{"id":513,"date":"2012-04-18T11:49:14","date_gmt":"2012-04-18T15:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/womenhealthpros.wordpress.com\/?p=513"},"modified":"2025-12-26T05:11:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T10:11:19","slug":"april-is-std-awareness-month-here-are-some-things-you-should-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.americanwomensservices.com\/blog\/2012\/04\/april-is-std-awareness-month-here-are-some-things-you-should-know\/","title":{"rendered":"April is STD Awareness Month… Here are some things you should know"},"content":{"rendered":"

In case you didn\u2019t know, April is National STD Awareness month. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) press release announcing this<\/a> points out that although young people account for approximately 25% of the sexually active populations, people aged 15-24 account for nearly half of all new cases of STD\u2019s\/STI\u2019s. This is a disproportionate number to say the least.<\/p>\n

            Young people are not the only group that needs to worry about STD\/STI\u2019s. According to a news report on CBSNews.com<\/a> STD\/STI rates among seniors have doubled over the past decade. Though there are likely a number of factors causing this increase, the article points out the widespread availability of Viagra and similar drugs that enable sexual activity at older ages as a major contributing factor.<\/p>\n

Most people think that they will have symptoms if they are infected with an STD\/STI. In some cases this is true; a few STD\u2019s do have very noticeable and sometimes painful symptoms. For example, herpes sores can be quite painful, especially the first time you have one. Other STD\u2019s\/STI\u2019s might cause pain during sex or urination and off color discharge from the genitals. Most of the time though STD\/STI\u2019s are symptom-less; unless you are tested for them there is no real way to know if you have one. Check out these fact sheets from the CDC,<\/a> they give symptom and treatment information for the most commons STD\/STI\u2019s in theU.S.<\/p>\n

It is important that EVERYONE get tested regularly if they are sexually active. STD\/STI\u2019s can be transmitted through intercourse, oral sex and anal sex. If you are sexually active, it is important to protect yourself and your future partners. Here are some things you can do to limit your exposure to STD\/STI\u2019s. Remember to use a condom every time, even if you are using another form of birth control. Other forms of birth control do not decrease risk of STD\/STI\u2019s. Use dental dams or a condom when performing oral sex. Using protection whenever you engage in sexual activity will greatly decrease your chances of contracting or spreading any infections.<\/p>\n

Some people may be worried about getting tested because of the social stigma attached to STD\/STI\u2019s in our culture; but having an STD\/STI doesn\u2019t have to be a life changing event. Most are curable; those that aren\u2019t like herpes can be treated and made manageable. Even HIV\/AIDS is no longer a death sentence if you are diagnosed early enough. New studies show that the earlier you begin treatment for HIV\/AIDS the longer  life span you will have and the less likely you are to spread it to some one else.<\/a><\/p>\n

            To treat any STD\/STI\u2019s and to prevent spreading to others, you have to know you have one, so get yourself tested regularly and often. Contact your local health care provider or use the widget below to find a testing facility near you.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.cdcnpin.org\/GYTWidgets\/GYTWidget.aspx<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In case you didn\u2019t know, April is National STD Awareness month. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) press release announcing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[3,174,175,179],"tags":[189,82,215,216,221,67],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7told-8h","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.americanwomensservices.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/513"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.americanwomensservices.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.americanwomensservices.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanwomensservices.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanwomensservices.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=513"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanwomensservices.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/513\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":806,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanwomensservices.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/513\/revisions\/806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.americanwomensservices.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanwomensservices.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanwomensservices.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}