health
Overview
• Syphilis is an STD that can cause long-term complications if not treated correctly. Symptoms in adults are divided into stages. These stages are primary, secondary, latent, and late syphilis.
Transmission
• You can get syphilis by direct contact with a syphilis sore during vaginal, anal, or oral sex.
Sores can be found on the penis, vagina, anus, in the rectum, or on the lips and in the mouth.
Syphilis can also be spread from an infected mother to her unborn baby.
Symptoms
• The painless syphilis sore that appears after you are first infected can be confused for an ingrown hair, zipper cut, or other bump. The nonitchy body rash that develops during the second stage of syphilis can show up on the palms of your hands and soles of your feet, all over your body, or in just a few places. You could also be infected with syphilis and have very mild symptoms or none at all.
Syphilis during Pregnancy
• If a woman is pregnant and has syphilis, she can give the infection to her unborn baby. Having syphilis can lead to a low birth weight baby.
It can cause an early delivery or the baby may be stillborn. An infected baby may be born without signs or symptoms of the disease. However, if not treated immediately, the baby may develop serious problems within a few weeks. Untreated babies can have health problems such as cataracts, deafness, or seizures, and can die.
Primary Stage
During the first (primary) stage of syphilis, you may notice a single sore or multiple sores. The sore is the location where syphilis entered the body. The sore is usually firm, round, and painless.
Because the sore is painless, it can easily go unnoticed. The sore lasts 3 to 6 weeks and heals regardless of whether or not you receive treatment. Even though the sore goes away, you must still receive treatment so that the infection does not move to the secondary stage.
Secondary Stage
• During the secondary stage, the patient may have skin rashes and/or sores