What may increase your risk for problems from your genital symptoms?

Many conditions, lifestyle choices, medications, and diseases interfere with your ability to heal or fight infection. You may be at risk for a more serious problem from your symptoms if you have any of the following. Be sure to tell your health professional.

Conditions

• A problem or condition present since birth (congenital defect)
• Previous genital injury
• Previous surgery to genital area
• History of stroke or spinal cord injury
• Surgery to remove the spleen
• Indwelling urinary catheter

Lifestyle choices

• Alcohol abuse or withdrawal
• Drug abuse or withdrawal
• Smoking or other tobacco use
• High-risk sexual behaviors, such as:
  • Unprotected intercourse, without male or female condom use, except in a long-term single-partner (monogamous) relationship
  • Unprotected mouth-to-genital contact, except in a long-term monogamous relationship
  • Early sexual activity, before age 18
  • Having multiple sex partners
  • Having a high-risk partner (one who has multiple sex partners)
  • Having anal or homosexual sex or have partner who does
  • Having sex with a partner who uses IV drugs
  • Prostitution
  • Genital piercings with or without jewelry

Medications

• Blood-thinning medications, such as warfarin (Coumadin), heparin, and aspirin
• Corticosteroids, such as prednisone
• Medications to prevent organ transplant rejection
• Medications used to treat cancer (chemotherapy)
• Radiation therapy

Diseases

• Cancer
• Chlamydia
• Diabetes
• Genital herpes
• Genital warts (human papillomavirus, or HPV)
• Gonorrhea
• Hemophilia
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
• Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)
• Inherited bone disease
• Kidney disease
• Lupus
• Lyme disease
• Malnutrition or an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia
• Multiple sclerosis
• Osteoarthritis
• Osteomyelitis
• Psoriasis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Reiter's syndrome
• Sickle cell disease
• Syphilis
• Trichomoniasis