DID YOU KNOW?

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates each year in the United States:

• nearly 20 million new cases of these reportable STDs/STIs (gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis)
• almost half of them among young people 15 to 24 years of age
• an estimated four in 10 sexually active adolescent females between the ages of 14 and 19 have an STD

STIs and STDs

• often have no symptoms
• are spread through sexual contact, including vaginal sex, anal sex, and oral sex
• can cause long-term health problems, particularly in women and infants

Some of the health complications that arise from STDs include:

• pelvic inflammatory disease
• infertility
• tubal or ectopic pregnancy
• cervical cancer
• perinatal or congenital infections in infants born to infected mothers

Sources
Center for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/std/default.htm (accessed May 28, 2015)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/resources-and-publications/info/parents/just-facts/stds.html (accessed May 28, 2015)