I’ll never forget sitting the counseling room with her. As a crisis pregnancy counselor, I volunteered weekly to sit and administer free pregnancy tests and confidential counsel to young people in need. Sadly, I would sit with girls ranging from as young as 12 up into their twenties.
On this particular day, I had a female before me who didn’t seem too concerned about if her test was positive or negative. While the clock timer ran, her mind was elsewhere.
“I know I got herpes from my last partner. This is going to change everything.”
She thought she was safe with a condom but being a skin to skin contact disease with a falsely trusted piece of latex that couldn’t cover everything, she ended up infected nonetheless. And, it was too late to go back.
When it comes to sexually transmitted diseases, our girls are largely under-educated. Prevention efforts and fears tend to focus largely on unplanned pregnancy without adequate mention of the impact these diseases have.
April is Sexually Transmitted Disease awareness month and with my MODsquad niche being on purity, I wanted to provide you with information to share with your girls to help them think.
Consider these few facts:
- STDs are the most common diseases in America next to the common cold and flu. Source: http://humanlifeservices.org/teens.htm
- One in four teens are already infected with at least one STD. Source: http://std-gov.org
- One in two sexually active youth will contract an STD by age 25. Source: http://www.ashastd.org/pdfs/ASHA_05.final.pdf
- One in five American’s age 12 and over has genital herpes, a virus for which they can only treat symptoms. Source: http://www.cdc.gov/std/Herpes/STDFact-Herpes.htm#common
- At least 50% of sexually active men and women acquire genital HPV infection at some point in their lives. Sadly, for some girls this leads to premature hysterectomies and even death. Source: http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm#howget
- 15% of all infertile American women are infertile because of tubal damage caused by an STD (Chlamydia or gonorrhea). Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18076491/ns/health-sexual_health/.
- To date, there is no evidence that consistent use of condoms during oral sex reduces your chance of getting most STIs. Source: http://www.medinstitute.org/public/92.cfm
- Hormonal birth control, while preventing pregnancy, can dramatically increase a girl’s chance of STD infection. Source: http://www.global-sisterhood-network.org/content/view/218/59/
- 80% of people infected with an STD have no symptoms. Source: http://www.physiciansforlife.org/content/view/206/37/
Obviously teens aren’t infecting each other intentionally, but the lack of symptoms in 4 out of 5 people is allowing for disease to spread like wildfire. And, unlike the boy who may walk away from sexual contact without permanent damage, girls bodies were created with an open sexual system, placing your daughter at risk for internal damage that forever affects her future. Girls pay a higher price. Infertility and death are sad realities.
As mothers, it
is our job to tell our daughters the truth. They must understand that there is no such thing as safe sex outside of (faithful) marriage and that God designed that boundary to experience the very best and protect from these painful consequences.
Without question, STD related questions and painful stories are amongst the most popular in my work with Pam Stenzel. The topic earned a full chapter in our new book. On the pages of the facebook style read, the questions and stories of your daughter’s peers will impact and encourage her (12 and up) to choose God’s best.
So, to bring you up to speed (with much more information) and help your daughters during STD Awareness month, I’m going to give away one Nobody Told Me book to a lucky MODsquad reader. Simply enter a comment in the comment section and I’ll use random.org to pick a winner on April 15. The lucky winner will be announced in my April post (which will be an Easter message rather than purity focus)!
16 Comments
I would love to receive this book. I have twin 11-yr-old girls, and the conversations I am trying to have with them lately seem to be getting tougher. I never thought about telling them about STDs!
Thank you for the info and all the links/resources.
Sidenote: If in conversation you find out that your daughter has made some past mistakes and needs testing, please take her to your regular family physician. He or she will be able to do the most thorough testing and have the best follow up.
Melissa Nesdahl recently posted..STDs- Sad Truths Your Girls Need to Know
My oldest daughter is 11 and this book sounds like a wonderful resource to have on hand to help her in the coming years of being a teen. Thank you.
Wow, Melissa! “Girls pay a higher price.” and “As mothers, it is our job to tell our daughters the truth.”
We have to be the first source of information they get. We have to be comfortable with this topic.
Thanks for resourcing us!
Stacey recently posted..Time on the beach…
I really appreciate this post and your teaching on this topic. My husband and I are going through a purity series with our church youth group {he’s the youth pastor} and I honestly can’t believe how laid back the teens are about this. Even the churched ones! This book will be a great resource and I’m recommending to parents today!
mandi recently posted..I love my full time job!
I’m definitely interested in this book and would love to win a copy.
Jamie @ See Jamie blog recently posted..Homeschool Goals I Did NOT Accomplish
Melissa,
I agree that as mothers it is our job to tell our daughters (and sons) the truth. Unfortunately I believe there are way too many parents who do not know this information as it pertains to teens today. I think this book is just as important for parents as it is for teens. The world is not the same as it was in our day and we need to be aware of the changes. Thanks for getting the word out.
As a college student, I’ve seen a lot of girls approach sex casually. I think that they really believe if they don’t get pregnant, start burning, or get bumps somewhere that they are fine. Thank you for this eye opener.
My first born is almost 13 YO. This is a must have book.
monica @ paper bridges recently posted..Curiosity Journal – March 2- 2011
Although knowing I need to talk about this subject w/my almost 11yr old, it still makes me want to pass out! I’ve been grabbing every book I can find that will help me not screw this subject up with her. So, this book needs to be in my arsenal! I’d love to win it!
Tonya recently posted..a boy turns 7
My daughter is seven, but I teach part time and middle schoolers thoughts and attitudes about sex terrify me. i would like to read this.
Janene recently posted..March 27- 2011
As someone who did contract an STD as a teen, it is SO important for young girls – and guys – to know all there is about STDs. Some, like you’ve written, have no symptoms and spread so easily. Some are curable yet some others and you’re stuck with it for a lifetime, as is the case with me. This is the first time I’ve put this fact out in public, but it’s time it did. I paid a high price, and will keep paying forever. It didn’t have to be that way.
Paula recently posted..Love in Action
That should have read “Some are curable yet some others aren’t, and you’re stuck with it for a lifetime, as is the case with me.”
Praying that your book touches many young lives with invaluable information that can save them from much pain and heartache!
Paula recently posted..Love in Action
Having 3 girls I need all the information I can get. Thanks for tackling these tough subjects!!
I’d love to be in the drawing I have a tween daughter..
thanks
Tina
Thanks for the information on this. I’m learning so that I can teach my 11 year old. We’ll be in the trenches soon enough. May God continue to bless your work.