1 In 4 Teenage Girls Having Sex Have An STD, Boys Not Excused

A recent study by the CDC shows that one in four teenage girls has an STD. Though this study was on teenage girls, it in no way excuses teenage boys, men can, and do, get HPV and other diseases.

This has got to be one of the most alarming studies of teenagers or is it? A recent study by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) shows that one in four teenage girls has an STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease) with the most common infection being HPV (human papilloma virus). An alarming 18 percent of teen girls apparently have the virus and if you compare that to the 40 percent of the girls ages 14-19 in the study who were sexually active, that’s almost half of all young women who are having sex have contracted the disease.

Add in race, and according to the study, nearly half of black girls have at least one sexually transmitted disease.

Calculate all numbers and it translate into an estimated 3.2 million adolescent females infected with one of the four most common STDs – the teens were tested for human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, trichomoniasis, and herpes. HPV first, then comes chlamydia.

“Women are often without symptoms for chlamydia,” said Fred Wyand of the American Social Health Association. “It’s not like you assume, with itching and burning. People don’t always know they have it. The CDC recommends all sexually active women 25 and under get screened for chlamydia.”

If you are a teen and you’re still thinking about having sex after these reports, read on.. according to the study almost one in five young women will contract an STD within one year of losing their virginity. Ohh, thinking about having sex with a condom, then read on.. though it’s always important to use protection when engaging in sexual intercourse, studies show condoms aren’t a guarantee against HPV or any disease for that matter, but there are hundreds of types of HPV and it can be passed by skin-to-skin genital contact. Some forms of HPV can even cause more serious diseases, like genital warts and, for women, a few strains of HPV can even develop into cervical cancer. Now, there is good news, but it’s not meant to use as an excuse. There is now a vaccine for some of those strains of HPV but not all. The one shot of vaccine is reported to possibly protect you for life.

But HPV is the least of worries, figures for teens with STD’s could have possibly even been higher, because the studies only included the four tests for HPV, chlamydia, trichomoniasis, and herpes and did not include other sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, HIV, and gonorrhea which were not included in the study.

Trying sex just once doesn’t make it any better either because the study even showed that teen girls that had just one sexual partner in their lifetime, showed STDs at another alarming rate of 20 percent.

Though this study was on teenage girls, it in no way excuses teenage boys, men can, and do, get HPV and other diseases. All teens and parents are encouraged to be more aware.