Private MD News

Young people need to understand the consequences of STDs

Category: Sexually Transmitted Diseases

When it comes to sexually transmitted diseases, it's important for everyone to research how to prevent and treat these infections and viruses. However, young people, in particular, should be utilizing STD testing services - and taking it very seriously if they discover they have one. For example, KJCT 8, a Colorado news source, recently reported that it's not enough for young people to get tested for STDs - they also need to receive proper treatment if they are diagnosed with one or they may face some serious consequences.

The news source spoke to healthcare officials in the state who said that, in the past few years, there has been an increase in the number of young people with STDs, and they are hoping to curb this concerning trend.

Needing to be more careful
KJCT 8 spoke to Jennifer Eddins, a microbiologist at Community Hospital in Colorado, who explained that if young people do not get treated for their STDs, they may find themselves regretting it further down the road.

"Forty percent of those untreated cases [of STDs] are going to go into pelvic inflammatory disease, which can have serious, long-term complications for a woman," Eddins told the news source. "You may not think about it when you're 20, but when you're 30 and you're married and you want to have children and you can't; because you've had a long-term infection that went untreated."

The information provider also spoke to Teri Lefebre​, an official at School District 51 in Colorado, who stated that once students in the district enter high school, they are required to take a course that teaches them about healthy relationships and how to make good choices not only during high school but for the rest of their lives. However, Eddins added that it's important for parents to talk to their children about the dangers of these diseases, and that they can contract one from just one sexual encounter.

Talking to kids
Stop, Think, Be Safe!, an STD intervention program for young people, states that 84 percent of American mothers say they could use some help when it comes to discussing sexual matters with their kids. The program added that studies have shown that younger children seek out their parents' advice more than adolescents, so parents should try to talk to their kids about making healthy choices at a young age.