While these are extremely significant aspects of female sexuality, they are subjects that I have been slow to address directly, because I'm not a doctor and cannot address their medical implications, and the non-medical aspects are adequately addressed on other websites. With this in mind, this article will not address STD's and Birth Control directly, rather help women and their partners remove or decrease the risks associated with partnered sex, thus avoiding conception and disease. And while I'm probably unable to address them personally, I also desire to acknowledge the presence of the personal and social risks associated with female sexuality. Ultimately, this article intends to remove the risks associated with partnered sex rather than requiring individuals to address those risks, before or after the fact.
If you are seeking information about Birth Control or Sexually Transmitted Diseases, there are links to websites that address these subjects at the end of this article.
Jump to Real Risks: Pregnancy
Jump to Real Risks: STDs
Jump to Combined Risk
Jump to The Fox Guards the Henhouse
Jump to It Just Happened
Jump to Are 'Accidents' Less than Accidental?
Jump to Must Sex Equal Sex?
Jump to Pregnancy Rates for Different Birth Control Methods
Jump to Sex With Decreased Risk of Pregnancy
Jumpt to Information About Birth Control & Contraceptives
Jump to Information About Sexually
Transmitted Infections
"In 2006, the teen birth rate increased 3%, to 41.9 births per 1,000 women ages 15-19." USA Today 1/7/2009
Any girl or woman who has experienced her first menstrual period should look at the image on the right and say to herself, "If a five-year-old girl can become pregnant, so can I." While Lina Medina certainly represents a very atypical experience, Wikipedia lists several cases of motherhood occurring at the age of 10 or less. Contrary to common public perception and expectation, human reproduction occurs quite easily and extremely frequently, at a rate of 4 births every second. (137 million births each year/31.6 million seconds in a year)
The data presented in the following table indicates 5.1% (1 out of 20) teenage girls under the age of 18 become pregnant each year in the U.S.. While the pregnancy rate varies from region to region and from racial group to racial group, on average one girl out of every two high school classrooms becomes pregnant each year. The reason why we don't see this many obviously pregnant school-age girls is, 43% (nearly half) of these pregnancies don't result in live births, as a result of abortion or miscarriage. Since every girl of reproductive age isn't engaging in partnered sex with a boy, the risk of pregnancy is greater for those who are.
It is estimated that if 100 women engage in unprotected sexual intercourse for one year, by the end of that year 85 of them will be pregnant. What the individual woman doesn't know is, whether she will become pregnant the first or last time she engages in unprotected sex during that 12 month period. Even when a couple uses birth control, there is still a risk of pregnancy.
The following table presents information about teenage birth rates, which exclude abortions and miscarriages. Approximately 42-58% of teenage pregnancies don't reach full term, depending on the age group. (Since some of the statistics presented in these two tables are based on estimations, it introduces the probability for some degree of error.)
Even though the percentage of teenage girls giving birth is relatively small, when you consider the entire population of the U.S., the resulting number of births aren't so small.
As the following chart illustrates, the number of live births provides only part of the picture, as young teens are more likely to end their pregnancy. "Abortion ratios were highest for adolescents aged <15 years (764 per 1,000 live births)..." This means the total number of pregnancies for teens aged 14 and under was around 11,282 in 2006. Source
"Accidents" are extremely common, and have a potential negative consequence for teens.
"In 2006, a total of 435,427 infants were born to mothers aged 15–19 years, a birth rate of 41.9 live births per 1,000 women in this age group. More than 80% of these births were unintended, meaning they occurred sooner than desired or were not wanted at any time. Although pregnancy and birth rates among girls aged 15–19 years have declined 34% since 1991, birth rates increased for the first time in 2006 (from 40.5 per 1,000 women in this age group in 2005 to 41.9 in 2006). It is too early to tell whether this increase is a trend or a one-time fluctuation in teen birth rates." CDC
"When teens give birth, their future prospects and those of their children decline. Teen mothers are less likely to complete high school and more likely to live in poverty than other teens. Pregnant teens aged 15–19 years are less likely to receive prenatal care and gain appropriate weight and more likely to smoke than pregnant women aged 20 years or older. These factors are also associated with poor birth outcomes." CDC
If nothing else, the presence of 6,757,540,531 (6.7 billion) people on this planet, as of 2/09, should provide proof that pregnancies don't occur by chance or accident, but by design. Male and female sexual desire don't merely indicate, "Lets have sex," rather "Lets make a baby."
"Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) remain a major public health challenge in the United States." CDC
"Approximately 18.9 million new cases of STD occurred in 2000, of which 9.1 million (48%) were among persons aged 15-24. Three STDs (human papillomavirus, trichomoniasis and chlamydia) accounted for 88% of all new cases of STD among 15-24-year-olds. " [1]
Given that 15-24 year olds represent 14.2 percent of the U.S. population, there are around 43.2 million of you. Based on the above quote, 9.1 million or 21 percent (1 out of 5) will contract an STD this year, though only a fraction of you will actually be diagnosed. That is around 3 to 4 students in every high-school-sized classroom. This means, if you are engaging in partnered sex, that results in the exchange of body fluids, you have a significant chance of acquiring an STD this year. These statistics also indicate that a sizeable percentage of young adults already have an STD and are spreading it to their partner(s); STDs don't form out of thin air, you acquire them from another person.
Teenage girls and women experience greater risk than do teenage boys and men when it comes to the potential consequences of partnered sex, when there is the transfer of body fluids.
"In addition to the burden on youth, women are also severely affected. Biological factors place women at greater risk than men for the severe health consequences of STDs. The two most commonly reported infectious disease in the America — chlamydia and gonorrhea — pose a particular risk to health of women, as both can result in infertility if left untreated. Together these diseases were reported in almost 1.5 million Americans in 2007, but the majority of cases continue to go undiagnosed." CDC
Based on the data presented in the table shown above, 1 out of 33 young women aged 15 to 24 will be diagnosed with chlamydia this year, and 1 out of 100 young men aged 20 to 24 will also be diagnosed with chlamydia. This means 1 out of 33 young women are potentially at risk for diseases like pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Please note that these statistics apply to only this one STD, and the overall risk is much greater when all STDs are taken into consideration.
Note: Only recently, we learned that kissing that results in the transfer of saliva may spread HPV, to the mouth and throat, which can result in a rare form of throat cancer. [ABC News Article and Video]
The unfortunate truth is, young couples that "exchange body fluids" during partnered sex have a 1 in 5 chance of spreading an STD. Those under the age of 18 have a 1 in 20 chance of becoming pregnant, and those aged 18 and 19, a 1 in 14 chance of pregnancy. Since all persons within these age groups aren't exchanging body fluids, it means the chances of acquiring an STD or becoming pregnant are greater for those who are. Those aren't very good odds are they? I'm not using scare tactics, simply reporting the truth, as unpleasant as it may be.
Teen Sexual Health Summary 2011 - PDF
If you are exchanging body fluids then you are "sexually active," even if technically you are a "virgin" or "inexperienced." Having or having had one sexual partner means you are "sexually experienced."
If young couples desire to avoid pregnancy and STDs these truths don't rule out their participating in sexual activities together, but it is enormously beneficial if they view "sex" as more than just penile/vaginal intercourse. The details are presented below.
Jump to Pregnancy Rates for Different Birth Control Methods.
Jump to Sex With Decreased Risk of Pregnancy.
Next Section: The Fox Guards the Hen House
References:
Title: Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 2004;36(1):6-10.
Authors: Weinstock H, Berman S, Cates, Jr., W.
Abstract
CONTEXT: In the United States, young people aged 15-24 represent 25% of the sexually experienced population. However, the incidence and prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among this age-group are unknown.
METHODS: Data from a variety of sources were used to estimate the incidence and prevalence of STDs among 15-24-year-olds in the United States in 2000. The quality and reliability of the estimates were categorized as good, fair or poor, depending on the quality of the data source.
RESULTS: Approximately 18.9 million new cases of STD occurred in 2000, of which 9.1 million (48%) were among persons aged 15-24. Three STDs (human papillomavirus, trichomoniasis and chlamydia) accounted for 88% of all new cases of STD among 15-24-year-olds.
CONCLUSIONS: These estimates emphasize the toll that STDs have on American youth. More representative data are needed to help monitor efforts at lowering the burden of these infections.
2 Appendix M - Data on nonmaritial birth to adults and teenagers and federal strategies to reduce nonmarital pregnancies. Source
3 Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America by John D'Emilio, Estelle B. Freedman 1988
4 "Prenuptial pregnancy rates varied by region and over time. The high rates of up to thirty percent of all brides for the mid-seventeenth-century Chesapeake declined in the eighteenth century, while the low ten-percent rate of early New England rose significantly during the same period. There is little data for the middle colonies, but in one eighteenth-century community, Germantown, Pennsylvania, one-fourth of all first births occurred under nine months after marriage, a pattern that reflected in part the premarital pregnancy rates in the settlers' German homeland." Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America by John D'Emilio, Estelle B. Freedman 1988 Pg. 23
