STDs
Did you know that....
Courtesy of Aspire
- 52,000 STDs occur in America each day
- Some STDs (non-viral) can be cured, but they may cause permanent damage such as infertility, chronic pelvic pain, and pelvic inflammatory disease.
- Girls suffer the most from STDs (Reported rates of Chlamydia are six times higher for girls than for boys)
- The use of alcohol has been found to contribute to the spread of STDs. Adults who become drunk are twice as likely to become infected with an STD as those who dont get drunk
Do I even need to worry about this if a condom is used?
Condoms may reduce the risk of pregnancy and STDs, but do not prevent pregnancy or STDs even if used 100% of the time. In fact, inconsistent condom use provides no risk reduction for STDs, with the possible exception of Herpes Simplex 2 and HIV.
How can STDs affect my body?
Courtesy of Aspire
Non-viral STDs: Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Trichomoniasis
- Typically do not have outward symptoms
- Have a cure, yet often remain in the body uncured and undiagnosed
- Chlamydia and gonorrhea are particularly troublesome for teen girls because they are able to move through the reproductive system, possibly causing pelvic inflammatory disease
Pelvic inflammatory disease can:
- Scar the fallopian tubes
- Prevent or hinder passage of the egg
- Cause infertility (the inability to have future children)
Viral STDs: HPV (Human Papillomavirus), Herpes II, Hepatitis B/C, HIV/AIDS
- These have NO CURE!
- In some cases, viral STDs such as HPV can cause a person's immune system to be unable to suppress the virus
- In other cases, such as genital herpes, the virus requires medication in order to decrease the outbreaks
- Medications for these STDs only help control the symptoms of the disease. They do not cure the disease.
- The majority of viral STDs today are HPV and herpes II