STIs are very common around the world and make many people sick every year.
The complications of these infections can be serious, for example, infertility, ectopic pregnancy (which is a pregnancy that occurs outside of the uterus), stillbirth, congenital diseases, preterm labor and even death. Additionally, STIs may cause inflammation in the genital tract, which increases the risk of HIV infection. That is why prevention and treatment of these infections are so important.
Young people are more at risk of STDs because they are most likely to have sex. However, many teens and young people have not yet found enough knowledge and skills to protect themselves against STDs.
Are girls at greater risk for STDs than boys? Why? Yes, they are. The surface of the female reproductive tract is less resistant than males and is more easily scratched and germs more easily pass into it. At a younger age, girls are at greater risk of STIs because the reproductive organs have not yet fully developed and are more likely to be damaged if they have sex. Sexual fluids of a person with an STI contain germs. The volume of a man's semen is greater than a woman vaginal fluids, so a woman will be exposed to more germs than a man will. In addition, semen remains in the vagina after sexual intercourse, so germs have more opportunity to enter the woman’s body. Not all parts of the female genital tract are visible, and this sometimes causes the woman not to notice the disease, not to seek treatment .