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This presentation covers the facts you need to know about Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs). This is the actual program that is shown to 8th grade students. 1 STDs are one of the most common types of infections in the U.S. today. You can even get an STD the first time you have sex! You can’t tell if someone has an STD just by looking at them. And to make matters even worse, many STDs have no cure. 2 Most people who have an STD don’t even know they are infected. The sexually transmitted organisms are in their bodies but they don’t have any signs or symptoms: no sores, blisters, discharge, or pain. We say they are “asymptomatic.” They have no symptoms. However, they can still spread the infections to their sexual partners. 3 STDs are not just nuisance problems. They can cause serious health problems. If you get an STD, there is no way to predict if you will have serious health problems and/or suffer severe lifetime consequences. As we will discuss, there are STDs that can cause severe pain in the genital area. Two common STDs can cause infertility (can’t get pregnant) in females. Some viral STDs are now known to cause cancer. In the U.S., thousands of people die every year from serious health problems caused by STDs. 4 Teens are at greater risk of getting STDs primarily because over time they have sex with a number of different partners. We also know that if you have certain STDs, it is easier to become infected with HIV. Many STDs cause damage to the genital skin allowing HIV easier access into the blood stream. Even babies can be born with an STD if their mothers are infected during the pregnancy. Cates JR, Herndon NL, Schulz S, DarrockJE. Our Voices, Our Lives, Our Futures: Youth and Sexually Transmitted Diseases. 2004. Chapel Hill, NC: School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Institute of Medicine Committee on Prevention and Control of Sexually Transmitted Diseases. In: Eng T, Butler W, eds. The Hidden Epidemic: Confronting Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 1997. 5 Let’s look at why teens are at higher risk for STDs. (Discuss list sshhoowwnn)) One in four sexually active teens has an STD. 6 Here is a picture of the female reproductive system. The vagina is a tubular structure that opens to the outside of the body in the genital area. At the top of the vagina is the cervix; this keeps a baby inside the uterus as it grows. The uterus is where a baby grows inside its mother. The fallopian tubes are on each side of the uterus; the eggs from the ovaries travel through the fallopian tube where sperm fertilize the egg; the fertilized egg then travels down into the uterus where it implants itself into the blood-rich wall of the uterus. This lining provides nutrients during the early stage of the pregnancy. STDs can obstruct or block the fallopian tubes preventing fertilization or causing scarring which can “trap” a fertilized egg causing a tubal pregnancy —this can be a life-threatening situation if not diagnosed quickly. Many women also suffer from pelvic pain as a result of the damage to their reproductive tract caused by an STD. STDs can also infect the cervix, vagina, and the outside skin folds (labia or vulva). 7 In this picture, a speculum has been placed inside the vagina and the cervix (the bottom part of the uterus) can be seen at the top of the vagina. This is the cervix of an adult woman. It is covered with a tough protective lining composed of squamous epithelium. The skin covering the outside of our entire body is also squamous epithelium and protects us from the environment -sun, bacteria, etc. The vagina is also covered with this protective squamous epithelium. Photo courtesy of: Medical Institute 8 This is an actual picture of the cervix of an adolescent. It is not covered with tough protective squamous epithelium but instead has delicate columnar epithelium (the same type of lining that covers the inside of our intestines and allows us to absorb water and nutrients into our body). Unlike an adult cervix, this fine, thin columnar lining of the adolescent cervix may be more susceptible to certain infections such as gonorrhea and chlamydia, which infect columnar epithelium of the cervix. During early adulthood a female’s cervix gradually begins to change from the columnar epithelium into the squamous epithelium. Photo courtesy of: Medical Institute 9 Some STDs can affect the inside of the urethra in the penis and travel to the prostate gland. From there, they can also travel through the vas deferens to the epididymis and testicles. STDs can also infect the skin of the penis and scrotum. 10
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