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Sexually transmitted diseases are in the news again shocking people with their skyrocketing numbers. A new government study suggests that over three million teenaged girls have at least one sexually transmitted disease (STD.) They say that boils down to one out of every four teenage girls having an STD. There is worse news yet if you look inside of those averages. Nearly half of all African American teenage girls have an STD compared to about 20 percent of Caucasian teenage girls. Then when we look at statistics for the sexual activity of teenagers in foster care, who may be available for older child adoption, we can see that they may have little chance of avoiding an STD infection.
“In one major study on sexual activity among youths in foster care, it reported that 41.1% had had intercourse, 40.5% were recently sexually active, and 56.8% had intercourse while in the current family foster home.
In a 1992 survey, 86% of all teens age 15 and older in the custody of the Vermont Department of Social and Rehabilitate Services reported that they were sexually active….reported that of the sexually active teens in foster care, only 38% reported using any type of contraceptive regularly. I would hazard to consider what current statistics would reveal if they were available.
These young women are placing themselves at risk for the serious health effects of untreated STDs, including infertility, cervical cancer, and genital warts.The most common STDs include human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, herpes simplex virus, and trichomoniasis. Unfortunately, the majority of chlamydia infections do not have symptoms, so these girls won’t know they have this STD without proper screening. When left untreated, chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and can cause atopic pregnancy, chronic pelvic pain, or infertility.
What this tells us, as adoptive parents of teenage girls, is that we need to discuss openly sex, protection, and the consequences of the behavior. While it may be outside our comfort zone, or we may disagree with the behavior, we still need to acknowledge that it is happening. We will need to accept our adopted children with their behaviors and help them get the support services that they need. Denial will not stop the behavior, but will put these vulnerable children at risk for a lifetime of consequences.
STD information and referrals to STD Clinics
CDC-INFO
1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636)
TTY: 1-888-232-6348
In English, en Español
National Herpes Hotline
(919) 361-8488
National Herpes Resource Center
herpesnet@ashastd.org
CDC National Prevention Information Network (NPIN)
P.O. Box 6003
Rockville, MD 20849-6003
1-800-458-5231
1-888-282-7681 Fax
1-800-243-7012 TTY
E-mail: info@cdcnpin.org
American Social Health Association (ASHA) www.ashastd.org
P. O. Box 13827
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-3827
1-800-783-9877
Related Blogs:
Teen Nicotine Use
How to Get Your Older Adopted Child to Talk to You
Immunization for Cervical Cancer
Photo Credit: The official Web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is a public domain Web site, which means you may link to CDC.gov at no cost and without specific permission.
