STD Infections on the Rise

When we catch a cold or the flu, we quickly say to ourselves, “Oh I can’t go to class today,” or “how could I possibly go to work like this? I’m contagious. I’ll get everyone sick.” It’s easy for us to abstain from such activities. It is even easier to say “Oh, I feel so disgusting! I think I’m going to throw up!” when there is a particularly busy day at work coming up. Nevertheless, there are some activities we don’t always wish to abstain from when we get sick, and sometimes the sickness is nothing like the flu. The activity is sex, and the sickness is a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD). Let’s get this straight; this is college, and in college a multitude of students are engaging in sexual intercourse with a multitude of other students. In fact, a study performed by the National Center for Disease Control, or CDC, shows that “teenagers and young adults are more likely than other age groups to have multiple sex partners,” and “to engage in unprotected sex.” Studies also show that the more sexual partners’ one has, the higher the risk of contracting an STD. Well that’s a no-brainer, right? Yet still, we still engage in promiscuous behavior, sometimes unprotected. Why? It might be because we are young and think we are invincible. We might find some concurrence in this theory, but is that it? Or is it that as a society, we are so scared of the subject of sex, that we dare not encounter it head on in a full dialogue? Yet how can this be, when sex is everywhere in our culture? From MTV to the White House, sex has its’ grasp on everything in America. The truth is that we like to look only at the outer limits of sexuality; the fun stuff, the sensual stuff, the stuff that sells. We are sheltered in our conversations about sexuality. Maybe it’s because of our conservative heritage, or maybe it’s just because the content is not always fun. Either way, the subject of STDs seems to get lost somewhere in the mix of our sexually driven society. There seems to be a misconception among the college populous that all STDs are the same. All STDs are similar in that they can be transmitted sexually, but that’s where most similarities end. There are two main types of STDs: bacterial and viral. Studies credited by the CDC show that anywhere from 28 to 46 percent of women under the age of twenty-five are infected with the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), the most common viral infection of young adults. At least 50 percent of sexually active men and women will contract HPV in their lifetime. What makes HPV so prevalent is that most people who get it don’t ever show any symptoms and therefore, don’t know they have it. When HPV does show symptoms, they aren’t pretty; they include genital warts for both males and females (guy, think cauliflower, because that’s what your penis may look like), and possible cervical cancer for females. The good news is that as long females continue to have regular pap smears, the chances of contracting cervical cancer from HPV are slim. Among bacterial STDs, Chlamydia and Gonorrhea are most common. More than one in every ten women and 5 percent of men between the age of fifteen and nineteen currently have Chlamydia. Since Chlamydia is a bacterial STD, it can be cured with different types of antibiotics, but it often goes unchecked, and the outcome can be devastating. Nearly 40 percent of women with untreated Chlamydia will contract Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), which can lead to serious consequences including infertility, ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy in the fallopian tube or elsewhere outside of the womb), and chronic pelvic pain. Much has been done over the past several years to cut down on STD infections in the US; most importantly information and screenings have become much more readily available. Because of this, there has been a consistent decrease in STD infection; it is up to us to make sure the numbers keep getting lower. To those out there who might possibly have an STD; don’t be scared, because you are not alone. There are many wonderful people for you to talk to, on campus and off- even if you might not have an STD or you’re not sexually active. The more one knows about sexual health, the more fulfilling life can be. To the guys out there, I’m speaking to you too. Women are most susceptible to STDs, due to bleeding during intercourse. According to the CDC men are just as responsible (if not more) for the spread of STDs. For more info on sex and the contraction of STDs please contact our Wellness Center, Woman’s Services and Gender Services, Spear Memorial, or even just do some researching online. After all it’s our responsibility and ours alone to be in the know.