Abdominal Pain
STD symptoms are often different for men than they are for women. While many of the same STD symptoms can occur in both sexes, some specifically affect men. For example, one common symptom of STD is abdominal pain.
STDs can be spread through sexual contact, including vaginal sex, anal sex, and oral sex. The most common STD in the United States is chlamydia, which can cause painful abdominal cramping. You get abdominal pain from STDs because the infection can spread to the abdomen when it travels through your reproductive organs, such as your ovaries or fallopian tubes. In addition, some STDs will cause other symptoms that affect your digestive system.
Another STD that causes abdominal pain is proctitis or inflammation of the rectum. An infection often causes this with shigella or salmonella. Many STDs have no obvious symptoms, so it can be difficult to notice an infection. Even if you are experiencing abdominal pain from an STD, you may not know what’s causing it.
It’s important to get tested for STDs after any unprotected sexual activity to avoid complications or to pass the infection on to someone else.
