Comparisons with a previous study demonstrated that females were more sexually active and at younger ages. Younger females also tend to have had sexual intercourse with older male partners (4 years or more). The younger a person is when experiencing sex the more likely they are to not use condoms to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases (STD's). The younger a person is when starting to experience sex the more sexual partners they have. The more sexual partners the more likely a person will get a STD.
This is a significant problem. STDs are the most common reason for infertility in females. Several microbes cause STDs that can go from the vagina up to the uterus and then to the fallopian tubes. While in the fallopian tubes these microbes can damage the tubes making passage of the eggs from the ovary to the uterus impossible. These microbes can also get into the abdomen from the fallopian tubes causing a very serious and sometimes deadly disease called pelvic inflammatory disease or PID. Over 800,000 women get PID each year resulting in over 200,000 hospital stays. Many of these women are unable to have children following these infections. They may have to have surgery to correct problems these infections cause and chronic abdominal pain can result from these surgeries and infections.
The most common causes of PID are bacteria called Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis. Both of these organisms cause a large number of infections each year in the U.S. Neisseria gonorrhoeae causes a STD called gonorrhea. Over 300,000 people get gonorrhea each year. Males with gonorrhea complain of pain when they urinate and of a white discharge coming out of their urethra (the tube that takes urine from the bladder to the end of the penis). Females may complain of similar symptoms except the discharge is usually from the vagina. Unfortunately, many women do not have symptoms when infected by Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Meanwhile the bacterium can spread to other areas in the female's reproductive system causing severe problems like PID.
Chlamydia trachomatis causes a disease called Chlamydia (pretty simple). Four to 5 million cases of chlamydia occur each year in sexually active persons in the U.S. Males complain of pain when urinating
