Sexual Health and Diseases

• Can I talk to a doctor on Gotodoctor.ca about my sexual health concerns?

Yes, Gotodoctor.ca provides virtual care services for sexual health concerns including sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). A doctor will take a comprehensive history in the clinic and may provide you with prescriptions for STDs. Depending on the type of disease and the severity of symptoms further recommendations will be provided. If the patient’s symptoms are indicative of HIV, the doctor will direct him/her to clinic treatment.

• What is sexual health and diseases?

Sexual health care addresses wellness considerations about the risks involving sexually transmitted infections, sexual dysfunctions, contraception’s and their vulnerability to health^[1]. The etiology of sexually transmitted diseases include infections from bacteria, viruses and parasites infections, which usually spread in unprotected sexual intercourse and often in multiple partners^{[2] [3]}. Sexual health enables the practice of safe intercourse, avoiding unplanned pregnancies and lethal infections as HIV (Human Immune deficiency virus) and sexually transmitted diseases that promote infertility^[4]. Sexually transmitted diseases should be thoroughly investigated to exclude life-threatening conditions such as Hepatitis and AIDS.

• What are the symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases?

Symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases are dysuria (painful urination), sores in oral, genital and rectal areas, foul smelling vaginal discharge, vaginal bleeding and painful sex^{[5, 6]}. Seeking health care at an early stage and timely consultation with the doctor protects against the spread of infections^[7].

• How are sexually transmitted diseases treated?

A doctor decides on treatment after taking a comprehensive history of the patient. Treatment of sexually transmitted diseases depends on the underlying cause. Patient education and awareness programs are carried out to provide information on risk factors, such as unprotected sexual intercourse and multiple sexual partners^{[8, 9] [10] [5]}. Analgesics may be prescribed to make the patient free of pain. Prescriptions for antibiotic may be provided for the patients who suffer from bacterial infections such as gonorrhea, syphilis.

• How can an online doctor on Gotodoctor.ca treat sexually transmitted diseases?

Online doctors on Gotodoctor.ca address sexual health concerns and diseases through virtual care services. An appointment can be easily made with an online doctor. Sexually transmitted diseases can be treated via virtual care methods^[13-21]. But a doctor should be cautious as the symptoms may be an indication of a more sinister condition such as AIDS (Acquired Immune deficiency syndrome)^[22]. An online doctor will take a comprehensive history of your signs and symptoms and may provide you with prescriptions. Prescriptions can be obtained by online doctors. Virtual care services provided by Gotodoctor.ca assure comfort, convenience and a higher level of care for the patient.

References

1. Edwards, W.M. and E. Coleman, Defining sexual health: a descriptive overview. Archives of sexual Behavior, 2004. 33(3): p. 189-195.
2. Nessa, K., et al., Epidemiology and etiology of sexually transmitted infection among hotel-based sex workers in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Journal of clinical microbiology, 2004. 42(2): p. 618-621.
3. Choudhry, S., et al., Pattern of sexually transmitted infections and performance of syndromic management against etiological diagnosis in patients attending the sexually transmitted infection clinic of a tertiary care hospital. Indian Journal of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDS, 2010. 31(2): p. 104.
4. Risbud, A., et al., The etiology of genital ulcer disease by multiplex polymerase chain reaction and relationship to HIV infection among patients attending sexually transmitted disease clinics in Pune, India. Sexually transmitted diseases, 1999. 26(1): p. 55-62.
5. Erbelding, E.J., et al., High rates of depressive symptoms in STD clinic patients. Sexually transmitted diseases, 2001. 28(5): p. 281-284.
6. Murphy, F.A., A. Lipp, and D.L. Powles, Follow‐up for improving psychological well being for women after a miscarriage. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2012(3).
7. Jones, R.K., et al., Adolescents’ reports of parental knowledge of adolescents’ use of sexual health services and their reactions to mandated parental notification for prescription contraception. Jama, 2005. 293(3): p. 340-348.
8. Tripp, J. and R. Viner, Sexual health, contraception, and teenage pregnancy. Bmj, 2005. 330(7491): p. 590-593.
9. Schick, V., et al., Sexual behaviors, condom use, and sexual health of Americans over 50: Implications for sexual health promotion for older adults. The journal of sexual medicine, 2010. 7: p. 315-329.
10. Bernhard, L.A., Sexuality and sexual health care for women. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2002. 45(4): p. 1089-1098.
11. Martinez, J., et al., Adherence to antiviral drug regimens in HIV-infected adolescent patients engaged in care in a comprehensive adolescent and young adult clinic. Journal of the National Medical Association, 2000. 92(2): p. 55.
12. Hung, K. and Y.-T. Zhang, Implementation of a WAP-based telemedicine system for patient monitoring. IEEE transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine, 2003. 7(2): p. 101-107.
13. Almathami, H.K.Y., K.T. Win, and E. Vlahu-Gjorgievska, Barriers and Facilitators That Influence Telemedicine-Based, Real-Time, Online Consultation at Patients’ Homes: Systematic Literature Review. J Med Internet Res, 2020. 22(2): p. e16407.
14. Deldar, K., K. Bahaadinbeigy, and S.M. Tara, Teleconsultation and Clinical Decision Making: a Systematic Review. Acta informatica medica : AIM : journal of the Society for Medical Informatics of Bosnia & Herzegovina : casopis Drustva za medicinsku informatiku BiH, 2016. 24(4): p. 286-292.
15. Gunasekeran, D.V., et al., Evaluating Safety and Efficacy of Follow-up for Patients With Abdominal Pain Using Video Consultation (SAVED Study): Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of medical Internet research, 2020. 22(6): p. e17417-e17417.
16. Myers, D.R., et al., Towards remote assessment and screening of acute abdominal pain using only a smartphone with native accelerometers. Scientific Reports, 2017. 7(1): p. 12750.
17. Staub, G., J. Overbeck, and E. Blozik, Teleconsultation in children with abdominal pain: A comparison of physician triage recommendations and an established paediatric telephone triage protocol. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 2013. 13: p. 110.
18. Bokolo Anthony, J., Use of Telemedicine and Virtual Care for Remote Treatment in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Medical Systems, 2020. 44(7): p. 132.
19. Eaton, L.H., et al., Development and implementation of a telehealth-enhanced intervention for pain and symptom management. Contemporary clinical trials, 2014. 38(2): p. 213-220.
20. Wang, X., et al., Impact of Telemedicine on Healthcare Service System Considering Patients’ Choice. Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society, 2019. 2019: p. 7642176.
21. Williams, O.E., et al., The use of telemedicine to enhance secondary care: some lessons from the front line. Future healthcare journal, 2017. 4(2): p. 109-114.
22. Vaghef-Davari, F., et al., Approach to Acute Abdominal Pain: Practical Algorithms. Advanced journal of emergency medicine, 2019. 4(2): p. e29-e29.