Sexual Health Flashcards
What are the federal and provincial guidelines for STIs?
PHAC STBBI Guides (National Guideline)
Communicable Disease Control Manual (section on STIs, adapted from PHAC)
What are STI (Sexually Transmitted Infections)?
Infections are passed from one person to another through sexual activity, including vaginal, oral, or anal sex as well as genital skin-to-skin contact.
Some STIs are spread through the blood
What are the three catagories of STIs?
- Viral: HPV, HIV, herpes simplex (HSV)
- Bacterial: chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphillis
- Parasitic/Fungal: Trichomoniasis
What are some risk activities for STI infection?
- Multiple partners (concurently or over time)
- Casual sex
- Sex without protection
- Sex with infected person
- Previous STI
- Substance use
- Viagra/Cialis use
- Sexual violence
- Social environments
What populations are at greater risk for STI infection?
- Indigenous people
- Gay, bisexual, and MSM
- Transgender people
- Youth and young adults
- People who use drugs
- Incarcerated people
- Sex workers and those who receive their services
How do pharmacists help prevent the spread of STIs in the community?
- Assessing and discussing risk
- Educating people about signs and symptoms and the asymptomatic nature of infections
- Helping individuals recognize and minimize their risk
- Providing treatment, follow up and counselling to individuals and their partners
What are some barriers to getting tested for STIs?
- Underestimate personal risk
- Perception that STIs are not serious
- Fearful of procedures
- Self-conscious about genital exam
- Perceived and anticipated attitudes of HCPs and clinic staff
-Stigma - Impact of COVID-19
What are the different types of barrier protection?
- External condom
- Internal condom
- Dental dams
What are the effects of using barrier protection when having sex?
Decrease risk of acquiring and transmitting the majority of STIs, including HIV, Hepatitis B virus, chlamydia, gonorrhea
Do not provide full protection against syphillis, HPV, or HSV
What are goals of therapy when treating a STI?
- Treat the infection
- Abolish symptoms
- Decrease spread to sexual partners
- Decrease vertical transmission to newborns (fetal and breastfeeding)
- Reduce transmission of HIV
- Decrease the probability of complications, such as infertility, chronic pain, sepsis
Are all STIs incurable?
No, some can be treated and cured
But there are still some STIs that are lifelong infections, but can be managed
How are STIs transmitted between people?
- Contact with semen, vaginal fluid, or other body fluids during vaginal, anal, or oral sex without a condom
- Skin-to-skin contact during sexual activity
- Sharing sex toys
Some STIs are blood-borne (blood transfusions, transplants, fetal, breastfeeding, sharing needles or tattooing equipment)
What are some impacts of an STI during pregnancy?
STIs can negatively affect fertility and pregnancy, and can also be harmful to baby
- Chlamydia: pre-term birth, conjunctivitis and pneumonia in newborns
- Gonorrhea: endometritis and pelvic sepsis, systemic infection in newborn
- Syphillis: Systemic symptoms, fetal loss
When should pregnant women be tested for STIs?
Early in pregnancy and again in third trimester
Are the symptoms of an STI infection obvious?
No, many STIs are either asymptomatic or present as syndrome with a diverse set of symptoms
This is why empiric treatment is so common
What are some symptoms seen in patients infected with STIs?
- Vaginitis
- Urethritis and Cervicitis
- Anogenital Ulcers & Warts
- Epididymitis
- Proctitis
What are the three STIs that can cause abnormal vaginal discharge?
- Vulvovaginal candidiasis (white, clumpy, curdy discharge)
- Trichomoniasis (Off-white or yellow, frothy discharge)
- Bacterial Vaginosis (Grey or milky, thin, copious discharge)
What is used to treat vulvovaginal candidiasis?
Fluconazole 150mg PO x single dose
Topical azole antifungals
No need to treat asymptomatic patients
What is used to treat Trichomoniasis?
Metronidazole 2g PO x single dose
OR
Metronidazole 500mg PO BID x 7 days
Treat sexual partners
What is used to treat Bacterial Vaginosis?
Metronidazole 500mg PO BID x 7 days
OR
Metronidazole 2g PO x single dose
Same treatment as patients with trichomoniasis
No need to treat asymptomatic patients
What is the etiology of Chlamydia?
Caused by Chlamydia trachomatis (gram-negative)
What are some characteristics of Chlamydia?
Most common nationally reported STI in Canada
Likely underreported incidence because most people with infection are asymptomatic
Empiric treatment given without lab testing (treatment also offered to partner or patient has gonorrhea)
What are the symptoms of Chlamydia?
Most patients are asymptomatic
Most common symptoms:
- Dysuria (painful urination)
- Urethritis (seen more often in men)
- Cervicitis (abnormal bleeding, discharge, painful intercourse)
- Proctitis (diarrhea, bleeding, discharge)
- Conjunctivitis (swelling or redness of eye)
What are some complications of Chlamydia in women?
Pelvic inflammatory disease
Ectopic pregnancy
Infertility
Reiter syndrome (reactive arthritis)
What are some complications of Chlamydia in men?
Epididymo-orchitis (Pain/swelling in epididymis, testicles)
Reiter syndrome (reactive arthritis)
What are the preferred agents in the treatment of chlamydia?
Azithromycin 1g PO x single dose (preferred due to dosing frequency)
OR
Doxycycline 100mg PO BID x 7 days
What agents are used in the treatment of chlamydia in pregnant women?
Azithromycin 1g PO x single dose (use this one due to its versatility for treating chlamydia in different patient groups, but review local antibiograms)
OR
Amoxicillin
OR
Erythromycin
What are some counselling points for Doxycycline?
Take with food
Do not take with iron or calcium
Abstain from sexual activity with barrier protection until treatment of person and partners is complete
When should pharmacists follow up with patients after chlamydia infection?
Perform test of cure (TOC) 3-4 weeks following a positive result
Repeat testing in all individuals 6 months later as re-infection is high