If you have been sexually active GET TESTED!!
So many Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) have no symptoms! Especially in women. The only way to know that you have an STI is to get tested! The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that the only guaranteed way to prevent an STI or the spread of STIs is abstinence! Even condom use is not guaranteed to protect us from STIs. Condoms fail, break and can come off during vaginal, anal and oral sex.
Ohio Facts on Sexually Transmitted Infections
Over 50,000 new cases of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) were reported in Ohio in 2011- Most new cases are among young people age 15-24
- STIs such as Chlamydia and Gonorrhea have few or no symptoms, especially in women
- STIs can be transmitted even when a person has no symptoms
Effects of Sexually Transmitted Infections
- Untreated STIs can lead to infertility in women and damage to the urinary tract in men
- Untreated STIs can cause Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), a painful swelling of the female reproductive organs that can lead to infertility
- Some untreated STIs such as HIV/AIDS and Syphilis can lead to death if not treated
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