Sexually transmitted infections are on the rise. Here ’s what you need to know to protect yourself

UCLA Health Rates of sexually transmitted diseases have risen for the past four years to record highs in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ’slatest analysis. In California, the state health departmentfound that the number of people diagnosed with syphilis, gonorrhea or chlamydia in 2017 was 45 percent higher than five years prior.These sorts of statistics may spark a fear that there ’s little we can do to protect ourselves — but that’s not the full story.Dr. Leena Nathan, an obstetrician/gynecologist at UCLA Health-Westlake Village, consults with people daily about sexual health. Hundreds of people  visit her clinic each week for infection screening, contraception, fertility consultation and various medical and surgical procedures — services also provided at many of themore than 170 UCLA Health medical practices across the greater Los Angeles area.“We all need to be comfortable talking about sexual health,” Nathan said. “The more that we talk about it, the better equipped we are to combat the rising rates of infections transmitted through sex.“When it comes to questions about sexual health, physicians have heard it all, so you can ask us anything. But people should feel empowered to talk about health issues with their sexual partners, too,” Nathan added. “If you’re willing to sleep with someone, you should also be willing to brin g up the topic of protection, which can significantly decrease your risk for ...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news