Sexually Transmitted Women’s Diseases Among The Young
The sexual behavior of young people in this generation is not something that parents can be proud of. There are studies that show that seven out 10 young women are engaged in premarital sex. In certain states, there were studies that revealed a general downtrend in pregnancy while a significant increase on sexually transmitted women’s diseases among women 24 years and younger.
This information brings to the fore certain realities that needs to confronted to prevent further deterioration in the health of these young women. Some of these are:
• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 19 million cases of STD are reported each year and about half of these are among young people ages 15 – 24. Despite medical advancements and strict monitoring, many of these remain undiagnosed and those caused by common virus like the genital herpes and human papillovirus are not even reported.
• Untreated STD can lead to severe lasting health conditions that can be irreversible. For instance, Chlamydia affects more teen girls than boys. Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the sexually transmitted women’s diseases that go undiagnosed half the time because these can be asymptomatic. About 40 percent of women with untreated cases of STDs develop pelvic inflammatory diseases that can lead to ectopic pregnancy, chronic pain in the pelvic region and lifelong infertility among women.
• Untreated STDs can also lead to unhealthy pregnancies and damaging effects to developing fetuses. This can cause eye diseases and pneumonia among neonates or newborns. Mental retardation can be triggered by syphilis that can be passed from mother to child during pregnancy if it does not kill the fetuses before birth.
• The increasing prevalence of STD among young women is a proof of high rate of sexual activity among this age group. The decrease in pregnancy rate is a proof of the wide scale use of contraceptives chiefly birth control pills or some other methods, but not condom. Engaging in unprotected sex is the major reason why STD among these women remains high.
One may wonder why these things still happen in the 21st century when technology and medical information are excessively advanced. One is further dumbfounded because most of these diseases are treatable. There seems to be two important reasons for the rising number of sexually transmitted women’s diseases for these young people.
• Widespread Misinformation
It is true that young girls have easy access to contraceptives, but being into contraceptives only prevents pregnancy; it does not protect the parties from STDs. The misconception and the fact that it is easy for today’s girls to prevent pregnancy are among the reasons why there is an increase in STD cases among these girls.
Many think that the worst thing that can happen to single women, especially teens, is unplanned pregnancy. Many feel that being on contraceptives and fulfilling their role in a relationship to keep their boyfriends from cheating are all that matter. There are even girls who get into oral or anal sex to avoid pregnancy. Regrettably, their peers are sexually misinforming many of these girls. For them, going to responsible adults like their parents, mentors, or health professionals is not an option until problems set in.
• Tight Prevention Budget and Poor Access to Reproductive Health
Teaching the populace especially the budding teens about STDs, safe sex, teen or unplanned pregnancy and other related reproductive health topics entails budget and programs from the government. In poor countries or states where the budget is slashed to be allocated on other important government priorities, reproductive health is among the services that go first. While there are easy ways to access information, the government must see to it that misconceptions or wrong information is corrected through professional health services.
This is a generation when women – adolescents, young adults, and adults – are exposed to information and have access to a lot of contraceptives. The knowledge and access are beneficial only to those who care to know about their options and how to protect themselves. Many sexually transmitted women’s diseases plague the young population today because of increasing access to contraceptives, but with poor access to reproductive health and right information.
