1-in-4 Sexually Active Teen Girls May Have An STI

Oh my! I hope everyone has heard about the announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week that 1-in-4 teen girls is likely to have at least one sexually transmitted disease. HPV is by far the most common sexually transmitted infection in teen girls (18%), but chlamydia was prominent (4%), as was trichomoniasis (2.5%) and herpes (2%). - nearly half of the African American girls and 20% of white and Mexican American girls were infected. Left undiagnosed and untreated these infections are likely to to cause cervical cancer and infertility in these young women.

What seems to missing in all the hoopla about this fact this week is the question - how? How is it that teenage girls are getting infected with sexually transmitted infections? Why is it that no one is pointing out the fact that these girls are very likely having unprotected sex with adult men, who have had multiple sexual partners.

Have you vaccinated your daughters against HPV yet? The CDC recommends vaccinating all 11-12 year-olds, and it is time we all accept that our daughters are at risk - talk to them about using barrier methods if they are having any sexual contact and please make sure they understand that adults who show sexual interest in them are breaking the law and are not concerned about what is in their best interest.

Photo credit: ND. The Wonder Boy

Labels: Chlamydia, Healthline, Sexuality Education, STD

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United States #1: In Chlamydia Cases

Every year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) releases a report on three sexually transmitted diseases caused by different bacteria - chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, which are reportable - and therefore countable. The last report was not good news! More than one million cases of chlamydia were reported in the United States last year - the highest number ever reported! The rates of gonorrhea also are getting higher, especially one "superbug" version resistant to common antibiotics. Congenital syphilis, which can deform or kill babies, is also rising for the first time in years.

Last year's number of chlamydia cases beat the 1978 record number of gonorrhea cases, which might not be a bad thing if it means more people are being tested, and therefore treated. Since 1993 the CDC has recommended annual screening for all sexually active women ages 15 to 25, which is the group most likely to be infected. If, on the other hand, it just reflects more unprotected sex, the news cannot be good.

The test for the bacteria that causes chlamydia can easily be done with urine or a swab, on both males and females. More than three quarters of women with chlamydia have no symptoms, making the screening extremely important. Left untreated in women, chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) as well as infertility later in life. Sadly, the CDC believes that chlamydia is actually underreported and the actual number of cases may be closer to 2.8 million annually.

The CDC also recommends that doctors send information and medication for the sexual partner home with the person diagnosed as sexual partners can be hesitant to seek treatment if they do not experience any symptoms. A "test for cure" three months after the first diagnosis is also suggested, to make sure the treatment was successful.

The story with gonorrhea is a little bit different. In 2004 the rates of gonorrhea infection were at the lowest level they had been since 1941, when the government started tracking the number of infections. However, in 2005 the rates went up and in 2006 there was another 5.5% increase. There are also research reports that suggest between 7% and 14% of the cases are the infections resistant to common antibiotics.

There are actually about 19 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases in the United States and genital herpes, HPV and trichomonas infections are the most common, but not reportable. For teens, this means that safer sex is a necessity - every act of vaginal intercourse should be protected with a reliable method of birth control, as well as a condom to protect against disease. Oral sex should include the use of a condom to avoid the exchange of semen. This is not rocket science - all three of these diseases can be 100% avoided by not exchanging body fluids during sexual contact - which is easily accomplished with proper use of a male or female condom.

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Labels: Chlamydia, STD

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Condoms Prevent STDs: Duh!

A recent study reported in the American Journal of Public Health (2007; 97(6):1090-1095) found that adolescents who use condoms the first time they have sexual intercourse are less likely to have chlamydia and gonorrhea seven years later, and were no more likely to have more sexual partners than adolescents who did not use condoms at first intercourse.

The study including more than 4,000 teenagers who completed interviews about their sexual behavior over a 6-to-8 year period. Participants were also tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea seven years into the study. Of those teens who were sexually active during the study, 62% reported using a condom the first time they had sexual intercourse and those who used a condom were half as likely to have a sexually transmitted disease seven years later. All sexually active teens reported approximately five different sexual partners during that 6-to-8 year period.

These results support, as health change behavioral theory would suggest, that teens who protect themselves with condoms the first time they have sex, are more likely to maintain healthy, STD and pregnancy preventing habits through their teen and young adult lives. With sexually transmitted infection and pregnancy rates being the highest among 15-25 year olds, it is extremely important that parents, teachers, and peers encourage teens to protect themselves and "not just let sex happen."

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Labels: Chlamydia, Sexuality

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Chlamydia and Teens

Chlamydia is America's most common sexually transmitted disease, and is most often seen in teens and young adults. Chlamydia is a bacterial infection spread by vaginal, oral, or anal intercourse. Most people do not have any symptoms to know they have been infected, so they unknowingly pass it from partner to partner. Chlamydia can be easily treated with antibiotics, but if not treated, complications for women can include pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and scarring in the fallopian tubes that may lead to ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Complications in men are rare, but Chlamydia in males can lead to infertility, as well.

Risk factors for Chlamydia include having sex without using condoms, having a high-risk partner (e.g., who has many partners, a male who has sex with men, injection drug users, and commercial sex workers), having multiple sexual partners, and having started to have sexual intercourse before age 18. Because the rates of infection are so high, it is recommended that all sexually active women under age 26 should be screened regularly for Chlamydia, which means annually, or every time they have a new sexual partner.

Testing for women can be a vaginal swab or urine test, and for males, it is a urethral swab or urine test. Unfortunately, a test cannot tell how long you have had the infection, and the longer you are infected, the greater chance there is of having the more serious complications.

These facts suggest that all young people be encouraged to either not have oral, anal, or vaginal sex, or that they protect themselves by using condoms, and by all means be tested annually if sexually active.

Resources:
We're Talking Teen Health

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Labels: Chlamydia

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Reproductive Health: Teens & Young Adults

The National Adolescent Health Information Center (NAHIC) has just released a new fact sheet on Reproductive Health in Adolescents and Young Adults that had mixed news. On one hand, the adolescent pregnancy rates have decreased, as have the number of teens who initiate sexual activity. However, in my mind that does not balance the facts that the prevalence of chlamydia is over six times higher for females than their male peers and that females account for more than half of the HIV cases among adolescents.

About one in five sexually active adolescents becomes pregnant each year (2/3 of whom are 18-19 years old), about 61% of 12th graders are having sex, but only 58% of them are using condoms (reported for last intercourse). On top of that, teens and young adults continue to have multiple sex partners, and young women continue to pick partners that are older than themselves, both of which are risk factors for sexually transmitted infections.

Some of our teens are choosing to become sexually active when they are too young and obviously not equipped with the skills or knowledge to protect themselves from pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and HIV are very preventable. Somehow we have to get teens to understand that they are not ready to become sexually active unless they are able to have a conversation with their partner about the risk of pregnancy and disease, and then effectively protect themselves from both.

Effective protection means if female, they have had their HPV vaccine, that they are using a reliable method of birth control, AND they are using condoms to protect themselves from as many sexually transmitted diseases as possible.

Photo credit: Gabu-chan

Labels: Chlamydia, Sexuality Education

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