STDs are on the rise among teenage girls. A recent study by the CDC found that 1 in 4 (26 %) teenage girls between the ages of 14 and 19 is infected with at least one of the most common STDs. That translates to about 3.2 million female adolescents estimated to have at least one of the most common STDs in the US. Fifteen percent in the study had more than one kind of STD. This is not a study to dismiss because parents want to believe this could never happen to their daughters. Sex among teens is common--estimates suggest approximately 40-50% of teenage girls are sexually active. If teens think sex is just another form of communication, they need to rethink the consequences and know how to protect themselves. Buying into the message from peers and the media that says “sex is casual” is a big mistake for teens. The severe health effects of STDs for women – from infertility to cervical cancer – shouldn’t be ignored. Teens need to know a condom isn’t always enough protection--according to the FDA latex condoms do not protect against all STDs.

According to the CDC reports, the study of sexually transmitted diseases among teen girls tested for HPV (18% infection rate); Chlamydia (4% infection rate); trichomoniasis (2.5% infection rate) and herpes simplex virus (2% infection rate). The study did not test for gonorhea, syphillis, or HIV. So if you add in these STDs the number of girls affected by STDs might even be higher.

High STD rates among teens is a clear signal that parents and doctors are not getting the message about the risks of STDs to teens  Because many STDs do not have any symptoms in the early stages, teenage girls might not get appropriate medical care and also they can pass it on without knowing.

What can parents do?

Talk to your teens--boys and girls--about the risks associated with sexual activity. Teens need to know that birth control will not protect them from everything. Share with your teens the facts about STDs. They need to know that STDs are not just related to sexual intercourse--the virus is transmitted via skin-to-skin contact and that includes oral or anal sex and even heavy petting. Besides talking to your teens, don’t be afraid to get them tested. Researchers suggest that screening, vaccination, and prevention should be among highest health priorities. Unfortunately screening tests are probably underused in part because many teens--and their parents--don't think they're at risk.

This recent study by CDC researcher Dr. Sara Forhan is an analysis of nationally representative data on 838 teenage girls between the ages of 14 and 19.  The study found that 26 % of teenage girls in the study had STDs and the infection rates were 20% among white teens; 20% among Mexican-American teens; and 48% of African American teens.

Treating STDs

According to the CNN.com report on this study: “Chlamydia and trichomoniasis can be treated with antibiotics. The CDC recommends annual chlamydia screening for all sexually active women under age 25. It also recommends the three-dose HPV vaccine for girls aged 11-12 years, and catch-up shots for females aged 13 to 26.

There are about 100 different types of the human papillomavirus (HPV). According to Dr. Kevin Ault, associate professor of gynecology and obstetrics at Emory University's School of Medicine in a CNN.com report: "Some of them (HPV strains) are pretty common and not dangerous, like plantar warts or warts on your hand. About 30 of them infect the genital tract, and about a dozen of them are associated with cancer."

In 2006 Merck launched the HPV vaccine Gardasal which offers protection against four of the strains of HPV--It protects against 2 strains of HPV that cause cervical cancer; and it protects against 2 strains of HPV that cause genital warts.

Latex condoms do not protect against all STDs

According to an article in the New York Times: The Food and Drug Administration has said in a report that latex condoms are “highly effective” at preventing infection by chlamydia, trichomoniasis, H.I.V., gonorrhea and hepatitis B. The agency noted that condoms seemed less effective against genital herpes and syphillis. Protection against human papillomavirus “is partial at best,” the report said.

Sobering HPV Stats

1. •HPV, which can cause cervical cancer, was the most prevalent STD in the recent CDC study of teen girls
   

2. •The National Cancer Institute estimates that in 2008, there will be over 11,000 new cases of cervical cancer diagnosed and almost 4,000 women will die from it in the United States.
   

3. •The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that at least 50 percent of people who have had sex will have one type of HPV at some time in their lives.
   

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