Sexually
Transmitted
Diseases
What is a Sexually Transmitted
Disease?
• STD’s are infections that are spread from person to
person through intimate sexual contact.
• STD’s are dangerous because they are easily spread
and it is hard to tell just by looking who has an STD.
• 1 in 4 teenagers has an STD.
•Pregnant teen girls are carrying on average 2.3
sexually transmitted diseases.
•Each day 33, 000 Americans become infected
with an STD.
•Today 12 thousand teenagers will contract a
sexually transmitted disease
•It is estimated that 20 percent of all Americans age
12 and older are infected with genital herpes.
•It is estimated that there are more than 68 million
current STD infections among Americans. Each year,
15.3 million new STD infections occur, including over
3 million infections in teens. The two most common
STDs, herpes and human papilloma virus (HPV),
account for 65 of the 68 million current infections.
•Source: American Social Health Association. Sexually Transmitted Disease
in America: How Many Cases and at What Cost? Menlo Park, Calif.: Kaiser
Family Foundation; 1998.
•In l980, four million people were reported to have
been infected with an STD. By 1990 that number
tripled with 12 million people reported to have a new
STD infection that year.
•Today, one in every five Americans between ages 15
and 55 is infected with at least one sexually
transmitted disease.
•The Centers for Disease Control reports there are
now more than 50 known STDs. Some STDs can
make you sterile. Some are incurable.
Prevention is the Key
• The virtue of Chastity: Sexual self-control.
Saving sexual intercourse for marriage, the
context in which God intended for sexual union.
• It is possible to get an STD even without having
intercourse, through skin-to-skin contact.
Prevention is the Key
• It is possible to get any one of the following STDs
through oral sex. Oral sex is not safe sex.
• The Safe-Sex Message has given and continues
to give a false sense of security. Condoms have a
high failure rate when attempting to prevent
STDs.
15% - 25% for preventing pregnancy (a woman can only get
pregnant within a window of a few days a month. An STD
can be contracted any day of the month.
Common STDs
•
•
•
•
•
Chlamydia
Gonorrhea
Genital Herpes (HSV-2)
Genital Warts (HPV)
Hepatitis B
•
•
•
•
HIV and AIDS
Pubic Lice
Syphilis
Trichomoniasis
How do I know if I have an
STD?
• Most people who have an STD have no
symptoms. A test from your health care
provider or local health clinic may be the only
way to tell for sure if you're infected.
• If you do become infected, symptoms may
appear right away. Or, they may not show up
for weeks or months or even years. They may
come and go. Even if the signs and symptoms
go away, you can still infect other people if you
have sex with them. Or, they can still infect
you!
Common Symptoms for Girls
Some symptoms you may have are:
• Sores, bumps or blisters near your genitals, anus or mouth
• Burning or pain when you urinate
• Itching, bad smell or unusual discharge from your vagina
or anus
• Bellyache (pain in your lower abdomen)
• Bleeding from your vagina between your menstrual
periods
• Remember: Sometimes symptoms don't show up for
weeks or months or years.
Common Symptoms for Guys
Some symptoms you may have are:
• Sores, bumps or blisters near your genitals, anus or
•
•
•
•
mouth
Burning or pain when you urinate
Drip or discharge from your penis
Itching, pain or discharge from your anus
Remember: Sometimes symptoms don't show up for
weeks or months.
What do I do if I have
symptoms?
• If you think you have an STD you need to see a
healthcare provider for treatment.
• The tests are expensive, but usually quick, and
it may help to remember that the nurses and
doctors are there to help you, and do this kind
of test all the time.
How will they know I have an STD?
• The doctor or nurse will probably ask for you to
urinate in a cup. They can look under a
microscope at the organisms in your urine.
• Some STDs are diagnosed by taking a swab of the
vagina or penis for secretions.
• Other STD’s can be diagnosed by looking at the
sores or bumps on your genitals.
• Some STD’s are diagnosed by testing
your blood.
Treatment and Facts
Know the Facts!
Chlamydia
• Caused by bacteria called Chlamydia Trachomatis.
• Chlamydia is one of the most common sexually
transmitted infections.
• Chlamydia is curable.
• Your healthcare provider will give you antibiotics
for treatment.
• Anyone with whom you’ve had sex will also need
to be treated
One attack of Chlamydia leaves you with a 35% chance
of infertility (never being able to have children)
A second attack of Chlamydia raises that percentage to
close to 50%.
A third attack of Chlamydia, and there is a very good
chance you will never have children.
Untreated chlamydia infections in women may lead to:
•Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID). PID is a serious infection
of a woman's reproductive organs. Left untreated, PID can
cause infertility.
•Cystitis (inflammation of the urinary bladder)
•Mucopurulent (muke-o-PURE-you-lent) cervicitis,
characterized by a yellow discharge from the cervix
Untreated chlamydia in men may lead to:
•Prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate gland)
•Urethral scarring
•Infertility
•Epididymitis (inflammation of the epididymis, which are
the elongated, cord-like structure that runs along the back of
the testes)
Untreated chlamydia in infants may lead:
•Blindness
•Complications of pneumonia, which can include death
Gonorrhea
• Caused by a bacteria known as Neisseria
gonorrhoeae.
• Gonorrhea is treatable.
• Your healthcare provider will give you
antibiotics for treatment.
• Anyone with whom you’ve had sex will
also need to be treated
www.afraidtoask.com
Genital Herpes (HSV-2)
• HSV-2 is caused by the herpes virus.
• You can still get HSV-2 even when you use
a condom.
• After contracting the herpes virus you will
have it FOREVER. There is NO cure.
• A doctor can prescribe antiviral medication
to help control recurring outbreaks and clear
up painful sores.
Birth Acquired Herpes
Intrauterine herpes (baby) can cause severe brain damage, eye disease,
such as inflammation of the retina (chorioretinitis), and skin lesions.
Birth acquired herpes can produce localized disease. Infants may
develop only a localized skin infection consisting of small fluid-filled
blisters (vesicles) that rupture, crust over, and finally heal, often leaving
a mild scar behind.
A second type of birth acquired herpes infection leads to encephalitis, an
inflammation of the brain that can result in seizures and later
neurological problems. If untreated, it may lead to death.
The third type of infection, disseminated herpes infection, is the most
dangerous. In this type, the herpes virus can affect many different
internal organs including the liver, lungs, kidneys, and brain. There may
or may not be vesicles on the skin. This type of infection is frequently
fatal.
Symptoms: The baby may exhibit:
•Poor feeding
•Appears unwell or stressed
•Skin lesions, fluid filled blisters
•Breathing difficulties
oGrunting
oFlaring of the nostrils
oRapid breathing (tachypnea)
oShort periods without breathing (apneic episodes)
oBlue appearance (cyanosis)
•Shock
•Lethargy
•Seizures
•Enlarged liver and spleen
•Kidney failure
•Jaundice, Bleeding easily, Coma
Genital Warts (HPV)
• Genital warts are caused by human
papillomavirus (HPV).
• There is NO cure for the virus. You may
have more outbreaks and you can spread the
virus to anyone you have sex with.
Genital Warts (HPV)
•You can still get HPV even when you use a condom.
•Some warts can be dissolved with special
medication or the doctor can “freeze” them off with a
special chemical.
The New England Journal of Medicine (April 18, 1996) reported that
approximately one in every three female college students in America is
infected with the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). The Medical Institute for
Sexual Health (April, 1994) reported that the greatest danger of HPV is
that it is the probable cause of almost all cervical cancer. Based on
statistics provided by the American Cancer Society, it is estimated that in
1994 there were 16,000 new cases of cervical cancer and 5,000 related
deaths in the United States.
HPV also causes genital warts on both men and women that range in size
from a small tick to the size of a cauliflower. These warts can be very
difficult to cure, and sometimes require surgery.
Dr. Stephen Curry of the New England Medical Center in Boston was
quoted in TIME magazine as saying “This virus (HPV) is rampant. If it
were not for AIDS, stories about it would be on the front page of every
newspaper.”
Cervix with HPV virus
HPV infection in the throat
Normal larynx
HPV infected larynx
exhaling
Venereal warts caused by HPV
HPV and cancer
Anal dysplasia (abnormal development of tissue/cells)
and anal cancer
Vaginal Intraepithelial Neoplasia (VAIN) and vaginal
cancer
Vulvar Intraepithelial Neoplasia (VIN) and vulvar cancer
Cervical dysplasia and cervical cancer.
Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis is a disease of the liver.
• Hepatitis B is transmitted person to person
through blood and body fluids.
• There is no treatment for the virus after it has been
contracted.
• The only treatment is prevention:
– Abstain from sex, avoid contact with other people’s blood, get
immunized
HIV and AIDS
• AIDS is one of the most deadly diseases in history.
• AIDS is caused by HIV (Human immunodeficiency
virus).
• HIV destroys the body’s defense system (the immune
system).
• Thousands of teens in the U.S. become infected each
year.
How do you get HIV?
• HIV can be transmitted from an infected
person to another person through blood,
semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk.
• People who have another STD are at higher
risk for contracting HIV during sex with
infected partners.
How do people know they have
HIV?
• Many people do not know they have it.
• Symptoms may not appear for up to 10 years.
• Some people may feel and look healthy for
years while they are infected with HIV.
• It is possible to infect others with HIV, even if
the person has absolutely no symptoms.
Symptoms of AIDS
• Extreme weakness and •
•
•
•
•
fatigue
Rapid weight loss
Frequent fevers with
not explanation
Heavy sweating at
night
Swollen lymph glands
•
•
•
•
Minor infections that
cause skin rashes and
mouth, genital, and anal
sores.
White spots in the mouth
or throat
Chronic diarrhea
A cough that won’t go
away
Short-term memory loss
Kaposi’s sarcoma
(Cancer associated with AIDS)
Oral Leukoplakia
Oral Thrush (yeast infection)
Common infection associated with AIDS
How is HIV treated?
• There is NO cure.
• If you think you or your partner may have
HIV or AIDS you need to see a healthcare
provider who can do blood tests.
• Prevention is the only way to protect
yourself from contracting the virus.
Pubic Lice (Crabs)
• Pubic lice are tiny insects that can crawl from the pubic
hair of one person to the pubic hair of another person
during sex.
• You will be prescribed or told to buy medication that
kills the lice and their eggs.
• You will also need to dry clean or use very hot water to
wash all of your bedding, towels, or recently worn
clothing to kill the lice.
• Pubic lice can be spread even when you use a condom.
Syphilis
• Caused by bacteria called Trepenoma pallidum.
• If not treated Syphilis can be very dangerous and
can cause brain damage and other serious health
problems.
• If you are diagnosed as having the disease you can
be treated with antibiotics.
• Anyone with whom you’ve had sex will also need
to be treated
Trichomoniasis
• Sometimes called “trich” it is a parasite that can be
•
•
•
•
passed from person to person during sexual
intercourse.
One of the most common STD’s
Can be passed on via damp towels, washcloths,
and bathing suits if someone has the parasite.
If you have the disease your healthcare provider
will give you antibiotics.
Anyone with whom you’ve had sex will also need
to be treated.
What Happens if I don’t get
treated?
• If you have an STD and don’t get treatment
you can have some long-term effects such
as:
–
–
–
–
–
Infertility (Unable to have babies)
Cancer
Long-term pain
Can pass disease from mother to baby
Death
1960s
1970s
80s
90s
2000
As the production and distribution of condoms rose, so too the level of STDs, abortion,
teen pregnancy and other problems
Conclusion
• It is much easier to prevent an STD than to cure one.
• The ONLY way to prevent STD’s is to abstain from
ALL types of sexual intercourse.
• Condoms do not always protect you from STD’s such
as HSV-2, HPV, and Pubic Lice.
• Remember, just because you and your partner may be
monogamous with each other, the risk of getting an
STD is increased by the number of previous sexual
partners either partner has had.
What is secondary virginity?
Secondary virginity is possible for teens who have been
sexually active and who may want to stop being
sexually active and wait until marriage to initiate sex
again. Secondary virginity is becoming more and more
common among young adults. In view of the sexually
charged society that teenagers live in, it seems
appropriate for parents, educators and society as a
whole to design strategies that encourage all single
people who are sexually active to cultivate chastity.
http://www.medinstitute.org/medical
Is abstinence realistic?
More than 50 percent of high school students have
not had sex. And recent studies show this number is
increasing. Of teens who are sexually experiencedhave had intercourse at least one time-approximately
25 percent are currently abstinent (which means
they've had no sexual involvement within the prior
three months).
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (1998). Youth Risk Behavior
Surveillance-United States, 1997. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 47(SS-3).
Chastity is Beautiful
Cee Cee Michaela
(actress and singer)
Lakita Garth
(Miss California)