Syphilis
What Is It & How Do You Get It?
Syphilis is an STI that the treponema pallidum bacteria causes. In its early stages, syphilis causes sores called chancres (usually found in the mouth or on genitals) but “hides” itself pretty quickly if it’s left to progress. This STI is spread through direct contact with the chancre, sharing uncleaned sex toys, as well as through all types of sex (anal, oral, and vaginal) during the first 2-3 stages of its progression.
What Are the Signs & Symptoms?
Syphilis progresses through 4 stages, and each stage has its symptoms. The stages are as follows; primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary syphilis.
Stage 1 is primary syphilis, and it usually takes place 3 weeks after the treponema pallidum bacteria infect the body. During this stage, a chancre, a painless and highly infectious (to the touch) sore will develop at the infection site, which is usually the cervix, tip of the penis, or inside the mouth. These sores last about 3-6 weeks and will go away on their own with or without treatment.
The next stage, stage 2, secondary syphilis, happens about 2-8 weeks after the first chancre appears. While in stage 2 the infected person is highly contagious and may begin to see symptoms such as a fever, warts, swollen lymph nodes, and most notably, a non-itchy rash that can affect the palms, soles of the feet, and other parts of the body. After a few weeks to a couple of years, much like in stage 1, the symptoms will go away, but without proper treatment, the syphilis bacteria will live in the body and progress to stage 3.
Stage 3, also called latent syphilis, has no symptoms. This is often called the “hidden phase” because all symptoms and signs from stages 1 & 2 go away, but the disease remains in the body. This stage can last years before it progresses into stage 4.
Stage 4 is tertiary syphilis, and in this stage, there are no symptoms and the infected person is no longer contagious. In this stage, the infection starts to damage the organs which can lead to issues with the brain, nerves, eyes, heart, blood vessels, liver, and joints. In extreme situations, this stage can lead to death.
How to Protect Yourself from Syphilis
Prevention
Syphilis is the most contagious when the rashes and chancre are present meaning that to limit exposure to them use a condom that covers the affected area or abstain from sex while these symptoms are present. It is also wise to sanitize sex toys that you share as well as to put condoms on them during use to avoid cross-contamination with your partner.
Treatment
Syphilis is curable with treatment as long as it’s during the 1-3 stages of its development. The treatment is a shot, or a few depending on how advanced the infection is, of benzathine penicillin G in the butt every week for 1-3 weeks.
Final Thoughts
Living with STIs and their symptoms can make life difficult but not impossible. Those with certain STIs can have completely normal sex lives as long as their symptoms are managed properly and precautions are taken. Research for this article has taught me that having an STI is just about knowing the signs so you can get help before it’s too late. There are still plenty of more STIs to learn about out there, and you better believe I’ll be writing about them!
