Download Teen Sexual Activity and Its Consequences

Teen Sexual Activity and Its Consequences
Physical Risks At a Glance:
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1 out of 4 sexually active teens contracts an STD each year.1
30 years ago there were two major STDs, syphilis and gonorrhea, both bacterial & curable.
Today there are more than 20 STDs, over half of which are viral, incurable and life-long.
STDs are transmitted by oral-genital contact, vaginal intercourse and anal sex.
Chlamydia
Infects up to 10% of sexually active adolescents and frequently has no symptoms.2
This disease is a major cause of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), infertility and ectopic pregnancies.
HPV – Human Papilloma Virus
Responsible for 99.7% of all cervical cancer,3 and seen in oral, anal, genital and penile cancers.
Some strains cause genital warts.
Most infections are short-lived and self-resolve; approximately 10% of women remain infected at 5 years.4
Study showed that of 608 sexually active females, followed for three years, nearly 60% had HPV
infections.5
Always using condoms may cut the chances of getting HPV only up to half 6 because it is spread by
skin-to-skin contact in the entire genital region.
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Herpes
1 out of 5 Americans over the age of 12 has genital herpes.7
Is viral and causes painful genital blisters.
Can be spread by skin-to-skin contact for which condoms give little protection.
Both oral herpes (HSV1) and genital herpes (HSV2) can be transmitted through oral-genital contact.
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HIV – Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Causes AIDS which is incurable.
Risk of being infected with HIV increases when other STDs are present.
Condom effectiveness for preventing heterosexual HIV transmission is approximately 85%.8
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Sex and Teen Pregnancy
Each year, 19% of teens who are sexually active become pregnant.9
Of school aged Jamaican girls who become pregnant, only 34.4% returned to school.17
The mean age at first intercourse for Jamaican girls in age group 15-17 is 14.7 years, for boys, 12.4 years.17
Life Consequences
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The consequences are more than physical. Impact on the emotions and life in general has been documented:
Sexually active teens are 2 to 3 times more likely to be depressed than teens who are not sexually active.10
Girls who are sexually active are nearly 3 times more likely to attempt suicide than those who are not; boys
are 8 times more likely.11
It is recommended that sexually active girls be screened for mental health risks.12
Columbia University (National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, www.casacolumbia.org) found
that teens, who report that half or more of their friends are sexually active, are themselves:
● More than 6.5 times likelier to drink ● 22.5 times likelier to have tried marijuana
● 31 times likelier to get drunk
● More than 5.5 times likelier to smoke
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2009
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What We Know About Condom Protection:
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PREGNANCY PROTECTION > The user failure rate, i.e. “real world” use, show condoms fail 15% of the
time in the first year of use in committed couples.
However, the failure rate for young, unmarried, minority women ranges between 36.3% and 44.5%.13
Therefore - It is disingenuous to teach the theoretical rate (quoted as 98-99%) as the actual protection rate.
DISEASE PROTECTION > In July of 2001, a panel including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a report analyzing more than 138 peer-reviewed, published studies on
the effectiveness of latex condoms and concluded: Condoms give about 85% protection against the transmission
of HIV/AIDS and men receive some protection from gonorrhea transmission from a female partner but there is no
scientific evidence that condoms prevention infection for all the other major STDS: HPV, chlamydia, syphilis,
chancroid, trichomoniasis and genital herpes. Press release: www.hhs.gov/news/press/2001pres/20010720.html.
A few studies published subsequent to this major analysis show some evidence of risk reduction that
could possibly approach 50% for syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and genital herpes.14
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STDs such as HPV, syphilis and herpes are spread by skin-to-skin contact over the entire genital area.
Disease transmission can occur prior to intercourse, during intimate sexual contact.
Conclusion: The promotion of condoms to teens for disease and pregnancy prevention is by far not the best
medical advice. Using a strategy of risk reduction is far inferior to risk avoidance. Studies show condoms
protect far less than originally expected. Reliance on them can lead to a false sense of security.
The Good News:
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The number of Jamaican females 15-19 years old who have ever had sex has decreased between 1993 to
1997 from 58.9% to 51.4% and specifically for 15-17 year old females, the decrease is 44.1% to 37.7%17
93% of adults and 91% of teens believe that teens should be given a strong message from society not to be
sexually active until they are at least out of school.18
A survey of 90,000 teens19 showed the significant factors associated with delaying sexual debut were:
1) parent-family connectedness; 2) parental disapproval of contraceptive use; 3) a pledge of virginity.
The Solution To the Negative Consequences of Teen Sexual Activity:
Encourage and empower teens to make the healthiest and safest choices for their lives now and their futures.
9 Honor the concept of full disclosure by giving teens accurate information on the effectiveness of disease and
pregnancy prevention.
9 Strengthen students with educational programs that empower them to eliminate risk-taking behaviors.
9 Help those who are sexually active to understand the risks and choose a healthier lifestyle by adopting the
option of secondary virginity.
9 Teach the setting of personal boundaries, self-restraint and refusal skills needed to achieve these goals.
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1
Alan Guttmacher Institute, Facts in Brief - Teen Sex and Pregnancy, 1999:1.
2
Medical Institute, Sex, Condoms and STDs: What We Now Know, 2003:11.
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Walboomer, Jan (M.) et al. “Human Papillomavirus is a Necessary Cause of Invasive Cervical Cancer Worldwide,” Journal of Pathology, Sept. 1999, 189:12.
Wright, Thomas (C.); Schiffman, Mark. “Adding a Test for Human Papillomavirus DNA to Cervical-Cancer Screening,” N. Eng. Journal of Med, 2003; 348:518-527.
Ho, Gloria (Y.F.); Bierman, Robert; Beardsley, Leah; Chang, Chee (J.); Burk, Robert (D.). “Natural History of Cervicovaginal Papillomavirus Infection in
Young Women,” New England Journal of Medicine, 1998;338(7):423.
Vaccarella S, Franceschi S, Herrero R, Munoz N, et al. Sexual behavior, condom use, and human papillomavirus: pooled
analysis of the IARC human papillomavirus prevalence surveys. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2006 Feb;15(2):326-33; National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health. Workshop Summary: Scientific Evidence on Condom Effectiveness for Sexually Transmitted
Disease (STD) Prevention. 2001; Manhart LE, Koutsky LA. Do condoms prevent genital HPV infection, external genital warts, or cervical neoplasia? A
meta-analysis. Sex Transm Dis. 2002;29(11):725-735; Winer RL, Hughes JP, Feng Q, et al. Condom use and the risk of genital human papillomavirus
infection in young women. N Engl J Med. 2006;354(25):2645-2654.
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Fleming, D. (T.), et al. “Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 in the United States,1976 to 1994,” New England Journal of Medicine, October 16, 1997: 1105.
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Health and Human Services, Workshop Summary: Scientific Evidence on Condom Effectiveness for STD Prevention; July 20, 2001,
www.niaid.hih.gov/dmid/stds/condomreport.pdf.
9
Guttmacher, Facts in Brief – Teen Sex and Pregnancy, 1999:2.
10,11
Rector Robert, et al, Sexually Active Teenagers Are More Likely To Be Depressed & To Attempt Suicide, Heritage Foundation. June 2003.
12
Hallfors DD, Waller MW, Bauer D, Ford CA, Halpern CT, “Which Comes First In Adolescence – Sex and Drugs or Depression?” Journal of
Preventive Medicine, 2005;29(3).
13
Jones, Elise (F.); Forrest, Jacqueline Darroch, “Contraceptive Failure in the United States: Revised Estimates from the 1982 National Survey of Family
Growth,” Family Planning Perspectives, May/June 1989;21(3):105.
14
Medical Institute, Sex, Condoms and STDs: What We Now Know, 2003:2-5, 21-32.
17
Jamaican National Family Planning Board, Ministry of Health, “Data on Adolescent Fertility and Family Life Education” www.jnfpb.org/adolescentdata.pdf
18
National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, With One Voice 2007, www.teenpregnancy.org
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Resnick, M. (D.); Bearman, P. (S.); Blum, R. (W.); Bauman, K. (E.); Harris, K. (M.); Jones, J.; Tabor, J.; Beuhring, T.; Sieving, R. (E.); Shew, M.; Ireland, M.; Bearinger, L.
(H.); Udry, J. (R.). “Protecting Adolescents from Harm: Findings from the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health.” JAMA 278 (1997): 823-832.