Ask Pat

According to www.sexhealth.org, Crabs are Peduculosis Pubis is the presence of the crab louse in pubic and other hairy parts of the body. Peduculosis pubis is a problem worldwide with outbreaks in dormitories, military bases and even within families. Pubic lice are small white specks resembling which looks like a tiny white speck against the hair. When examined under a microscope, the peduculosis pubis looks much like a crab with 3 claws and 4 legs. After the crab has bitten the host and fed upon the blood in the capillaries it turns a rust color. It lives a 30-day lifetime and mates frequently. These 'crabs' bite their host, which results in the appearance of bluish spots in the genital area. The most common symptom is an itchy genital region. Some may find the 'crabs' not only in their pubic hair but also in eyebrows, eyelashes, their beard and entire body. The spread of lice is primarily through sexual contact with an infested partner. The crabs can also be transmitted by coming into contact with contaminated bedding, clothing and toilet seats. Crabs can live in wet rags or towels, and are thus sometimes passed within a household or gym. Pediculicide, a mild insecticidal shampoo available without a prescription, is the most common treatment for pubic lice. Generally this treatment is quite effective. If you continue to experience symptoms, see your physician who will be able to prescribe different and often stronger treatments.

No, you can't get crabs from toilet seats. Crabs must have a human host to survive. They are generally spread by direct person-to-person or pubic hair to pubic hair contact. They can only live off the human body for 24-48 hours before dying so it is possible that they could be picked up from other fibers such as towels, bedding, or clothing. This can happen only if the materials have been used by someone else within 24-48 hours and have not been laundered between uses. Normal machine washing will crabs from clothing and fibers. Crabs live in the hair shafts of pubic hair and also deposit egg sacks in the hair. They move to the base of the hair and feed on skin, which is what causes the common symptom of itching. To the naked eye they look like a very small bug and the eggs, or nits as we call them, are small white bumps along the hair shafts. If you have them, there are some good products available without a prescription at most drug stores. You can also make an appointment with a health care provider to get a prescription medication. To prevent pubic lice, it is important to ask partners about symptoms and exposure. It is also helpful to launder clothing and bedding between uses.

"Crabs" are mini-crab like lice. Because of their skin-like color and small size they are practically invisible to the naked eye. These minute organisms infest the hairy areas of the human body. Usually they invade the pubic region, but they may also infest underarms, eyelashes, and even moustaches! Crabs are most commonly spread through sexual contact. However, in addition to close physical contact, you can get them from an interchange of infested clothing, towels, or beds. These methods of transmission, though, are far less frequent. Initially a person with crabs may not have any symptoms at all, or they might have a maddening itch in the genital area. If you find yourself suffering from such an itch, you should investigate the possibility of crabs. If you do happen to catch them, don't panic! There is a simple and effective cure for "pediculosis pubis" or crab lice. You can obtain products like "Nix," that will kill the lice and their eggs. After you have gotten rid of the crabs, you should guard against reinfestation by washing all your clothes in hot water and detergent or by having them dry cleaned. Bed linens and towels should also be washed. It would probably be a good idea to spray a lice control insecticide on upholstery, blankets, carpets, or any objects where lice and their eggs are known to linger. All of these products can be obtained without a prescription at any drugstore, which makes crabs easy to get rid of if you happen to get them!

No, they cannot. However, some treatments for lice are not recommended during pregnancy. If you are pregnant or think that you might be, it is important that you check with a health care provider before treating for lice.

Burning in the penis or urination is never normal. Make an appointment to see your healthcare provider.

It is possible, but unlikely on both counts. Chlamydia would tend to cause a sore throat, but the strep throat culture would be negative. It is always prudent to use a barrier for any type of sexual activity: a dental dam or "plain" latex condom (without lubricant or spermicide) split/cut up one side as a barrier. Saran wrap can also be used (but not the "microwave" type).

According to WebMD, Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. Because approximately 75% of women and 50% of men have no symptoms, most people infected with chlamydia are not aware of their infections and therefore may not seek health care. When diagnosed, chlamydia can be easily treated and cured. Untreated, chlamydia can cause severe, costly reproductive and other health problems which include both short- and long-term consequences, including pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which is the critical link to infertility, and potentially fatal tubal pregnancy. Up to 40% of women with untreated chlamydia will develop PID. Undiagnosed PID caused by chlamydia is common. Of those with PID, 20% will become infertile; 18% will experience debilitating, chronic pelvic pain; and 9% will have a life-threatening tubal pregnancy. Tubal pregnancy is the leading cause of first-trimester, pregnancy-related deaths in American women. Chlamydia may also result in adverse outcomes of pregnancy, including neonatal conjunctivitis and pneumonia. In addition, recent research has shown that women infected with chlamydia have a 3 - 5 fold increased risk of acquiring HIV, if exposed. Chlamydia is also common among young men, who are seldom offered screening. Untreated chlamydia in men typically causes urethral infection, but may also result in complications such as swollen and tender testicles.

The best way to prevent chlamydia is to abstain from sexual intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex. If you chose to have sex, the most effective way to prevent the transmission of STD's is to use a condom.

Yes! Your friend's husband needs to be treated for Chlamydia as well. He should see his health care provider as soon as possible.

Chlamydia tends to be fairly silent, in that up to 70 percent of women who have chlamydia and carry it have no symptoms whatsoever, and potentially as high as 40 percent of all males who have chlamydia may also not have symptoms. Many clinics do recommend that individuals who have had unprotected sex should consider being tested for chlamydia periodically, especially when they are changing partners or getting into a new relationship. Protection for chlamydia is very important and one of the many reasons that we recommend condom use. It is very difficult to answer the question about how long it would take for a woman to not be able to have kids. Women who have chlamydia only infecting the cervix, where it does not go up and actually infect the fallopian tubes, will probably maintain pretty normal fertility rates. On the other hand, repeated episodes of fallopian tube infection with either chlamydia or gonorrhea increase a woman's risk of infertility due to tubal blockage and scarring. Therefore, it is impossible for Pat to tell you some length of time for how long it takes for a woman to not be able to have children. Certainly, the longer someone might carry undetected and untreated chlamydia, the higher her risk for infertility or problems would be.

There is always the chance of lab error. Were you re-checked after the treatment to make sure the Chlamydia was gone? And was your partner treated as well? One of you probably had the infection when you met. If you were symptomatic at the time of your pregnancy, the lab test was probably wrong. The important thing is you were both treated effectively with antibiotics.

I was unable to find a picture of the female form of gonorrhea. You might consider asking your health care provider for a photograph. If you suspect that you or your partner have gonorrhea, see a doctor soon so it can be treated.

To be perfectly honest, I have no idea why gonorrhea is called the clap. That is a term that has been used for many, many years, and I really do not know. Frankly, I do not know where to look it up or I would and let you know. But, if you find out please let us know. The statistics in terms of death are probably pretty low; however, the statistics on gonorrhea in terms of the pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility and other problems that it causes are significant. In the teenage-early twenties-age population, the last prevalence statistic I have heard is somewhere between 1% and 5% of people have gonorrhea, and the only way to accurately determine if you have been exposed is to go in to a clinic and be tested (either males or females). It is easily treated with antibiotics, but it is difficult to determine who has been exposed without doing the test. Please free to talk to your provider if you have other questions. The other thing you need to know, if Chlamydia is somewhat more common than gonorrhea and if you are worried about gonorrhea you certainly should consider being tested for Chlamydia and perhaps some other STDs in addition. Again, feel free to discuss the details with your provider. Let us know if you discover the origin of the term "clap."

The cost will depend on where you have the prescription filled and the type of antibiotic used for treatment. It should be relatively inexpensive, probably under $20.

Well first of all, in order for the sore throat to be caused by gonorrhea, it is necessary for one or both of you to have been exposed to gonorrhea. This is typically a genital-to-genital contact spread. However, it certainly is possibly to have a sore throat caused by this if oral sex has been an issue. However, gonorrhea is not very likely in most populations. My advice is--if there is a concern about a sore throat, she needs to get a throat culture, and she can specifically indicate concern about the possibility of gonorrhea, and this can be easily ruled out in the process of doing the throat culture. If there is any concern that either one of you might have been exposed to gonorrhea, Chlamydia or any other STD, it would be a very wise idea for both of you to be seen by a provider, and to be tested for the appropriate sexually transmitted infections. Please feel free to make an appointment to discuss this further with a provider.