STD Roulette: Danger with Sexually Transmitted Diseases

You may wonder why choosing sexual integrity via abstinence is important. One answer is that sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s) are a major health epidemic. Even condoms cannot protect you 100 % of the time.

  1. Hormonal Contraception May Increase Susceptibility to HIV-1 Infection.               Studies have shown possible ways in which hormonal contraception could influence a woman’s susceptibility to HIV. Hormonal contraceptives may also put women at risk for bone density loss, cervical cancer, and chlamydia.  (2011)

  2. HPV increases the risk of getting skin cancer.  Researchers have found that people with several strains of HPV (human papillomaviruses) are more than 1.5 times as likely to develop certain skin cancers compared to those who do not have any strains of HPV. The more strains of HPV that a person has, the higher their risk is for getting skin cancer.(2010)                                                     

  3. Young Girls (ages 14-17) Living in Inner Cities Can Become infected with an STD Within Two Years After Their First Sexual Encounter.                                                Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) screening should start within a year after first intercourse in urban adolescent women since a large number of these women get their first STI within that first year or two.  (2009)                                                                                                          

  4. New Estimations Raise HIV/AIDS Estimates to 1.1 Million                                   
    Better counting has led scientists to believe that the 39,400 new incidents of HIV/AIDS estimated in 2006 are actually closer to 56,000 new infections and the total number of Americans infected with the AIDS virus is nearly 1.1 million. (2008)
     

  5. 1 in 4 Teenage Girls Has an STD
    A CDC study estimated that 1 in 4 (26%) young women between the ages of 14-19 years old in the United States are infected with at least one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases. (2008)
     

  6. Asian and Pacific Islander Women Vulnerable to STDs
    Asian and Pacific Islander young adults in U.S. are more likely to contract STDs if they are women, have multiple sex partners, or believed an STD diagnosis was inconsequential. (2007)
     

  7. Number of Sex Partners Linked to Throat Cancers                                                   Oral HPV infection acquired through sexual contact is strongly associated with developing throat cancer. (2007)
     

  8. Young Adults under the Age of 25 Continue to be at Risk for HIV/AIDS
    AIDS diagnoses are rising with 40,000 new cases of HIV diagnosed annually. A quarter of those infected with HIV don’t know it. (2007)
     

  9. Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Rates Dramatically Increasing in the United States
    More than one million new cases of Chlamydia, and over 350,000 new cases of gonorrhea, were reported in the United States in 2006. (2007)
     

  10. An Increase in Sexual Partners Increases the Chances of Contracting HPV
    A woman’s chances of contracting HPV are directly affected by the amount of sexual partners she has. (2007)

     

  11. Circumcision May Reduce Risk of HIV Infection for Some, But Not For Americans         Circumcision reportedly reduces the risk of HIV infection by half for adult males in Kenya and Uganda. The findings, which only apply to heterosexual transmission of HIV from women to men, will have less impact in the United States. (2006)                                                                 

  12. Every Year, Roughly Nine Million New STD's Occur Among Teens and Young Adults in the U.S.
    By their 18th birthday, six in 10 teenage girls and more than five in 10 teenage boys have had sexual intercourse. (2006)

     

  13. STDs Transmitted Through Oral Sex 
    A large number of teens and some adults may be engaging in oral sex to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. However, a report from the National Center for Health Statistics (a division of the CDC) cited evidence that HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, chancroid, and syphilis can all be transmitted through oral sex. (2005)
     

  14. 74% of New Chlamydial Infections in 2000 Occurred Among 15-24-Year-Olds
    In 2000, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) received 702,093 reports of chlamydial infection. Of reported cases that included the age of the infected individual, 74% occurred in persons aged 15-24. (2004)
     

  15. Ignorance is Bliss Yet Dangerous
    Many people do not take the necessary precautions to avoid contracting an STD because they feel they’re not at risk. However, in 2000 there were more than 18.9 million new STD infections diagnosed. A recent survey showed that 93% of people said they believed their current or most recent partner didn’t have an STD, yet about 1 out of 3 people have never discussed STDs with their partner. (April 6, 2004)

     

  16. Women Twice as Likely to be Infected with HPV in Summer
    Study conducted in Holland over a 16 year period found that women are about twice as likely to be infected with HPV during the summer months. Over the entire span of the study, evidence of infection was about twice as frequent from May through August. (March 27-31, 2004)

     

  17. Half of New STD Cases From Teens and Young Adults
    Nearly half of new STD cases are among people ages 15-24, even though these youth make up only a quarter of the sexually active population. Half of new HIV infections occur among youth ages 15-24. One out of two youth will acquire an STD before the age of 25. (February 2004)

     

  18. 50-75% of Sexually Active Adults Have Incurable HPV
    Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most prevalent of all viral sexually transmitted infections. Recent estimates indicate that 50-75% of sexually active adults are HPV positive. Because HPV is a viral infection, there is no curative treatment available. (January 22, 2004)

     

  19. Legalized Abortions Led to an Increase in STD Cases                                          Legalized abortion may account for as much as one-third of the average disease incidence (specifically with an increase on gonorrhea and syphilis). (2002)                                             

  20. Cervical Cancer Risk Tied to Early First Intercourse, Male Partner’s Sexual Activity      
    A study of Thai women found that cervical cancers associated with HPV types 16 and 18 correlated to early first intercourse. While most women in the study were monogamous, their husbands frequented prostitutes. HPV was a common precursor to the onset of cervical carcinoma. (2001)

 

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