dangers of stds
Nicole Amavisca
Ms. Dobler
Health
November 11, 2014
STDs, also known as Sexually Transmitted Diseases, are an increasing problem among teens all over the world. As teenagers get older and become more sexually active, they are often not informed or misinformed of the dangers and consequences of STDs. Although there are many ways to prevent STDs, the only way that has is 100% guaranteed is to practice abstinence, and that proves to be very difficult for some teens. In order to protect teenagers from unwanted diseases, they must be educated about the social, emotional, and physical consequences that they would have to deal with. One of the biggest issues with STDs is that there are so many that take weeks, sometimes even months to begin to show symptoms. Even worse, some types of sexually transmitted diseases don’t show symptoms at all, making it very difficult to diagnose and treat the problem. For example, often times chlamydia goes unnoticed due to a lack of symptoms, which leads to even more medical concerns. “Untreated, about 10-15% of women with chlamydia will develop pelvic inflammatory disease” (cdc.gov), which may cause damage to the fallopian tubes and uterus, causing infertility. Genital herpes is also an STD that can easily go unnoticed. Most people are completely ignorant to the fact that they have it. In fact, “1 out of 6 people between ages 14 and 49 is infected with the herpes simplex virus type 2—the main cause of genital herpes” (newsinhealth.nih.gov). Even if a sexually active adult or teen has no symptoms of this disease, they could still be transmitting the virus to their sexual partner or partners. Herpes is a virus that, once contracted, cannot be gotten rid of. Certain medicines can reduce the outbreaks of the awful blisters and sores that occur near where the virus entered your body during, but it never fully gets rid of the disease. While these examples are not deadly and do not cause any immediate threat to a person’s health, some STDs
Ms. Dobler
Health
November 11, 2014
STDs, also known as Sexually Transmitted Diseases, are an increasing problem among teens all over the world. As teenagers get older and become more sexually active, they are often not informed or misinformed of the dangers and consequences of STDs. Although there are many ways to prevent STDs, the only way that has is 100% guaranteed is to practice abstinence, and that proves to be very difficult for some teens. In order to protect teenagers from unwanted diseases, they must be educated about the social, emotional, and physical consequences that they would have to deal with. One of the biggest issues with STDs is that there are so many that take weeks, sometimes even months to begin to show symptoms. Even worse, some types of sexually transmitted diseases don’t show symptoms at all, making it very difficult to diagnose and treat the problem. For example, often times chlamydia goes unnoticed due to a lack of symptoms, which leads to even more medical concerns. “Untreated, about 10-15% of women with chlamydia will develop pelvic inflammatory disease” (cdc.gov), which may cause damage to the fallopian tubes and uterus, causing infertility. Genital herpes is also an STD that can easily go unnoticed. Most people are completely ignorant to the fact that they have it. In fact, “1 out of 6 people between ages 14 and 49 is infected with the herpes simplex virus type 2—the main cause of genital herpes” (newsinhealth.nih.gov). Even if a sexually active adult or teen has no symptoms of this disease, they could still be transmitting the virus to their sexual partner or partners. Herpes is a virus that, once contracted, cannot be gotten rid of. Certain medicines can reduce the outbreaks of the awful blisters and sores that occur near where the virus entered your body during, but it never fully gets rid of the disease. While these examples are not deadly and do not cause any immediate threat to a person’s health, some STDs