1 in 4 teen girls has sexual disease

[CptSternn]

http://news.**********/s/ap/20080311...CGZFeKmFas0NUE

CHICAGO - At least one in four teenage girls nationwide has a sexually transmitted disease, or more than 3 million teens, according to the first study of its kind in this age group.

A virus that causes cervical cancer is by far the most common sexually transmitted infection in teen girls aged 14 to 19, while the highest overall prevalence is among black girls — nearly half the blacks studied had at least one STD. That rate compared with 20 percent among both whites and Mexican-American teens, the study from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.

About half of the girls acknowledged ever having sex; among them, the rate was 40 percent. While some teens define sex as only intercourse, other types of intimate behavior including oral sex can spread some infections.

For many, the numbers likely seem "overwhelming because you're talking about nearly half of the sexually experienced teens at any one time having evidence of an STD," said Dr. Margaret Blythe, an adolescent medicine specialist at Indiana University School of Medicine and head of the American Academy of Pediatrics' committee on adolescence.

But the study highlights what many doctors who treat teens see every day, Blythe said.

Dr. John Douglas, director of the CDC's division of STD prevention, said the results are the first to examine the combined national prevalence of common sexually transmitted diseases among adolescent girls. He said the data, from 2003-04, likely reflect current rates of infection.

"High STD rates among young women, particularly African-American young women, are clear signs that we must continue developing ways to reach those most at risk," Douglas said.

The CDC's Dr. Kevin Fenton said given that STDs can cause infertility and cervical cancer in women, "screening, vaccination and other prevention strategies for sexually active women are among our highest public health priorities."

The study by CDC researcher Dr. Sara Forhan is an analysis of nationally representative data on 838 girls who participated in a 2003-04 government health survey. Teens were tested for four infections: human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can cause cervical cancer and affected 18 percent of girls studied; chlamydia, which affected 4 percent; trichomoniasis, 2.5 percent; and herpes simplex virus, 2 percent.

Blythe said the results are similar to previous studies examining rates of those diseases individually.

The results were prepared for release Tuesday at a CDC conference in Chicago on preventing sexually transmitted diseases.

HPV can cause genital warts but often has no symptoms. A vaccine targeting several HPV strains recently became available, but Douglas said it likely has not yet had much impact on HPV prevalence rates in teen girls.

Chlamydia and trichomoniasis can be treated with antibiotics. The CDC recommends annual chlamydia screening for all sexually active women under age 25. It also recommends the three-dose HPV vaccine for girls aged 11-12 years, and catch-up shots for females aged 13 to 26.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has similar recommendations.

Douglas said screening tests are underused in part because many teens don't think they're at risk, but also, some doctors mistakenly think, '"Sexually transmitted diseases don't happen to the kinds of patients I see.'"

Blythe said some doctors also are reluctant to discuss STDs with teen patients or offer screening because of confidentiality concerns, knowing parents would have to be told of the results.

The American Academy of Pediatrics supports confidential teen screening, she said.


Umm...wow.

[Solumina]

Yeah the sad thing is the numbers have gone way up in the past few years due to the prevalence of abstinence only teaching as most programs don't even allow a sex ed teacher to talk about contraceptives even when a student specifically asks (and many include the teachings of untrue "facts" about the failures and dangers of using contraception)

[ionic_angel]

Originally Posted by Solumina

Yeah the sad thing is the numbers have gone way up in the past few years due to the prevalence of abstinence only teaching as most programs don't even allow a sex ed teacher to talk about contraceptives even when a student specifically asks (and many include the teachings of untrue "facts" about the failures and dangers of using contraception)

Actually, the original report mentions that most teens start out using condoms, then eventually stop. The problem isn't that they do not know, it is that they do not do. And I'd really like to know what programs these are that only talk about abstinence, because I've never heard of them.

In any case, this is one of the big reasons I don't have sex. Russian roulette with a four-round gun? Not my thing. :-P

[Solumina]

You have never heard of abstinence only teaching? I'll go look up a link for you, but be warned it is some scary shit

[ionic_angel]

I've heard of programs that teach only abstinence, but I've never heard of a school implementing those programs solely.

[Solumina]

They mainly do it because they can get additional funding from the federal government for having an abstinence only program (thanks to the bush administration). One of the big problems with them is that many of the contain false or misleading information as part of the curriculum as can be easily seen here (go to pace 43 for the conclusion). I'm trying to find a link to some of the curriculums containing said information (I have a good one bookmarked but that is on my computer at school)

[Solumina]

This is not exactly what I was looking for but it does get across the general point of what kind of misinformation is out there, although this is fairly minor as far as what false information it contains

[AngelikDemonik]

I wouldn't recommend that any female gets the vaccine for HPV (right now, at least). It simply has not been around long enough to see what the long-term effects are. I do know of one instance where a girl is infertile due to it.

Anyway, I don't like abstinence only programs. It really sad to see 14-year-old girls going around thinking that they can get pregnant from oral sex or think that they can't get gonorrhea in their throats.

[ionic_angel]

Well, I am unfortunately having trouble finding records on the relative ratio of Abstinence-only education programs to multi-program/abstinence-plus approaches. However, from what I can find, it appears that abstinence-plus (covering contraceptives correctly) programs are the majority.

Given that the current report states that teens are failing to use condoms over a consistent period, rather than not at all, it would seem that either current sex education needs to emphasize the danger of STDs more, or that cultural/societal influences are simply too strong for school-based sex education to overcome...

...which means that someone will come up with the bright idea of sex-education for everyone, most likely. I can just see the billboards:

When I want to have sex with my fourth partner of the month, i use Bungee Condoms!

or

Screwing around? Don't screw their germs, too. Use Bungee!

[Solumina]

hahaha, thank you I really needed that giggle

[ionic_angel]

No problem...

Having a hard day? Try on a Bungee and you too can be Slick Willy...instead of Sick Willy.

[Solumina]

hahaha, god you are my favorite newbie ever

[drewsilla]

So if you have four teenage girls in an elevator one is wondering if her perscription of Valtrex has run out yet? Harsh!!

[viscus]

Originally Posted by drewsilla

So if you have four teenage girls in an elevator one is wondering if her perscription of Valtrex has run out yet? Harsh!!

It might if herpes was the only venereal disease.

Anyways, this and the high rates of teen pregnancy underscores the fact that we need to push contraceptives and get kids informed. This country as a whole is far too prudish. People are going to have sex regardless of what they're told.

[ionic_angel]

And people like me will not have sex, regardless of how I am encouraged. :-P

[Wednesday Friday Addams]

Originally Posted by ionic_angel

And people like me will not have sex, regardless of how I am encouraged. :-P

You didn't say that last night.

[drewsilla]

Originally Posted by ionic_angel

And people like me will not have sex, regardless of how I am encouraged. :-P

Good for you!! Never let yourself be pressured into something you don't want.

[Wormboy]

Originally Posted by Wednesday Friday Addams

You didn't say that last night.

So thats where you went after you left the bed...

[ionic_angel]

Originally Posted by Wednesday Friday Addams

You didn't say that last night.

You're just mad because I didn't post in your introduction thread quick enough for you. ;-)

[chelseagirl]

Originally Posted by drewsilla

So if you have four teenage girls in an elevator one is wondering if her perscription of Valtrex has run out yet? Harsh!!

Actually, according to the CDC, 1 in every 5 people in the U.S. aged 12 years and older (males and females) has genital herpes - and 80% of the adult population has oral herpes.

[Solumina]

Originally Posted by chelseagirl

Actually, according to the CDC, 1 in every 5 people in the U.S. aged 12 years and older (males and females) has genital herpes - and 80% of the adult population has oral herpes.

Bleh people are so unsanitary

[viscus]

Originally Posted by ionic_angel

And people like me will not have sex, regardless of how I am encouraged. :-P

Good for you. Others of us have impulses that we'd rather not repress, however.

[Lapin]

Viscus, she/he might be asexual, and not have those urges at all.

Originally Posted by AngelikDemonik

I do know of one instance where a girl is infertile due to it.

A., I've never heard that, and B. I am now praying to every deity I know that that happens to me.

[viscus]

Originally Posted by Lapin

Viscus, she/he might be asexual, and not have those urges at all.

It's not that I doubt it if that be the case, I was just saying that most people experience lust and require an outlet for it, particularly if they're in romantic relationships.

[Lapin]

Originally Posted by viscus

It's not that I doubt it if that be the case, I was just saying that most people experience lust and require an outlet for it, particularly if they're in romantic relationships.

I long to be asexual. It sounds so much better. Wanting sex is annoying.