Sexually transmitted diseases: Yes, they can happen to you

In this first post, I am going to talk about a number of sexually transmitted diseases.

·         It is the goal of this post that after reading the material and clicking the links you will-

o   Know some of the many types of STDs

o   Know statistics on how many people have and how many people get certain STDs a year

o   How to protect yourself and your partner(s), and lastly how and where to obtain a free or reduced price STD check and condoms.

Let's face it, most of you are going to have sex before you graduate high school. I know that, you know that and more than likely your parents and teachers know that. So, why beat around the bush? Sex can feel good, sex can be fun, but it can also be dangerous too. You don't need to have full on intercourse to contract an STD. And sex really does encompass the saying "everything but..." You know what I mean. Everything but penetration: kissing, touching, etc. 

First off, a sexually transmitted disease or infection (STD or STI) is an infection that can spread through body fluids such as semen, vaginal secretions or blood as well as contact with infected parts of the body such as the mouth or vagina.

Rates of infection with STDs/STIs is highest among teens. All teens are at risk if they engage in sexual activity, but gay males, sexually active heterosexuals, and those that are very young when they begin sexual activity are at highest risk (McKinney, James, Murray & Ashwill, 2009). Some of the STDs you are most likely to encounter include: gonorrhea and chlamydia, HIV, herpes and HPV. Currently, only one of these has a vaccination (HPV) but it may not protect against all strains of this virus.

Gonorrhea: according to the Centers for Disease Control and prevention website, there were 321,849 cases in the U.S.  were reported in 2011, but it is estimated taht 820,000 people contract it with about 570,000 of the cases being in adolescents 15-24 years old. This is a bacterial infection and can be cured with antibiotics from your doctor. This disease is spread through contact, not necessarily with body fluids, from person to person. 

Chlamydia: another bacterial infection had 1,412,791 reported cases in 2011; 2.86 MILLION cases are estimated to occur each year with most of those being in the 14-24 year old range (CDC, 2013). Like gonorrhea, to be spread only contact with the infected skin or body part needs to occur, not ejaculation.

HIV: is a viral infection that a person will have for life once infected. It can and usually does lead to AIDS and eventual death. An infection with another, untreated STD will increase your chances of getting HIV.

Herpes: Is a viral infection with an estimated number of NEW cases being 776,000 a year and the CDC states that 16.2% of people ages 14-49 have a genital herpes infection. It is more common in women than men, but boys don't start gloating, you are still at risk. This is another infection with no cure, but it can be treated and put into remission by antiviral medications. 

HPV: the last infection we'll discuss. It is also viral, but the only one that has a vaccine, though the vaccine only covers the three or four types most likely to cause cancer. Again, only contact with infected skin needs to occur for it to be passed to another person. This infection may cause no symptoms in most people.

PREVENTION

The only sure way to prevent a sexually transmitted infection and protect yourself is to abstain, or not have sexual contact of any kind. Remember, "everything but..." can still lead to infections. I know, I know! Many, if not most, of you are going to experiment with sex of all sorts. So, how can you protect yourselves and your partners? Use a condom. Here is a great video on how to PROPERLY apply a condom, well before you are going to have any contact with the other person's body: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11LFPWyghy8 

Girls, don't count on those boys to have a condom. You need to stand up for yourself, carry them, and insist upon their usage. Not only will they help protect you from an infection, they will protect you from pregnancy when used correctly. 

All of you should insist that a potential partner be clean from infections. You can both be tested at your local city or county health departments, if your school has a health center you can likely receive counseling and testing there or they will point you to where in your area to go. Planned Parenthood does not do free testing, but it is low-cost and available to everyone. Lastly, you should only have sex with one person at a time, multiple partners is one of the biggest ways to ensure you get an infection, even if you do use condoms. Wait to have sex until you are an older teenager or adult because the younger you start having sex, the more likely you are to develop an infection.

That wraps up this quick discussion on STDs. If you have any other questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments section. Lastly, I want to know how much you learned on this subject.

·         Please post in the comments section your answers to the following questions-

o   What are the most common types of STDs found among teenagers?

o   What are three ways you can protect yourself from contracting an STD?

o   Where can you go to obtain a free or low-cost STD test?

o   Please quickly describe the appropriate manner for applying a condom.

Please list anything else you learned from this post, any suggestions for future topics or anything else you would like to know or comment on.

Talk to you next time :) 

References

McKinney, E. S., James, S. R., Murray, S. S., & Ashwill, J. W. (2009). Maternal-child nursing (3rd edition). St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier.

www.cdc.gov/std/