| HEALTH STATUS - Reproductive Health |
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Rates of reportable sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are particularly high among young women. In 1999, chlamydia was the most common infection, with 2,187 cases per 100,000 women aged 20-24, followed by gonorrhea, with 645 cases per 100,000 women aged 20-24. Women aged 20-24 had higher rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea than women aged 25-29. For all three reportable STDs, rates were much higher among Black women than among White and Hispanic women. While syphilis remained relatively rare in 1999 among women in their twenties, infection rates for chlamydia and gonorrhea rose since 1996.
Although these conditions are treatable with antibiotics, STDs can have serious health consequences. Active infections can increase the likelihood of contracting HIV, and untreated STDs can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and adverse outcomes of pregnancy.
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