STDs among college students on the rise

(http://media.www.coscampusonline.com/media/storage/paper1137/news/2008/10/01/News/Stds-Among.College.Students.On.The.Rise-3463905-page2.shtml)

“An estimated 50% of people will have an STD in their lifetime.” Unprotected sex is unfortunately more common than you think among college students. A fifty percent chance of having an STD is insanely high, and although they may be curable, they can ruin your life. "The best way to prevent STDs is abstinence, but that won't happen because people are in too much of a hurry to have sex," said COS student Eddie Hernandez. We live in a sexual decade and from media to fashion everything is sexualized.

There are 25 known STDS but the most common ones transmitted are Gonorrhea, Chlamydia and the Human Papillomavirus. The Center for Disease Control claims that 70,000 people get Gonorrhea each year! The symptoms of Gonorrhea for males include burning sensation when urinating, white, yellow, or green discharge from the penis. For woman, if there are any signs at all, they include burning during urination, excessive discharge, bleeding in between periods, and can also sometimes lead to Pelvis Inflammatory Disease which can possibly result in etopic pregnancy, which is when the baby develops in your fallopian tube. Epititis can also be caused by Gonorrhea which results in infertility for males. Chlamydia is known as the silent STD. ¾ of woman do not show any symptoms and ½ of men with Chlamydia have no symptoms either. Chlamydia can be transferred from mother to baby during pregnancy. Also, for women it causes fevers, vaginal discharge, lower back pain, and nausea. For men, it causes burning around the penis, and discharge. Luckily, Chlamydia can be cured and treated with antibiotics. Lastly, HPV is the most common of sexually transmitted diseases. There are several strings of HPV, some easily curable others not. Usually, HPV naturally cures itself if you stay healthy and your immune system is functioning properly. HPV can lead to cervical cancer and also cause genital warts. Men cannot get HPV, although they can carry it, and pass it on. Gardasil is the most recent shots generally given at your doctors’ office. It requires three shots, and prevents most strands of HPV. It is not required to have, but highly recommended.

Many schools teach sex education classes, but, even being the most educated person in the world, now sex is a top priority and many people do not think to use the proper contraception. Other people are often scared to talk to someone about their sexually transmitted disease or their genital abnormalities which generally continues to spread to others. Liberal clinics like Planned Parenthood are very important in today’s society, especially for people with medical and financial issues. With such high statistics on the most prevalent STD’s such as Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, & Human Papillomavirus, students especially should be more precautious while having sexual intercourse.