Sexually Transmitted Diseases

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Talking to Your Teen About Chlamydia

Ask any group of parents about the one subject they dread discussing with their teenagers, and chances are that ninety percent of them will say it's that three letter word - you know the one_ S E X. Talking to your kids about sex is seldom easy - and talking to them about the even more unpleasant subject of sexually transmitted diseases is even more difficult. If you have a teenage son or daughter, though, talking to them about chlamydia is vitally important. Here are some facts to consider.

-- Approximately one in every twenty teenage girls has chlamydia - and doesn't know it.

-- In some populations, the numbers are even higher. For African-American girls, it's one in ten.

-- In a study of young men between the ages of 20 and 24, 8% of them had chlamydia, and 98% of those had no idea that they had it - or could be infecting others with it.

-- In 50%-90% of cases, chlamydia has no symptoms at all.

-- If it's not treated, chlamydia can cause infertility in either boys or girls. It has also been implicated in cervical cancer, pelvic inflammatory disease, prostatis, urethritis, fallopian scarring and other disorders of the reproductive system.

-- Chlamydia is the leading cause of conjunctivitis in newborns, which can cause blindness - and in pneumonia in newborns, which can be fatal.

-- Treating chlamydia is a simple matter of taking antibiotics - and avoiding sex with infected partners.

Obviously, there are some very good reasons to make sure that your teenage son or daughter knows about chlamydia - and takes precautions to avoid becoming infected. The more your son or daughter knows, the more likely it is that they will avoid having unprotected sex - which is the number one way that chlamydia is spread. If the thought of discussing such a delicate subject with your princess or 'dude' is uncomfortable, here are some suggestions to make it easier for you.

1. Pick your time. It's actually a lot easier to make it a 'casual' discussion than to make it a 'big deal' by seeking your teen out specifically to bring it up. One suggestion that works well for a lot of parents is to broach uncomfortable subjects when you're driving your teen somewhere. There's a natural end to the conversation that way, and it always seems a little easier to talk while you're doing something else.

2. Don't introduce the subject with 'I want to talk to you about something'. It's an almost surefire way to turn off their ears. Instead, start with a casual statement like "I ran into a web page about chlamydia today and it made me wonder how much you know about it', or a question like, "Have you guys talked about sexually transmitted diseases in health class yet?"

3. This is not the time to make judgments. Seriously. There's nothing stopping you from using the opportunity to declare your beliefs about teenage sex or whether or not your daughter should be sexually active at all. It's important for them to know, however, that you value their lives and their health above all else. Making sure that your child has the information that he needs to take care of himself is the most important thing.

4. Don't go into lecture mode. Instead of giving facts, ask questions. "Have you heard about this? What do you know about that?" They may surprise you with what they know - and what they don't can give you the opening to give them facts.

5. Give them credit for being young adults. One of the hardest things to do is to step back and offer your teen the privacy to seek screening and treatment without you knowing. Tell them "If you are ever worried, but embarrassed to talk to me about it, these are some places where you can talk to a doctor or nurse about it'. It's not condoning bad behavior - it's promoting responsible health care.

The consequences of untreated chlamydia far outweigh the sensitivity of the subject. If even after thinking it through, you still can't bring yourself to broach the subject of chlamydia and preventing it, find a web site that gives the facts in clear, easy to understand language. Just jot it down and leave it on their desk. They'll get the message.

I hope this sexually transmitted diseases article was helpful to you, no matter how much... or how little it had to do with sexually transmitted diseases.

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