STD Statistics

How common are STDs?

• 70 million Americans currently have an STD
• Every year, 9 million people under 25 years old get a new STD
• One-half of sexually active young people contract an STD by the time they are 25
• Of Americans 14 and older, 1 in 6 have herpes

Are there long-term effects of having STDs?

• Human Papilloma virus (HPV), which causes genital warts, accounts for more than 95% of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer claims the lives of 5,000 American women yearly
• About 1/3 of infertility in women is caused by STDs

Will I have symptoms if I have STDs?
80% of people who have an STD experience no noticeable symptoms

Am I protected from STDs if I only have oral or anal sex?
The following STDs are transmitted via oral and anal sex: chlamydia, HPV, herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis, Hepatitis B and C; anal sex is extremely risky for HIV.

How effective are condoms in preventing STDs?
Consistent use of condoms during vaginal sex:

• reduces the risk of HIV by 85%
• reduces the risk of chlamydia, herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis by 50%
• reduces the risk of HPV by less than 50%

Information obtained from the following sources:

• The Medical Institute for Sexual Health, www.medinstitute.org
• Aids Coalition of Southern New Jersey, www.acsnj.org
• Scott and White, Worth the Wait Sex Education Program, www.worththewait.org
• Facts in Brief, New York: The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1993.
• Texans for Life Coalition, www.texlife.org
• Focus on the Family, www.family.org
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention