AMERICAN SOCIAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION
NEWS RELEASE
Contact:
Sharon Broom
(919)361-8416; Fax: (919)361-8425
[email protected]
http://sunsite.unc.edu/ASHA
Teens May Return to School With Misconceptions About STDs
For teenagers returning to school this fall, there will be talk of summer vacations, summer jobs and summer loves. But when teens talk about sexually transmitted diseases, says the director of the National STD Hotline, they often share misinformation.
"Young people who call the hotline frequently have misconceptions about how STDs are spread," says Marshall Glover, director of the National STD Hotline, which is operated by the American Social Health Association.
Glover lists some of the misconceptions the hotline staff hears from callers, along with the correct information the caller receives:
"I won't get an STD." Teenagers often feel invulnerable and assume that STDs only happen to others. Yet two-thirds of new STD infections occur in people under 25.
"You won't get an STD if you're on the Pill." For people who have sex, condoms are the only highly effective prevention measure against STDs. Hormonal forms of contraception, including birth control pills, implants and injections, provide no protection against STDs.
"You can tell by looking at people whether they have any STDs." Anyone can have an STD, including people who are clean and well-dressed.
"Neither my partner nor I have STD symptoms, so we don't have to worry." It is very common for STDs to have no noticeable symptoms. For example, chlamydia is symptomless in an estimated 85 percent of cases in women and 40 percent of cases in men. The only way to know for certain whether you are infected is to get tested.
"If you get a medical checkup each year, you can be sure you don't have any STDs." STDs without symptoms are not detected during routine medical exams. In women, Pap smears do not test for STDs. People who have had sex should tell their doctors about their sexual activity and ask to be tested for STDs.
"My friends say that oral sex and anal sex are safer." Any form of sex - vaginal, oral or anal - puts you at risk for STDs. It is important to use a condom consistently and correctly every time you have any form of sex.
"If I do get an STD, I'll just get a shot and get rid of it." Since STDs often have no symptoms, you could have an STD for a long time without knowing it. An untreated STD can lead to sterility in both men and women. It can also make the infected person more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Further, some STDs, including genital herpes and human papillomavirus (HPV), are not curable.
Free, confidential information about STDs is available from the National STD Hotline, operated by ASHA under contract with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at (800) 227-8922. The hotline operates weekdays, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. (ET).
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