Teenage Girls & STDs

There seems to be a multitude of studies concerning teenage girls and sexually transmitted diseases lately which would be making me very nervous if I had teenagers right about now. A new study from the Indiana University School of Medicine recently demonstrated that approximately half of teenaged girls contract a sexually transmitted disease within the two year span following their first sexual encounter. Usually, these girls contract an STD by the time they are fifteen years old.

The study which spanned up to eight years had 386 teenaged girls from urban areas, all between the ages of 14 and 17. Results from the study showed that approximately fifty percent of these girls became infected with a sexually transmitted disease within the two years after their first sexual experience. The three most common sexually transmitted diseases in these cases were Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonorrhoeae), Chlamydia trachomatis (Chlamydia) and Trichomonas vaginalis (trichomoiasis). The most contracted STD from this list was Chlamydia.

Dr. Wanzhu Tu, one of the researchers from the study states, “Repeated infections were very common. Within 4 to 6 months (depending on the organism) after treatment of the previous infection, a quarter of the women were re-infected with the same organism.” Tu stresses that as soon as a teenaged woman becomes sexually active, they are at risk of contracting an STD; however, he notes that information about when a young girl should start getting screened for STDs is lacking. He states, “These young women are vulnerable to STDs, but because of their younger age, they may not be perceived by health care providers as having STD risk, and thus are not screened in a timely manner.” Results from the study suggest that it is vital that teenaged girls receive STD treatments and screenings earlier. He notes, “For urban adolescent women, STD screening (especially for chlamydia) should begin within 1 year after first intercourse and infected individuals should be retested frequently, preferably every 3 to 4 months. To my knowledge, this study provides the first data on the timing of the initial STD and subsequent STDs following the onset of sexual activity in urban adolescent women.”

A study that appeared alongside these findings highlights a program that was highly successful in lessening sexual behavior deemed risky amongst young African American girls between the ages of 15 and 21. Those women who chose to participate in this accompanying study came from an Atlanta-based sexual health clinic. They were enrolled in two therapy sessions in group settings and also were able to receive support via telephone calls. In addition, they received pamphlets to distribute to their sexual partners that were used to encourage them to get tested and treatment for STDs.

Dr. Bonita Stanton from Wayne State University feels this study had many exciting findings and results. She was enthusiastic because it lessened the rate of Chlamydia infections (both recurring and initial). In addition, many of the participants reported higher rates of contraceptive (condom) use. An extra benefit is that it lowered the number of teenaged girls who douched on a regular basis. Many researchers have pointed out that douching actually increases one’s risk of contracting an STD. What Stanton finds most exciting is the fact that those teenaged girls who went through the program were successful at convincing their partners to get tested and treatment for STDs.