Sexually transmitted diseases are spreading among young people even though they may not be engaging in intercourse.

Because STDs can be contracted from a variety of sexual practices, uninformed partners may become infected with STDs or infect others.

“One of the unintended consequences of abstinence-only-until-marriage ‘brand’ of sexuality education is a redefinition of what sex is,” said Sally Conklin, a professor in health education at NIU. “When ‘sex’ is defined as penile/vaginal intercourse, then partners may engage in a variety of other types of sexual behavior, such as oral or anal sex, in order to be ‘abstinent.’”

Currently, STD rates are increasing among teens even though the use of condoms is also increasing. Unintended pregnancies are decreasing, but STDs are being spread through other sexual behaviors, Conklin said.

The most common STD is chlamydia. Other STDs include herpes and genital warts.

Finding the exact number of students with STDs at NIU can be difficult, because many students may get tested at a clinic at home rather than at University Health Services, said Steven Lux, a health educator with Health Services.

Also, because some STDs like chlamydia, herpes, gonorrhea and syphilis do not have symptoms, people may assume they are healthy and disease-free.

“Sometimes people only find out that they are infected after an infected partner tells them,” Lux said. “In our 2002 annual health behavior survey, less than 3 percent of the students surveyed reported that they had an STD in the last school year. So, overall, NIU students do a pretty good job at preventing STDs.”

By engaging in sexual relationships, all sexual contact carries some degree of risk, Lux said.

“The various ways that humans choose to have sexual contact results in a wide range of STD risk,” Lux said. “Some behaviors carry a very low risk, such as kissing and some kinds of touching, while others carry an extremely high risk, such as unprotected vaginal or anal intercourse.”

STD organisms are fragile and depend on a warm, moist environment to survive, Lux said. The greatest risk of transmission occurs when blood, semen or other sexual fluids are exchanged.

Small cuts or abrasions can increase the chance of transmission, Lux said. Sexual acts that tear or break the skin also carry a higher risk.

Also, for oral/genital contact, bleeding gums or other sources of blood in the mouth can increase risk, Lux said.

“Aside from avoiding sexual contact and choosing lower risk behaviors, correct and consistent condom use is effective but not 100-percent foolproof,” Lux said. “For example, condoms can only protect what they can cover, and if someone has lesions or sores on a part of the body that is exposed, there is still a risk of transmission. It is my opinion that college students, at least at NIU, generally protect themselves pretty well compared to their non-college peers.”

Long term effects of STDs

– Tubal scaring

– Infertility

– Secondary bacterial infections

– Growths that could become cancerous

– Recurrent painful attacks

*The primary viral STDs, such as herpes, condyloma and HIV, are all caused by viruses and currently have no cure. However, these symptoms can be treated to varying degrees.

Source: Health education professor Sally Conklin