November 2000
STDs: What's Your Risk?
Check It Out
Wonder what your risk is of getting a sexually transmitted disease (STD), including HIV? It's probably crossed your mind, and you're not the only one who's worried. Take a look at these key factors that affect your risk:
Your Risk's Higher If:
- You're Young and You're Having Sex. Most STD cases occur in people ages 15-24.1 All in all, if you're young and doing it, your odds are about one in three of getting an STD by age 24.2 And when it comes to HIV, as many as half of all new HIV infections occur among those younger than age 25.3
- You've Had Multiple Sexual Partners - Or Your Partner Has. If you have had lots of sexual partners, or your partner has, you're upping your risk of getting exposed to STDs. You may be surprised at who has slept around. Among the kids in high school today, on average, nearly one out of every five guys, and one out of every eight girls, has already had four or more sexual partners.4
Your Risk's Lower If:
- You're Practicing Safer Sex - Every Time. The only way to lower your risk to zero is abstinence, and many guys and women today are making that choice. But if you are having intercourse, you can lower your risk of infection by using a condom every time. For oral sex, protect yourself and your partner by using condoms or dental dams. Dental dams (non-microwaveable saran wrap works just fine) are thin squares of latex that are held against a partner's genitals while giving them oral sex. The good news is that most of you are using condoms: Among today's high school kids who are having sex, 58 percent reported that a condom was used the last time they had sex.4
- You And Your Partner Have Recently Been Tested, and Shared Health Information. Many STDs have no symptoms and are likely to lead to serious stuff if untreated - like reproductive cancers and infertility. For most STDs, testing will quickly tell you (and your partner) whether either of you are infected, or just worried. Testing also hooks you up to treatment, support, counseling and information resources. In the case of HIV, however, it may take an interval of time for the virus to show up on a test. And it's always important to use protection every time. To find a testing site near you, call the Planned Parenthood Hotline at 1-800-230-PLAN, the National STD Hotline at 1-800-227-8922 or the CDC National HIV and AIDS Hotline at 1-800-342-AIDS.
| So, What STDS Are Out There?
How Do You Get Them? |
| Chlamydia | An infection of the genital area, spread through unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex. |
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| Trichomoniasis | An infection of the genital area, spread through unprotected vaginal sex. |
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| Gonorrhea | An infection of the genital area, spread through unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex. |
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| Human Papillomavirus (HPV) | An infection with more than 100 different types, primarily affecting the genital area, both the outer and inner surfaces. Spread through unprotected vaginal or anal sex, or by skin-to-skin contact with an infected area. |
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| Genital Herpes | An infection of the genital area (and sometimes around the mouth). Spread through unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex, or by skin-to-skin contact with an infected area. |
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Worried about STDs? Want to know about the symptoms?
Go to www.itsyoursexlife.com |
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| Syphilis | An infection that starts in the genital area and then spreads throughout the body. The infection is spread through unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex - and through kissing, if there is a lesion on the mouth. |
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| Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) | An infection primarily affecting the liver. Spread through unprotected vaginal, oral, and anal sex, through kissing, and by sharing contaminated needles. |
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| HIV | The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the cause of AIDS. Spread through bodily fluids such as blood, semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk - in other words, during unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex, by sharing contaminated needles, via pregnancy or breast-feeding. |
Get More Info
About Your Sexual Health. Visit a factual website about STD prevention, safer sex, and reproductive health. (www.itsyoursexlife.com)
About STDs. Call the National STD Hotline (1-800-227-8922).
About HIV/AIDS. Call the National HIV & AIDS Hotline: (1-800-342-AIDS).
About the Kaiser Family Foundation. (www.kff.org)
1 Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1993
2 Kaiser Family Foundation, Sexually Transmitted Diseases in America, 1998
3 CDC Young People at Risk: HIV/AIDS Among America's Youth, 1999
4 CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance, 1999
it's your (sex) life is brought to you in partnership with the Kaiser Family
Foundation, an independent, non-profit health care philanthropy.The content
of this site was prepared by staff of the Foundation. MTV and
the Foundation have joined forces to provide information on important sexual
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is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente or any other Kaiser Industries.
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