A special “morning after pill” reduces the risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections, so-called STIs, according to international studies.
San Francisco – The number of infections from sexually transmitted diseases is rising worldwide – including in Deutschland. It was a “silent epidemic,” she said WHO mid-2022. In addition to prevention, in which protection by condoms plays a major role, another strategy could also help to reduce the number of infections. An international team of researchers tested the morning-after pill, a special antibiotic to protect against sexually transmitted infections.
Study shows morning-after pill prevents STDs
According to the new study, in which German researchers were also involved, and which was published on Wednesday in New England Journal Of Medicine was published, the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases can be reduced by taking a single dose of a special antibiotic called the morning-after pill.
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The results of the study showed that if the pill is taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, it can prevent around two-thirds of infections. The test group included 500 homosexual men and trans women who were either taking prophylaxis against the HI virus or were already using one HIV infection that a new mRNA vaccination could prevent in the futurelived.
What are sexually transmitted diseases?
- Sexually transmitted diseases or infectionsalso STD (eng: sexually transmitted diseases) und STI (English: sexually transmitted infections) are those diseases that can also or mainly be transmitted through sexual contact. They can be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, and arthropods.
- Common STD/STI
- Among the most common bacterial STI include chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea.
- To the viral STI include HIV infections, human papillomavirus (HPV), genital herpes and hepatitis B.
- The most frequent parasitic STI is caused by Trichomonas vaginalis. Pubic lice and scabies (itch) can also be sexually transmitted.
- Other STIs that are rather rare in Germany are lymphogranuloma inguinale and ulcus molle.
- symptoms
- The most common symptoms of STI are: urethral or vaginal discharge, painful or painless genital ulcers, inguinal swelling (bubo), scrotal swelling, pelvic pain.
- However, STIs often do not cause any pain or other symptoms and therefore unfortunately often go unnoticed and untreated.
- Some STIs can lead to serious consequential damage. These include infertility (e.g. in the case of chlamydia) or carcinomas (e.g. HPV or hepatitis B). In addition, an untreated HIV infection leads to full-blown AIDS.
- There are many different types of STDs such as chlamydia, gonorrhea (gonorrhea), syphilis, genital herpes, HPV (human papillomavirus), HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), hepatitis B and C, and others.
- STDs can be transmitted through vaginal, anal, and oral sex. Some STDs can also be transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids, such as blood or semen. Some STDs can have serious health consequences if left untreated.
- Safer sex practices, including condom use, and regular testing help prevent or detect and treat infections early.
- Source: German STI Society
Researchers explain: The morning-after pill protects against gonorrhea and syphilis
Before the start of the study, all participants had been infected with a sexually transmitted disease in the previous year. The test subjects were randomly divided into two groups: one group was to take a pill containing the antibiotic doxycycline within three days of unprotected sex, while the other group received standard treatment without doxycycline. The morning-after pill participants took the pill four times a month on average.
The morning-after pill prevented two-thirds of transmissible infections
Results showed that within a year, two-thirds of sexually transmitted infections were avoided in the group taking the doxycycline morning-after pill.
However, researchers are also critical of the results: “It must be emphasized that the application cannot be generally recommended. A recommendation would only make sense – if at all – for a selective group, and there, too, resistance is a problem that must be taken very seriously,” explains Prof. Dr. Georg Stary from the Medical University Wien in Austria.
Prof. Norbert Brockmeyer from the Ruhr University Bochum, chairman of the German STD Society, also warns: “It should be taken into account that Antibiotic resistance a problem can represent. Resistance is on the rise, especially in gonococci, which cause gonorrhea. Therefore, the use of the antibiotic cannot be generally recommended.”