Sex Education Essay: Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Discuss normal body changes that occur through puberty into young adulthood

Puberty is the stage at, which growing boys and girls undergo sexual and physical, maturation. The beginning of puberty may differ among individuals depending on the environmental and the nutritional influences to the changes. Puberty in girls usually begins between the age of 10 to 14 years while in boys it starts later between the age of 12 to 16 years. The first sign of puberty in boys is the increase in the testicular volume and also the penile length while girls are the appearance of the breast buds. Other physical changes that occur during puberty are as follows

Physical changes in girls

In girls, hips broaden and become rounded while the shoulders are slender. The development of the breast (breast buds).There is growth of hair in both the armpit and the pubic area. Increased development of the fatty and subcutaneous tissue that lead to development to the rounded contours. The occurrence of the menstrual cycle, during, which the first few cycles may be irregular and painful. Girls gain about 8cms in height, the height increase is estimated to last for two to three years.

Changes in boys

In boys, there is development of strong and broader shoulders, while the hips remain slender. Muscles develops enabling them to perform heavy tasks. They register increase in testicular volume at the expense of the seminiferous tubules and increased penile length. The voice breaks, this is due to the enlargement of the larynx, and the vocal cords lengthen. Accelerated growth, boys, grow about ten centimetres in height between 13 to 15 years. The occurrence of the nocturnal emission which may not have sperms at puberty.

Discuss specific STDs, causes, symptoms, complications and treatment

. Interest in sexual experience increases when one attains puberty, due to the appearance of sex characteristics and hormonal development. Therefore, the individuals at the puberty stage need to be educated about their sexual development so that they can adjust to the changes. If the teens become sexually active at puberty, they are at risk of acquiring HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and also early pregnancy. Compared to the older adults the teens in their puberty stage, are at a higher risk of acquiring STDs infections, due to behavioural, biologic and cultural reasons. The sexually transmitted diseases are diseases transferred from one person to another through anal, virginal and oral sex. Examples of the STDs include gonorrhoea, chlamydia, herpes, HIV, syphilis, and HPV.

Gonorrhoea

Gonorrhoea is a bacterial infection caused by bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoea that can affect both men and women and mainly affects the genitals, rectum and the throat. It is a common infection amongst the young adults due to the hormonal change. The signs and symptoms include frequent pain during urination, anal discharge, white, yellow, or green urethra discharge, fever, painful sexual intercourse vulvar swelling and bleeding in between periods.

Treatment

If the test for gonorrhoea is positive, the individual and their partner will need to undergo treatment which will involve, abstaining from sexual intercourse until completion of the treatment since there is still the risk of spreading the infection. Antibiotics, the doctor is likely to give a shot (ceftriaxone) and an oral medication. Testing after the treatment, it is always appropriate to be tested again to check if the treatment worked.

Complications.

There is the need for quick treatment and diagnosis of the disease if the symptoms occur to eliminate the potential severe complications, which include, infertility, pelvic inflammatory, epididymitis and chronic pelvic pain.

Syphilis

It is a sexually transmitted disease that can cause serious health problems if not treated. Syphilis is divided into stages that are primarily, secondary, latent and tertiary with different signs and symptoms at each step. An individual with primary syphilis has a sore at the genitals around the anus or in the rectum. The sores are usually round in shape and painless. Symptoms of secondary syphilis include skin rash, sore throat, joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, and fever. The latent syphilis stage has no signs and symptoms while the tertiary syphilis is linked to severe health problems.

Treatment

Abstinence, one should avoid sex until the sores heal and one has completed his or her antibiotic treatment. Antibiotics, the antibiotics kill the syphilis bacterium stopping it from further damages in the body.

Complications.

In case of no treatment, syphilis is likely to progress causing damage to the brain, eyes, bones, and nerves, leading to paralysis, blindness or loss of feeling in the body

Chlamydia

Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease caused by bacteria called chlamydia trachomatis that live in the uterus, urethra, vagina, cervix and sometime in the throat. It occurs in both male and female and is spread through unprotected sex, anal sex, and sharing sex toys. The signs and symptoms of chlamydia include bleeding between periods, bleeding after sex, lower abdominal pain, and unusual abdominal discharge, pain when passing urine and pain in the testicles.

Treatment

Chlamydia is treated with antibiotics whereby if the prescriptions of the treatment are followed the outcome is usually over 95% effective in the treatment.

Complication

Without proper treatment, the disease can spread to other parts of the body causing complications, thi include, pelvic inflammatory disease, pain and inflammation in the liver and also infertility

Herpes

Genital herpes is a viral infection of the genitals but can also affect other parts of the body. Genital herpes is caused by one of 2 type of herpes that is herpes simplex1 and herpes simplex 2. The viruses can also affect the mouth causing cold sores; this mainly occurs due to oral sex. The signs and symptoms are sores, pain during urination, fever headache and other flu-like symptoms like pain and itching around genital areas.

Treatment

Use of antiviral medication to supress the infection. There is no specific cure yet

Complications

Herpes increases the chances of spread of HIV; pregnant mothers need the caesarean section to protect their babies from infection.

HPV

A common sexually transmitted disease affects most individuals in their late teens and late 20s. There are many types of HPV some of which cause various health problems including genital warts and cancers. HPV is spread through skin contact and sexual contact that is oral, anal and virginal sex. The signs and symptoms are the presence of warts in the genitals, penis, and the anus.

Treatment

The HPV can be treated through medical prescription, and the surgical removal of genital warts. The complication brought by HPV includes the occurrence of cancer and genital warts.

Human immune deficiency virus HIV

Aids is caused by human immune deficiency virus found in blood, semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk of infected individual. HIV is spread through unprotected sex, which is oral, anal or vaginal sex. HIV can also be spread through paternal infection where the mother spreads to the baby during birth. Breastfeeding by an infected mother can also transmit the virus to the baby through the milk. The signs and symptoms are fever, diarrhoea, joint pain, headaches, weight loss, and swollen glands

Treatment

HIV is treated using active antiretroviral therapy, the ant- HIV medication will not cure HIV but will reduce the viral level. HIV an also be avoided through abstinence from sex to prevent the spread of the virus. Also, avoid the sharing or sharp objects such as needles and knives

Complications.

People with HIV but do not get treatment are likely to acquire cancer mainly the cancer of the immune system.

Pregnancy and prevention.

A female is likely to get pregnant from sexual intercourse after attaining the puberty, the stage at which the female start experiencing the menstrual cycle. Concerns about teenage pregnancy are that the teenage females are not physically developed to sustain a healthy pregnancy. The adolescent pregnancy puts them at risk of premature labour, low birth weight, and anaemia. In most developed countries the teenage pregnancy is associated with poverty, low education, and social class.

Prevention.

Promotion of birth controls to minimise the dangers of unintended teenage pregnancies.

Educating responsible sexual behaviour such as the use of condoms through an open discussion on the reproductive health

Reference

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). Sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines, 2015. Annals of Emergency Medici

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