- bacterial vaginitis (BV)
- bacterial infection of the vagina
- chancre
- genital sore or lesion where syphilis pathogens enter the body
- chlamydia
- bacterial STI caused by the C. trachomatis bacterium
- cystitis
- infection of the lower urinary tract and the bladder
- cytology
- study of cells
- gonorrhea
- bacterial STI caused by the N. gonorrhoeae bacterium
- group B streptococcus
- type of bacteria that can live in a person’s gastrointestinal and genital tracts without causing problems but that can invade the body and cause infection
- hepatitis
- viral infection with three main types, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C
- herpes simplex virus (HSV)
- virus that causes herpes and is not curable
- human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- enveloped retrovirus that is encapsulated by two single-stranded RNAs and can be the cause of AIDS
- human papillomavirus (HPV)
- double-stranded DNA virus that replicates in the basal cell layer of stratified squamous epithelial cells, which then replicate and cause hyperplasia and possible cancer
- interstitial cystitis
- chronic bladder condition that causes pain and has no known cause
- pyelonephritis
- bacterial infection of the upper urinary tract that causes inflammation of the kidneys
- stigma
- negative attitudes and beliefs that motivate the general public to fear, reject, avoid, and discriminate against a group of people
- syphilis
- bacterial STI caused by T. pallidum
- trichomoniasis
- STI caused by a protozoan parasite
- urethritis
- infection of the lower urinary tract that causes inflammation of the urethra
- vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC)
- fungal infection caused by the yeast Candida
- whiff test
- test on vaginal sample in which a few drops of potassium hydroxide (KOH) are mixed with the sample; the KOH kills bacteria and leaves only yeast behind, revealing if there is a yeast infection