13.06.2018 · 👁 2,758
Early sexual activity and sexually transmitted infections
Adolescents who become sexually active at an early age face a high risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs), primarily gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, and HIV. Scientists from Yonsei University (Seoul, Korea) came to this conclusion. The research results were published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
The Korean study, which was conducted using data from the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey, analyzed information on 22,381 adolescents with sexual experience. The study results showed that approximately 7.4% of boys and 7.5% of girls were diagnosed with STIs. Moreover, the level of risk increases if adolescents begin sexual intercourse at an early age. Thus, the scientists concluded that, compared with adolescents who first became sexually active at 15–17 years of age, those whose first experience occurred at 13–14 years of age were three times more likely to suffer from an STI.
According to Korean researchers, these results show that early onset of sexual activity increases the chances of contracting an STI, and the younger the age, the higher the risks.