Defining Our Terms

Classifications of RTIs

As discussed in the introduction to this course, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are infections that are primarily passed from person to person by sexual contact, and STIs are part of a broader group of infections known as reproductive tract infections (RTIs) that includes all infections of the reproductive tract, including those not caused by sexual contact.

RTIs can be classified in several ways. For example, they can be classified based on syndrome (the combination of symptoms a person experiences and clinical signs a provider sees on physical exam), the actual infectious agent causing the RTI, or the type of agent that causes the infection.

View a table showing the
classifications of common RTIs

Asymptomatic infections

Some STIs (for example, chlamydia, gonorrhea, human papillomavirus [HPV], hepatitis B, and genital herpes) often cause infections that are asymptomatic. This means that although the person has an infection, he or she has no symptoms of infection and thus may not realize he or she is infected.

For example, some studies have shown that gonorrhea is asymptomatic in as many as 50 to 70% and chlamydia in as many as 80 to 90% of infected women. Additionally, the majority of HPV infections in women and men cannot be recognized clinically, and up to 75% of primary episodes (i.e., initial infections) of herpes is asymptomatic or produces only mild or unrecognized symptoms.

With asymptomatic infections, there is no evidence of infection on clinical exam; therefore, these infections can be diagnosed using laboratory tests only—a particular problem in parts of the developing world where testing resources are scarce or nonexistent.

Asymptomatic infections can be transmitted to others and can cause serious complications, particularly for women. For example, if left untreated, some infections can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and infertility in women. Therefore, it is critically important to test or treat female sexual partners of symptomatic men whenever possible, even if they show no signs and symptoms of infection.

Safer sex

Safer sex refers to those practices that allow couples to reduce their sexual health risks and lower the likelihood of STI transmission. Generally, safer sex practices prevent contact with genital sores and prevent the exchange of body fluids, such as semen, blood, and vaginal secretions. (We will discuss this topic in more detail in Module 6: Preventing STIs/RTIs.)

While some use the term safe sex, in this course we use the word “safer” in recognition of the fact that all sexual practices can have consequences—whether in terms of emotional consequences or in terms of disease and pregnancy—and that very few practices are without any risk of infection transmission.

RTIs refer to all infections of the reproductive tract, including STIs. STIs refer to those infections primarily transmitted through sexual contact, including HIV infection.

 

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