Most Americans who have a sexually transmitted infection contracted it from an unfaithful partner, according to a new survey.
Fifty-five percent of people who have ever contracted a sexually transmitted infection (STI) admitted that they got it because their boyfriend or girlfriend cheated on them, became infected, and then, knowingly or unknowingly, passed it on to them.
And nearly half of people surveyed never discussed their STD status with their partners, while about one in eight said their cheating partner lied about their STD status.
Among those with an infection, the most common was chlamydia, followed by gonorrhea and genital herpes.
About 20 million Americans test positive for STDs each year, an alarming statistic that experts say is symptomatic of a larger public health crisis that has seen disease rates reach historic highs.
An estimated 55 percent of Americans with sexually transmitted infections contracted them from an unfaithful partner, according to a nationally representative survey.
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The survey, conducted by News from citas.comasked 1,000 Americans ages 18 to 79 across the country about their sexual habits, including STD screening practices, and how worried they are about contracting an infection.
Nearly one in five respondents (18 percent) reported having been diagnosed with an STI.
Chlamydia was the most common infection, accounting for 36 percent of cases, followed by gonorrhea with 30 percent and genital herpes, which affected 24 percent of people.
The key to preventing infections and slowing the spread is communication and honesty about a person’s health status regarding an STD. Hiding one’s health status from one’s partner increases the chances of the other person being exposed or contracting a potentially serious infection without them knowing, which means they may not know they should get tested.
According to the survey, more than one in three Americans have never been tested for STIs, including more than half of Baby Boomers (people born between 1946 and 1964) and 33 percent of Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996).
Young people in their 20s and 30s typically have the highest rates of STDs, but those rates are skyrocketing among older adults. Chlamydia diagnoses in people 65 and older have more than tripled since 2010, while gonorrhea cases have increased roughly sixfold and syphilis cases have increased nearly tenfold.
The two maps show how the rate of syphilis cases in the United States has changed since 2013.
People unaware of their status often do not receive timely treatment, and untreated STIs can have lifelong consequences including infertility, increased risk of HIV, pregnancy complications, cancer and brain damage.
Many people do not get tested because they are embarrassed or afraid of being judged by healthcare professionals and peers. Others do not get tested because they lack access to healthcare services or cannot afford them.
The lack of standardized sex education in schools also means that many Americans don’t understand their risks of contracting diseases, how to protect themselves, the signs to look out for, and the importance of regular screening.
Regular STD testing is crucial, particularly for women, who They often have more serious problems health problems resulting from STDs than men.
CDC recommends annual screening for sexually active people, particularly those under age 25 or those with new or multiple sexual partners.
Between 10 and 15 percent of women with untreated chlamydia develop pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) as well as an infection of the fallopian tubes, which causes permanent damage to the tubes, uterus, and surrounding tissues, which can lead to infertility.
The most common STD in the U.S. is human papillomavirus (HPV), which can damage the DNA of cells and disrupt their growth and death, while also turning off genes that suppress the growth of cancer cells.
Approximately 80 million Americans, or one in four, are infected with HPV, making it the most common STI in the United States.
Over time, DNA damage caused by the virus changes the way cells behave, allowing them to grow and develop into cancerous lesions that can form tumors. This can lead to cancer in a woman’s cervix.
While HPV can be prevented with a vaccine, other infections, such as HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and herpes, cannot be prevented. Using condoms and getting tested regularly are the best and most effective ways to prevent infection.
Syphilis is currently skyrocketing in the United States amid a decades-long surge that health officials say has gone unchecked since 2000.
An annual report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that in 2022, the latest year available, 207,300 cases of STDs (which can cause sores on the genitals and mouth) were diagnosed nationwide.
This marked a 17 percent increase in one year and an 83 percent increase compared to five years ago.
The data also showed a 30 percent increase in cases of congenital syphilis (when a mother passes the disease to her baby), which is of particular concern because it puts babies at risk of stillbirth and birth defects.
Experts have given a variety of reasons for this alarming increase, from declining condom use to stigma and lack of access to preventive care or a lack of symptoms that creates a false sense of security.
About half of people with syphilis do not experience symptoms such as genital sores and rash and only learn of their infection when they are examined by a doctor.
Untreated syphilis can be life-threatening.
Advanced syphilis can cause damage to the heart and blood vessels, neurological complications such as inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, blindness, and nerve damage.
While syphilis cases have been steadily increasing in recent decades, chlamydia rates appear to remain generally stable.
The highest number of chlamydia cases reported in the U.S. since 1985 was 1.8 million in 2019. The annual average from 2020 to 2022, the most recent year for which data is available, was around 1.6 million.
Meanwhile, gonorrhea rates have fluctuated in recent years. Cases rose 22 percent between 2018 and 2021, but fell 9 percent in 2022.
Untreated gonorrhea, like chlamydia, can cause pelvic inflammatory disease and potentially infertility, as well as an increased risk of HIV.
And rates of genital herpes, caused primarily by the herpes simplex virus type 2, Appear relatively flat.
Syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea can be cured with antibiotics. Genital herpes cannot be cured, but it can be prevented by regular use of condoms.
