 | TEENS, SEX AND STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases)
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New research indicates that there is a significant increase in the number of teens with STDs. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) report that there is an epidemic - a hidden epidemic. Is there really an epidemic? So many teens are having sex, and I don't know any with an STD. Most people are aware of gonorrhea and syphilis. However, now there are 25-30 different kinds of STDs, according to Dr. Meg Meeker, Child and Adolescent Medicine physician in Traverse City, Michigan. One in four teenagers (25%) of sexually active teenagers have one. Most don't know that they have an STD because 85% of the time they have no symptoms. The most common type of STD is human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is responsible for 95-98% of all cervical cancer cases. In the past, the disease affected primarily women in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. Dr. Meeker is now seeing it most commonly in teens. Two-thirds of all cervical cancer cases in America now occur in women 25 years and under. Forty-six percent of girls contract HPV after one episode of intercourse. Why? Cervical cells of teenagers are weaker than those of women in their 20s or older. They are less able to fight off diseases encountered in intercourse. Teenagers are not ready for sex when we look at it this way. Genital herpes Twenty percent of Americans have contracted the genital herpes virus by the age of 12, according to the New England Journal of Medicine. If things don't change in the near future, 50% of American women and 40% of American men will have genital herpes. Once you contract it, you can't get rid of it - it's yours for life. Individuals need to ask themselves, "What effect will it have on the person I marry someday? On a baby?" This year 15 million Americans will contract an STD - 2/3 of them will be under the age of 25. That's 10,000,000 young adults! Those individuals could fill 200 of the largest universities' stadiums to the top. That's an epidemic! If I get an STD, can't they just fix it with medicine? Some STDs, such as gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia, can sometimes be treated with antibiotics; but they must be treated as early as possible to avoid irreversible damage. Eighty-five percent of individuals with STDs do not exhibit symptoms. The bacteria that causes gonorrhea has mutated and is now resistant to antibiotics, so the medicines are no longer effective in treating the disease. HIV and AIDS, genital herpes, and HPV are caused by viruses which cannot be eradicated by medicine. In some cases, the symptoms can be treated, but there is no cure. Once a person contracts one of these diseases, it is his/hers for life. In the case of HIV and AIDS, the disease will likely eventually kill you. HPV may lead to cervical cancer, which kills 5,000 women a year. Genital herpes may not kill you, but may result in the death of your newborn child. What about safe sex? Condoms are not 100% safe, according to Dr. Marilyn Maxwell Billingsly, Associate Professor, St. Louis University School of Medicine. Over the last 20 years, condom use among teens has risen from 21% to 60%. The number of pregnancies has declined over this period. During the same time, STDs have increased dramatically. NIH reports, "At best, condoms reduce the risk of HIV and gonorrhea in men, but for all other STDs, there's insufficient evidence that condoms reduce the risk at all." That means less protection for women. Some STDs are spread through genital skin contact, and condoms do not cover the entire genital region. So, according to the research and many professionals in the medical field, safe sex isn't safe. Oral Sex Oral sex is sex. Any STD you can get from vaginal sex you can get through oral sex because oral sex includes the exchange of body fluids and skin touching skin. Sore throat, fever, and swollen lymph nodes from gonorrhea are increasingly common in middle school students today. Recent outbreaks of highly contagious syphilis have produced painless ulcers. Later complications such as rash, heart disease, memory loss, and death have now been traced to oral sex. Herpes and other STDs have also been traced to oral sex. Dr. Billingsly says, "Most of my female patients are not performing oral sex because they want to, but because their boyfriends want them to. Girls may not like it, but continue doing it to keep their boyfriends. If that's the case, that's not sexual freedom; that's sexual manipulation." So how do you have safe sex? "Postpone it until marriage.... It's the only sure way," says Dr. Meeker. Disease can ruin a teen's life. Emotional Side of Teen Sex Dr. Paul Warren, a psychologist in Dallas, Texas, reports that researches have discovered there's a connection between teenage sex and depression. Depression is so serious that suicide is the third leading cause of death among teens. Thirty-three percent of all teenagers have contemplated suicide. Sexually active boys are two times more likely to experience depression than their abstinent counterparts. For sexually active girls, the incidence is three times higher. If a girl is sexually active, she is three times more likely to attempt suicide. If a boy is sexually active, he is eight times more likely to attempt suicide. The teen years are meant to be filled with hope and optimism, not dispair and hopelessness. Dr. Armand Nitholi, of Harvard Medical School, has done extensive research and written many books on the subject of the emotional impact of teen sex. He says, "...sexual permissiveness has not led to greater pleasure, freedom and openness, more meaningful relationships between the sexes, or exhilarating relief from stifling inhibitions, but has often led to empty relationships, feelings of self-contempt, and worthlessness." Sexual activity in teens often results in loss...loss of virginity, self-control, self-esteem, and trust in one's partner. Dr. Warren says many of the teenagers he sees say "...what they wanted from sex never happened. It left them lost, empty, and hurt. Sure, it gave them a quick buzz; but afterward the pain moved in." So what can I do to help my child make wise choices? Help your child develop self-discipline. The discipline teens develop now is the same discipline they'll need to remain faithful to their future spouses. Postponing sex will be beneficial to your teen in the long run. If they've been sexually active, encourage them to stop. Then go to a medical doctor and get them checked out. Information for this web page was taken from the video "The Rules Have Changed", produced by Mothers Against Sexual Exploitation (MASE). For additional information, please visit the sites below: National Institues of Health www.health.nih.gov/ Centers for Disease Control www.cdc.gov/ |
NBC News/People Magazine Special Report: Teens and Sex Survey Click on the link below to view survey results: |  |