I had no idea, until I read in The Globe and Mail today that the primary reason was syphilis. My first thought was “that seems reasonable”, but then I thought back and tried to remember if Paul and I had one before we got married. I couldn’t recall, so I asked him – apparently, we didn’t.

“Now, very few states still require a blood test,” she writes. “This testing has been phased out because syphilis was considered virtually eradicated.” It was also thought to be a burden on taxpayers because the screening targeted people in generally monogamous relationships, a low-risk group.

Image: stock.xchng

I can’t imagine finding out your partner has a sexually transmitted disease while you are in the final stages of marriage preparation is a fun experience for anyone. Though I wonder what percentage of the time that actually came up when the tests were mandatory.

In any case, sharing medical history, issues and important information before you get married still seems to be a good idea. You are signing up to be with someone for the rest of your life – you should know what you’re getting, right?

Post from: Blisstree

Marriage and Blood Tests

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.

~~~

Image: Stock.xchng

Post from: Blisstree

Syphilis outbreak among Oklahoma teens

And, oh, how I wish they did. Maybe with a big ol’ piece of senselessnesscidal latex wrapped around my brain I wouldn’t be dangerously exposed to half the nonsense I’m exposed to on a daily basis.

Overlook me. I’m in a mood, and I’ve just watched House, so, yeah, totally unnecessary sarcasm abounds.

So, anyway, to the point. I’ve just watched House and I learned a new word: neurosyphilis.

Now, I’m not completely ignorant. I know what neuro means, and I know what syphilis is. And, I even know that when left untreated, syphilis can wreak havoc on your brain.

I’d just never, for whatever reason, heard the term neurosyphilis before tonight.

Anyway, like I pointed out in the title, they don’t make condoms for our brains. This unfortunate lack of brain condoms clearly means two things:

1. You need to wear a condom. If not out of fear of unwanted pregnancy and disease, then at least out of fear of mental meltdown later on down the road.
2. I’m going to have to think of new ways to safeguard my brain against nonsense.

To learn more about neurosyphilis and the four types of neurosyphilis, I recommend Medline Plus’s pretty thorough entry on the matters.

Image source and credit.

Show the world you’re not full of nonsense by entering the Mental Health Notes This Is Why I ROCK! series.

Post from: Blisstree

They Don’t Make Condoms For Your Brain, You Know