<p>I don’t know how many partners college kids have, but timely reminder that when they have sex, it is with everyone their partner has been with.
[Gonorrhea</a> Is Now One Antibiotic Away from Being Untreatable](<a href=“http://gawker.com/5933459/gonorrhea-is-now-one-antibiotic-away-from-being-untreatable?comment=51737045%3Fpopular%3Dtrue]Gonorrhea”>http://gawker.com/5933459/gonorrhea-is-now-one-antibiotic-away-from-being-untreatable?comment=51737045%3Fpopular%3Dtrue)</p>
<p>Excellent reminder.
I just checked the facts on cdc.gov and they state that condoms only prevent/reduce the spread of STDs. They are not always effective (esp since the condom does not cover the entire genetalia and this is a problem for STDs that transfer from skin-to-skin contact) so using them is a bit like playing Russian roulette. Not a terrific choice from a health standpoint. </p>
<p>[CDC</a> - Condom Effectiveness - Condom Fact Sheet In Brief](<a href=“http://www.cdc.gov/condomeffectiveness/brief.html]CDC”>http://www.cdc.gov/condomeffectiveness/brief.html)</p>
<p>Using condoms isn’t like playing Russian roulette. Condoms still prevent some STDs and lower the chances of getting others, so it’s not like they’re useless. That’s like saying seatbelts are useless because some people die in car crashes even though they’re wearing a seatbelt.</p>
<p>Just wanted to point that out, since I don’t want any teenagers who might be lurking on the boards to think condoms don’t do ANY good. They don’t take the risk of STDs down to zero, but they do lower it. Sex is risky, but if you’re going to have it . . . wear a condom!</p>
<p>So many people my age are completely ignorant of (or just don’t care about) the risks and prevalence of STDs. AIDs has been so pushed on us for years that some think its really the only STD you need to worry about. Our pathetic sex ed in many places (and an unwillingness for many parents to talk about it) has led to some scary statistics. </p>
<p>Watching my sister battle STDs has made me extremely cautious. Thankfully. Plus I had parents that stressed it early and often (the necessity of safe sex). </p>
<p>Sigh. I just wish young people would take care of themselves. When I lived in the dorms, my friends knew they could come to me for condoms (hey, better than nothing if they had their minds made up) no questions asked at any time. (Naturally has a very good point. A condom WILL prevent the majority of STDs and it is extremely important that people use them.)</p>
<p>Also- some of the comments on that link, ek, are terrifying. It shows how little many people understand about meds, transmission, mutations, etc. </p>
<p>Scary stuff, ek.</p>
<p>Truthfully in this age of divorce, remarriage and adultery, the same warning is good for many of the parents on here as well. </p>
<p>The rate of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) has more than doubled among middle-aged adults and the elderly over the last decade.</p>
<p>Good point, mizz.</p>
<p>
[quote}So many people my age are completely ignorant of (or just don’t care about)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I have a college junior home and he and some friends were sitting in the room next to my office and they were talking about STDs this afternoon so of course I lurked. I think they are aware but still have that “not going to happen to me” attitude.</p>
<p>It’s odd, because I think my school tried to have good sex education. But all I remember learning about the non-HIV STD’s is that they should us slideshows of graphic pictures, which was terrifying. (This was not abstinence-only education. Maybe they were trying to advocate protection? This was eighth grade, though).</p>
<p>Clearly, I should have gotten a larger point to the lesson than being terrified. I think I only learned a few years later because I was curious that they were even treatable. And given the amount of women that have HPV, adding to the stigma really wasn’t helpful. I think it would have been more helpful to drill into students’ heads to use protection (but understand what different types of protection do and don’t protect against), and get any symptoms checked out by the doctor ASAP.</p>
<p>In addition to trying to raise awareness to STDs and condom use, I also think we need to empower women to be able to say no to the guy if he doesn’t want to use protection. I meet so many women (given my line of work, I’m biased) who just feel like they can’t say “no” to the guy if he doesn’t want to use protection. And we do see a lot of it in our media and such. The guy initiates and there’s rarely, if ever, a condom involved.</p>
<p>I did not say that condoms were useless. Of course using a condom is better than not using one. But it is true that they are not bullet-proof.
Using a condom is not a guarantee of safety. This is what our young people need to know simply because it is the truth.</p>
<p>Romaniangypsyeyes, you are absolutely correct that we need to help women feel free to say No. At any time and for any reason. they need to think about themselves first in this situation as it is their health and their future that is at stake.</p>
<p>Completely agree with that, Romani. That should be emphasized (to guys and girls) in sex ed.</p>
<p>Of course, overuse of antibiotics also breeds other resistant pathogenic bacteria, not necessarily just STDs. Examples:</p>
<p>Staphylococcus aureus
Clostridium difficile
Mycobacterium tuberculosis</p>
<p>Patients who ask for antibiotic treatment for non-bacterial infections or where antibiotics are otherwise unnecessary, and physicians who prescribe them instead of explaining why they are unnecessary, help make the problem worse.</p>
<p>We usually don’t have to use anything much stronger than amoxicillin, however D came back from India with a resistant staph infection that took a long time to get diagnosed/cleared up.
Scary.</p>