Health Wanted: Sexual Health
HEALTH WANTED, a weekly radio show and podcast produced in partnership with WABE, brings need-to-know public health headlines and breaks down the science behind trending topics.
The Episode
The topic: Sexual health plays a critical role in overall well-being, and having open conversations about it is vital to decreasing stigma and increasing wellness. This week on Health Wanted, host Laurel Bristow and guest Candice Hargons, PhD, discuss some of the most common sexually transmitted infections, effective prevention methods, and the importance of sexual education.
The takeaway: Sexual health is a normal and critical part of overall health, even if it can feel uncomfortable to talk about. While recent trends show fewer people having sex and a significant decrease in rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), millions of people in the U.S. still acquire STIs each year, which can have serious health impacts.
- Recent trends for adults and teenagers show that fewer people are having sex in the U.S. compared to the past few decades, which may contribute to the fact that STI rates in the U.S. dropped by 2% in 2023 after a 42% increase from 2011-2021. This decrease could also be attributed to increased condom use; the rise of FDA-approved at-home tests for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia; and the increased use of antibiotics after having unprotected sex.
- Young adults are an especially important population to consider in sexual health education. In 2023, nearly half of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia cases were found in people aged 15-24. However, fewer than half of U.S. states mandate that sexual education courses discuss condom use.
- Syphilis is a bacterial infection that has four stages. If left untreated, it can lead to severe damage to multiple organ systems. Gonorrhea is also a bacterial infection, and many people have no or mild symptoms. With or without symptoms, untreated gonorrhea can lead to infertility in men and women. Chlamydia is very similar in that it can also impact reproductive health, and not all people show symptoms.
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV) can also be transmitted through sexual contact. HPV can cause genital warts and certain cancers, depending on the strain. It is extremely common, and estimates show that nearly everyone will have an HPV infection at some point in their life, but vaccines are available to prevent it! HSV can cause oral and genital herpes. While HSV infection lasts a lifetime, the use of antivirals, barrier methods, and abstinence can reduce the chance of passing on the virus during sex.
The Interview
The guest: Candice Hargons, PhD
The key takeaways:
- The definition of sex is expanding beyond penetrative penile-vaginal intercourse. People are exploring and engaging in different types of sex, such as oral, digital, or through video chat. Not only are these options just as fulfilling, but they can also be safer.
- Comprehensive sexual education is essential for addressing the misinformation and stigma surrounding sex. Sexual education should start early in life and evolve across a lifespan, from teaching body autonomy to young children to discussions on consent, pleasure, and pornography literacy as they grow older. Parental involvement can be crucial in these conversations, especially since many schools and teachers may not be prepared to lead them.
- Some marginalized communities experience disproportionately high rates of STIs due to factors like poverty, religious stigma, lack of access to health care or comprehensive sexual education, and shame surrounding sexual health discussions. These challenges can all make it more difficult for people to engage in safe sexual practices or seek out sexual health care.
- The concept of “sexual liberation” encourages individuals to prioritize consensual, fulfilling sexual experiences that enhance both their emotional and physical well-being. When individuals are aware of their desires and able to share them with their partners, it leads to healthier and more enjoyable sexual experiences for everyone involved.
The Listener Questions
Why are babies vaccinated for hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is a virus that causes cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. It can be spread through sexual contact and shared needles, but that's because it’s spread via bodily fluids, including blood. Sexual contact is not the only way it’s spread.
Hepatitis B is also extremely contagious: 50 to 100 times more contagious than HIV. It can be spread through casual contact with small amounts of blood, like on a shared toothbrush, washcloth, or razor.
In the U.S., an estimated 2.4 million people have hepatitis B, and most people don’t know they have it until years later when it begins to cause liver damage. 90% of kids who are infected with hepatitis B within the first year of life become chronic carriers.
The reason that we vaccinate at birth is two-fold. First, vaccines given within 24 hours after delivery reduce the risk of hepatitis B being passed on from an infected mother to their child by 75%. The other reason it’s recommended after birth is to give the infant some level of protection from infection in the first 10 weeks of life before regular vaccine appointments begin.
Should alcohol have a cancer warning?
The departing Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, recently released an advisory calling for more awareness of the link between alcohol consumption and increased risk of cancer. He specifically said that the government warning on alcoholic drinks should be updated.
The advisory is based on decades of research, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Data shows that the more alcohol you drink, the greater your risk of developing certain cancers: breast (in women), colorectal, esophageal, liver, mouth, throat, and voice box.
Someone who drinks an average of two drinks per day is at higher risk of alcohol-related cancers than someone who drinks an average of one or fewer drinks a week, but some of the cancers (such as breast) can increase with a small amount of regular alcohol consumption.
The increases aren’t huge, but people drink a lot of alcohol in this country, and as a result, it’s the third leading cause of preventable cancer. Plus, most Americans don’t even know there’s an association between alcohol and cancer, so it’s a good idea to get more education out there for people to make informed decisions. But, it is unclear how much impact a label would have on behavior.
Catch all the listener questions and Laurel’s answers on the full episode of Health Wanted by:
- Streaming at wabe.org or the WABE app
- Subscribing on Apple or Spotify
- Watching on WABE's YouTube channel
