STDs target teen age girls

By Iowans for LIFE

Teen age girls are four times as likely to be infected with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) than to get pregnant.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) offer sobering statistics that reveal STDs target teenage girls:

There are about 20 million new cases of STDs each year in the United States. About half of these infections are in people between the ages of 15 and 24. Young people are at greater risk of getting an STD for several reasons:

• Young women’s bodies are biologically more prone to STDs.

• Some young people do not get the recommended STD tests.

• Many young people are hesitant to talk openly and honestly with a doctor or nurse about their sex lives.

• Not having insurance or transportation can make it more difficult for young people to access STD testing.

• Some young people have more than one sex partner.

What to do?

Abstinence is the best way to avoid contracting an STD, many of which are incurable. Some can even cause infertility.

However, abstinence alone may not be enough to protect against STDs. You can still be infected with an STD through skin-to-skin contact with an infected area or sore, even if you don’t have sexual intercourse.

Some teenage girls have the mistaken notion that they cannot contract an STD via oral or anal sex. Not true. STDs can enter your body through tiny cuts or tears in your mouth or anus … as well as genitals.

Even more disconcerting: your partner may not even know he is carrying an STD.

Get tested

STDs pose long-lasting risks to your wellbeing, so the best protection to your health is to preserve intimacy for marriage.

If you are sexually active, get tested immediately for your sake and the sake of your partner. Where? Innervisions Healthcare offers free testing and confidential consultation. As we pointed out in a previous blogpost, “Welcome to the STD epidemic,” some STDs are curable; others aren’t.

Don’t wait. Take care of yourself. Get tested.

[Thanks to Iowans for Life for permission to run this article. Do you have friend or family who would benefit from this article? Be sure to forward it to them, or post it on social media. You might save her from a lifelong affliction, and you may save her future family. For women’s reproductive health resources, visit www.IowansForLife.org.]