One in four teenage girls has a sexually transmitted disease.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released the findings of a study, concluding one in four girls in the U.S. between ages 14 and 19 has an STD.

The study was presented at the 2008 National STD Prevention Conference in March and was “the first to examine the combined national prevalence of common STDs among adolescent women in the United States, and provides the clearest picture to date of the overall STD burden in adolescent women,” according to the CDC’s Web site.

These teenage girls contract STDs in many ways; for older teens, a promiscuous college lifestyle and drinking are possible contributors that go hand-in-hand.

“I still see a lot of girls, especially in college, having sex with multiple partners, which is usually associated with drinking,” said Dr. Laurie Hochberg, partner at Pediatric Partners SC in Highland Park and Vernon Hills. “There are also those situations when the condom broke or someone forgot to use one because they were drunk or high.”

Regardless, condoms are not always guaranteed to protect everyone from the diseases, Hochberg said, adding that the most common STDs they see are Chlamydia and Gonorrhea.

When it comes to younger teens increasingly contracting STDs, Hochberg believes the media may be playing a significant role.

“I think there is such a presence in the media about sex and in the malls,” Hochberg said. “Kids are being exposed to it as something cool at a much younger age.”

Many schools require some form of sexual education classes. The depth of discussion on things such as STDs varies from school to school.

Schools such as Huntley Middle School, 821 S. Seventh St., offer programs other than the basic sexual education classes.

“Twice a year, the nurse works with the PTA to do something on adolescent health and wellness for parents,” said Lorraine Daly, a nurse at Huntley Middle School. Past programs have focused on things such as the HPV vaccine, nutrition and student athletes.

Adolescents are also educated about sex during annual physicals.

“We review sexuality, safe sex and the dangers of multiple partners with adolescents every year at their physicals or if they come to the office with a suspected STD or frequent urinary tract infections,” Hochberg said.

When it comes to prevention, some doctors encourage the Human Papillomavirus vaccine.

Although there are not many reported cases, it is still thought that HPV may possibly be the most common STD.

“HPV is the most prevalent, but is not usually reported,” said Lorna Schmidt RN, with the DeKalb County Health Department.

Hochberg and Daly encourage all adolescent girls to get the HPV vaccine.

There are a few downfalls with the vaccine that may stop parents from having their daughters vaccinated, though.

“It is a very expensive vaccine [about $200 per dose], so I think it might price itself out for some people,” Hochberg said, adding not all insurance companies cover it and it is not guaranteed to protect girls from all forms of HPV. “The HPV [vaccine] will help a little, but it only covers four of the 26 antigens seen in HPV – the ones more likely to cause cervical cancer.”