Happy Valentine's Day - A Safer Sex Reminder

By Rachel Walden — February 14, 2013

Hey, it’s Valentine’s Day! Seems like a good time to revisit the topic of safer sex and sexually transmitted infections!

The CDC just released a new fact sheet on STIs, indicating that there are about 20 million new infections each year, and that young people (ages 15-24) account for about half of these.

In its report, CDC provided the following recommendations for women for STI screening:

  • All adults and adolescents should be tested at least once for HIV.
  • Annual chlamydia screening for all sexually active women age 25 and under, as well as older women with risk factors such as new or multiple sex partners.
  • Yearly gonorrhea screening for at-risk sexually active women (e.g., those with new or multiple sex partners, and women who live in communities with a high burden of disease).
  • Syphilis, HIV, chlamydia, and hepatitis B screening for all pregnant women, and gonorrhea screening for at-risk pregnant women at the first prenatal visit, to protect the health of mothers and their infants.
  • Trichomoniasis screening should be conducted at least annually for all HIV-infected women.

Have questions about sex, sexuality, STIs or related topics? Beloved sex-ed site Scarleteen has just launched a new live help feature, providing anonymous live chats with Scarleteen staff and volunteers. The full website, which tackles all kinds of questions about sex, is an amazing resource for young people.

2 responses to “Happy Valentine’s Day – A Safer Sex Reminder”

  1. Great information on when to get tested and how often, I think people get a test and then they think they are safe forever. Great facts sheets and information! D

  2. Wonderful information. Bravo. Here is a haiku from my med school days:

    Valentine’s Night

    working a shift

    at the VD clinic

    Love yourself enough to protect yourself. Respect yourself and others will, too.

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