A new study out has weighed in on the benefits of circumcision – the potential that it can help prevent the spread of the human papillomavirus (HPV). A few forms of HPV are responsible for a significant number of cervical cancer cases, as well as genital warts.

According to an article over at WebMD , the risk of circumcised men contracting genital wards dropped by 25% and contracting HPV by 35%. The article also points out that women who only have one partner and he is circumcised, have a lower chance of developing cervical cancer, according to earlier studies.

Just some fuel to add to the circumcision debate. Now, to find something on breastfeeding…

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Image: iStock

Post from: Blisstree

Could circumcision reduce STD spread?

Those kids were lucky. Why? Syphilis is curable. HIV isn’t. That doesn’t mean that syphilis is harmless – it’s not.

If the syphilis infection isn’t diagnosed in the early or middle stages, it may not be detectable and it can cause great harm. According to the Centers of Disease Control:

The latent (hidden) stage of syphilis begins when primary and secondary symptoms disappear. Without treatment, the infected person will continue to have syphilis even though there are no signs or symptoms; infection remains in the body. This latent stage can last for years.  The late stages of syphilis can develop in about 15% of people who have not been treated for syphilis, and can appear 10 – 20 years after infection was first acquired.  In the late stages of syphilis, the disease may subsequently damage the internal organs, including the brain, nerves, eyes, heart, blood vessels, liver, bones, and joints. Signs and symptoms of the late stage of syphilis include difficulty coordinating muscle movements, paralysis, numbness, gradual blindness, and dementia. This damage may be serious enough to cause death.

As well, a woman who has syphilis and who becomes pregnant is at high risk for having a stillborn child. If the child is born with the infection (undetected), the child may end up with severe health issues within weeks.

It’s hard to get this through to teens. They think that these things won’t happen to them. The sad thing is, they do.

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Image: Stock.xchng

Post from: Blisstree

Syphilis outbreak among Oklahoma teens

Unfortunately, the world has changed significantly since the 70s. Now, sex without a barrier method of protection is like playing Russian Roulette. I don’t think we should even call barrier protection birth control. That’s a misnomer, in my mind. Those barriers are life-savers. They prevent the transmission of illnesses like HIV, which may develop into AIDS.

Of course, there’s also the age-old problem of some men not wanting to wear a condom. They don’t like it makes them feel, they say it takes away from the spur of the moment, the don’t like wearing them, and so on. In many cases, the women have no say and they give in.

Talk of a female condom has been around for years. But now the talk is a reality. Although an earlier version of the female condom has been around for a while, it had its critics. This one, the second generation is supposed to be less expensive and easy to use.

According to this press release issued by the Center for Health & Gender Equity (CHANGE):

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted regulatory approval to the FC2 female condom, a lower-cost, second generation product manufactured by the Female Health Company — a move widely praised by HIV/AIDS and women’s health and rights advocates globally.

“We join women around the world in applauding the FDA’s swift action to approve the FC2 female condom,” stated Serra Sippel, executive director of the Center for Health and Gender Equity. “The HIV pandemic among women requires increased investment in woman-centered prevention options, and FC2 approval is an important step forward in putting the power of prevention in women’s hands.”

Something like this can help women take charge of their lives; it can have a significant impact.

Every girl needs to know how to protect herself before she becomes sexually active. Hopefully, with new products like an affordable and easy-to-use condom, this will be easier to do.

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Images: Newscom.com

Post from: Blisstree

FDA approves new female condom

HPV or genital human papillomavirus is the cause of 70% of cervical cancer cases and 90% of all genital warts. By offering the vaccine to girls and women ages 9-26, the FDA and Merck, the makers of Gardasil®, stand to save 3,700 lives per year.

However, is it the place for our government to MANDATE this vaccine be given to girls before they enter the 6th grade?

I was discussing the issue (before I saw that it had passed the Virginia House of Representatives) with a friend who’s daughter will be starting High School in the fall. We were both struggling with the whole issue, beginning with, is the vaccine safe?

Then we got into the whole discussion of ethics vs. health. I wouldn’t want my child thinking that just because she had received a shot that she now had the green light to have sex or to somehow think she was protected from all STDs. Hopefully I will have done my job as a parent, and she will be able to make the appropriate decisions, but what about all the girls who have not had the proper guidance, upbringing or just make bad decisions?

What if we could give the shot but not tell them what they were being immunized for? Probably not the right way to go about it either.

And from the health standpoint, part of me says, if we can prevent the contraction of HPV and spare the risk of cervical cancer, then yes, we should vaccinate. But shouldn’t that be our decision as parents and as women? Is it right for a bunch of middle aged (mostly male) politicians to think for us?

So now it is your turn! Please give me your thoughts on this issue. Is it an ethical issue or a health issue? Does the government need to mandate this? Oh, and don’t forget to vote in the poll!!

Post from: Blisstree

Should We Immunize Teen Girls Against HPV?