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STDs in teenagers
July 18, 2001 SANUR, Bali (JP): Children now grow up sooner than their parents expect and they often learn new things from non-parental sources, such as friends and the media. Sometimes, they miss important facts.
In the case of sex, it is better for parents to talk to their children, however difficult it may be for both them and their children, instead of having to deal with the problem of STDs later.
When is the right time to talk about it?
When you and your child discuss sex and he or she asks questions. The best way to have a healthy dialog with your children is to establish lines of communication early on.
If you do not talk about sex or other personal subjects when your child is young, it is unlikely that he or she will ask you about the subjects when he or she grows up. If you spend time talking about topics like sex with your child early on, it will make your child feel comfortable sharing his or her thoughts with you. It is never too late to talk to your child about STDs, even if he or she is already a teenager. After all, a late talk is better than no talk at all.
What should you tell your child?
A good start is to ask your child what he or she knows about STDs and what else he or she wants to know. Make your child feel he or she is in charge of the conversation.
Let your child share his or her opinion and then discuss the issue openly. Remember, it is a life and death matter today. You might ask what he or she thinks about sexual scenarios on television. If you let the questions lead the way, you will have much more to say.
Your child might already know more than you realize, so you should not shy away from discussing, for fear that talking will make your child want to have sex. They are not more likely to have sex, but, when they do, they are more likely to practice safe sex.
What are STDs?
Most sexually-transmitted diseases are infections that are spread from person to person through sexual contact.
What do they do?
They are dangerous as they are easily spread. One cannot tell from his or her partner's appearance whether he or she has STD. An important aspect of the disease is that some STDs can cause long-term problems, such as infertility and it can also be transmitted to babies.
How does someone catch an STD?
They spread through common sexual contact, which includes vaginal, anal and oral sex. One cannot catch it from holding, hugging or sharing towels, doorknobs or toilet seats.
The viruses or bacteria that cause STDs travel from person to person in semen, vaginal fluids or in blood. Some STDs enter the body through tiny cuts or tears in the mouth, anus or genitals. Diseases that are spread through blood like Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and hepatitis B are also transmitted via needles shared by intravenous drug-users.
Remember that you do not have to have sexual intercourse to become infected with an STD. Someone can contract herpes or genital warts simply through skin-to-skin contact with an infected area or sore. And babies can get STDs from their mothers either while in the uterus (syphilis and HIV can be transmitted through the placenta and infect the fetus) or during birth (gonorrhea, chlamydia, genital herpes, and hepatitis B can be passed from mother to child during delivery).
How can you prevent them?
Just as with many other diseases, prevention of STDs is the key. It is much easier to prevent STDs than to cure them.
There is only one sure way to prevent the transmission of STDs: ABSTINENCE.
However, if you have sex, you must use a condom at all times as this is the only birth control method that will help to prevent most STDs. Other methods such as birth control pills and injections do not offer protection against STDs. Diaphragms or spermicides, used by themselves, do not offer adequate protection.
A latex condom, with spermicidal foam, cream or jelly that contains ``nonoxynol-9'' has been shown to reduce the risk of contracting gonorrhea and chlamydia, but does not protect against AIDS.
How can STDs be cured?
Some STDs are caused by bacteria and can be cured by antibiotics. Others are caused by a virus that can never be cured, such as sores or warts. They can be treated, but the virus remains in the person's body and can cause those symptoms to flare up again at any time.
Most STDs are treatable, but HIV, the cause of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), has no ``current'' cure and death eventually occurs in most cases.
These are a few common questions that you can answer for your child. It is up to you to gently pass on the information to your child to avoid any misunderstanding. However, always answer questions honestly without overdramatizing anything. It can be tough to step outside the protective parental role, but try to avoid being too emotional or preachy if you want your child to know you are there to support and help him or her, not to condemn them.
These are the names of a few STDs: chlamydia, genital herpes (HSV-2), genital warts, gonorrhea, hepatitis B (HBV), HIV and AIDS, pelvic inflammatory disease, pubic lice (crabs), syphilis and trichomonas. Information about the causes, symptoms and treatments of common STDs will be discussed next week.
Questions from Parents:
My kids aren't even dating. Do I still need to talk to them about STDs?
Yes! Your children need information about relationships and sexuality before they start dating. Talk to your kids about the biological aspects of sexuality, as well as the responsibility and feelings involved in relationships. By talking to them ahead of time, you will enable your children to think about their sexual boundaries early on, not in "the heat of the moment." They will be aware of the pros and cons of sexual relationships and have better information with which to make informed decisions. While providing information at any time is helpful, providing your children with information prior to the event will allow them to prepare mentally and emotionally.
Research consistently shows that parent-child connectedness is directly related to teen sexual health. Studies show that teens who are close with their parents are more likely to remain sexually abstinent and postpone intercourse, or if they become sexually active, to have fewer sexual partners and use contraception more consistently than children who are not close with their parents.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON STDs
Excellent article with good information.
CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ARTICLE ON ABSTINENCE
Things you need to know..
Chlamydia:
Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. Because approximately 75% of women and 50% of men have no symptoms, most people infected with chlamydia are not aware of their infections and therefore may not seek health care.
When diagnosed, chlamydia can be easily treated and cured. Untreated, chlamydia can cause severe, costly reproductive and other health problems which include both short- and long-term consequences, including pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which is the critical link to infertility, and potentially fatal tubal pregnancy.
Up to 40% of women with untreated chlamydia will develop PID. Undiagnosed PID caused by chlamydia is common. Of those with PID, 20% will become infertile; 18% will experience debilitating, chronic pelvic pain; and 9% will have a life-threatening tubal pregnancy. Tubal pregnancy is the leading cause of first-trimester, pregnancy-related deaths in American women.
Chlamydia may also result in adverse outcomes of pregnancy, including neonatal conjunctivitis and pneumonia. In addition, recent research has shown that women infected with chlamydia have a 3 - 5 fold increased risk of acquiring HIV, if exposed.
Chlamydia is also common among young men, who are seldom offered screening. Untreated chlamydia in men typically causes urethral infection, but may also result in complications such as swollen and tender testicles.
Genital herpes:
Herpes is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). HSV-type 1 commonly causes fever blisters on the mouth or face (oral herpes), while HSV-type 2 typically affects the genital area (genital herpes). However, both viral types can cause either genital or oral infections. Most of the time, HSV-1 and HSV-2 are inactive, or “silent,” and cause no symptoms, but some infected people have “outbreaks” of blisters and ulcers. Once infected with HSV, people remain infected for life.
How is genital herpes spread?
HSV-1 and HSV-2 are transmitted through direct contact, including kissing, sexual contact (vaginal, oral, or anal sex), or skin-to-skin contact. Genital herpes can be transmitted with or without the presence of sores or other symptoms. It often is transmitted by people who are unaware that they are infected, or by people who do not recognize that their infection can be transmitted even when they have no symptoms.
How common is genital herpes?
Results of a recent, nationally representative study show that genital herpes infection is common in the United States. Nationwide, 45 million people ages 12 and older, or one out of five of the total adolescent and adult population, is infected with HSV-2. HSV-2 infection is more common in women (approximately one out of four women) than in men (almost one out of five). This may be because male to female transmission is more efficient than female to male transmission. HSV-2 infection is also more common in blacks (45.9%) than in whites (17.6%). Race and ethnicity in the United States are risk markers that correlate with other more fundamental determinants of health such as poverty, access to quality health care, health-care seeking behavior, illicit drug use, and living in communities with high prevalence of STDs. Since the late 1970s, the number of Americans with genital herpes infection (i.e., prevalence) has increased 30%. Prevalence is increasing most dramatically among young white teens; HSV-2 prevalence among 12- to 19-year-old whites is now five times higher than it was 20 years ago. And young adults ages 20 to 29 are now twice as likely to have HSV-2.
Is genital herpes serious?
HSV-2 usually produces mild symptoms, and most people with HSV-2 infection have no recognized symptoms. However, HSV-2 can cause recurrent painful genital ulcers in many adults, and HSV-2 infection can be severe in people with suppressed immune systems. Regardless of severity of symptoms, genital herpes frequently causes psychological distress among people who know they are infected. In addition, HSV-2 can cause potentially fatal infections in infants if the mother is shedding virus at the time of delivery. It is important that women avoid contracting herpes during pregnancy, because a first episode during pregnancy creates a greater risk of transmission to the newborn. If a woman has active genital herpes at delivery, a cesarean-section delivery is usually performed. Fortunately, infection of an infant is rare among women with HSV-2 infection. In the United States, HSV-2 may play a major role in the heterosexual spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Herpes can make people more susceptible to HIV infection, and can make HIV-infected individuals more infectious.
What happens when someone is infected with genital herpes?
Most people infected with HSV-2 are not aware of their infection. However, if symptoms occur during the primary episode, they can be quite pronounced. The primary episode usually occurs within two weeks after the virus is transmitted, and lesions typically heal within two to four weeks. Other symptoms during the primary episode may include a second crop of lesions, or flu-like symptoms, including fever and swollen glands. However, some individuals with HSV-2 infection may never have lesions, or may have very mild symptoms that they don't even notice or that they mistake for insect bites or a rash. Most people diagnosed with a primary episode of genital herpes can expect to have several symptomatic recurrences a year (average four or five); these recurrences usually are most noticeable within the first year following the first episode.
How is genital herpes diagnosed?
The signs and symptoms associated with HSV-2 can vary greatly among individuals. Health care providers can diagnose genital herpes by visual inspection, by taking a sample from the sore(s) and by testing it to see if the herpes virus is present.
Is there a cure for herpes?
There is no treatment that can cure herpes, but antiviral medications can shorten and prevent outbreaks for whatever period of time the person takes the medication.
How can people protect themselves against infection?
Abstinence.
Gonorrhea:
Gonorrhea is a disease caused by bacteria called Neiserria gonorrhoeae, the gonococcus. The bacteria that cause gonorrhea are found in the mucous areas of the body (the vagina, penis, throat and rectum) and in semen or vaginal fluids. It is one of the most commonly reported sexually transmitted diseases (STD) in the United States.
Who gets gonorrhea?
Any person who has sex can be infected with gonorrhea. Most often, gonorrhea is found in younger people (ages 15-30) who have multiple sex partners. Gonorrhea is reported more frequently from urban areas than from rural areas.
What are the symptoms of gonorrhea?
Most men infected with gonorrhea will have burning while urinating and a yellowish white discharge from the penis. Most women do not have symptoms. Those few women with symptoms will have a discharge from the vagina and possibly some burning while urinating. Women may also have abdominal pain or abnormal bleeding. Infections in the throat and rectum cause few symptoms.
How soon do symptoms appear?
Symptoms may be noticed 2 to 7 days after having sex with an infected person, but it can take as long as 30 days and often, there may be no symptoms, particularly in females.
How is gonorrhea diagnosed?
Gonorrhea is diagnosed through laboratory examination of penile or vaginal discharges to see if bacteria are present. Specimens from the throat may also be examined.
How is gonorrhea spread?
Gonorrhea is spread through sexual contact. This includes penis to vagina, penis to mouth, penis to rectum and mouth to vagina contact. Gonorrhea can also be spread from mother to child during birth.
What is the treatment for gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is treated with antibiotics in either injection (needle) or pill (by mouth) form. All strains of gonorrhea are curable, but this disease is becoming more and more resistant to many standard medications.
What happens if gonorrhea goes untreated?
Without treatment, there is a good chance that complications will develop from gonorrhea infection. Women frequently develop pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), a painful condition that occurs when the infection spreads throughout the reproductive organs. PID can make women unable to have children or cause them to be at risk for ectopic pregnancy. Men may suffer from swelling of the testicles and penis. Both sexes may suffer from arthritis, skin problems and other organ infections caused by the spread of gonorrhea within the body.
How can gonorrhea be prevented?
Not having sex is the only sure way to avoid getting gonorrhea or any other STD. Otherwise, limiting the number of one's sexual partners reduces the chance of being exposed. Using condoms correctly with all partners will decrease the possibility of becoming infected. If you think you are infected, avoid any sexual contact until you have visited a doctor, hospital or STD clinic. If you are infected, notify your sex partners immediately so they can be tested and treated.
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