- With Mayo Clinic women's health nurse practitioner
Lois McGuire, R.N., M.S.N., W.H.N.P.
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Lois McGuire, R.N., M.S.N., W.H.N.P.
Lois McGuire, R.N., M.S.N., W.H.N.P.
Lois McGuire was a registered nurse in Obstetrics and Gynecology for 20 years. This experience made attending Planned Parenthood of Minnesota for the Women's Health Care Nurse Practitioner Program a natural step. Later she attended Case Western Reserve University to achieve her Master's in Nursing. She has been employed at Mayo Clinic as a nurse practitioner for 15 years. She works with women from adolescence though all the life cycles. Lois is committed to a holistic nursing approach, empowering women to take care of their health.
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Safe sex blog
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Nov. 8, 2008
Adolescent girls most at risk of getting an STD
By Lois McGuire, R.N., M.S.N., W.H.N.P.
The sexually active adolescent girl is most at risk for getting an STD. Adolescents are at a much higher risk of developing STDs. In my blog on the HPV vaccine, I noted that 74 percent of HPV occurs between the ages of 15 and 24.
There are many reasons for adolescent girls to be at an increased risk for disease. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus and extends into the vagina. The opening of the cervix is encircled by a group of cells called the cervical transformation zone. In the adolescent cervix, this area is less developed than the adult female cervix. Here are some of the reasons that may contribute to a young woman's increased risk for disease:
- The cells of the transformation zone are very immature, unstable and constantly in a state of change. This leaves them more vulnerable to bacteria and viruses.
- The cervical cells of an adolescent don't produce cervical mucous as efficiently as someone who is older. The cervical mucous protects against infections.
- The cervix in adolescents may be more susceptible to trauma.
Adolescents and women throughout life are more at risk for contracting an STD due to the ecosystem of the vagina. The vagina is a warm, moist and dark environment. Just like we all learned in science, bacteria and viruses grow best in a warm, moist and dark environment.
Let me give you an example of this increased risk when a girl or young woman is exposed to chlamydia, a sexually transmitted bacterium:
- If a girl had chlamydia and had one act of intercourse with a boy who was not infected, his risk of getting the infection would be 30 percent.
- If a boy had chlamydia and had one act of intercourse with a girl who was not infected, her risk of getting the infection would be 90 percent.
Many girls and young women would reconsider whether they were ready to have intercourse if they understood the physical risk they are taking. If you do feel emotionally ready to take the steps to have intercourse, then protect your physical self by using a condom. This information should empower you to insist on a condom. Remember that any loving partner would willingly wear a condom once they understand the importance of protecting you from disease.
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