Young People's Guide to
Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)
and AIDS/HIV Disease
- Index of images
- Complete list of STDs
- Short STD guide in various languages
- Reproductive anatomy Diagrams
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Message to parents
- Anatomy of the sex organs
- Physiology of the sex organs
- STDs
- How to check yourself for STDs
- AIDS
- How to prevent getting STDs and AIDS
- How to use a condom
Physiology (How it works)
The menstrual cycle
The changes that go on in a women's body are very complicated but the main purpose is to prepare a women's body to get pregnant.
The first day of the cycle is the first day of bleeding. Since pregnancy did not occur, the hormones(estrogen and progesterone) stop being produced and the lining of the uterus falls off and comes out of the vagina as blood and clots.
During the first few days of the cycle, the ovary (on one side or the other) is producing follicles which contain an egg and are secreting estrogen. One of these eggs matures. The increase of estrogen that is being secreted by the maturing eggs signals the brain to release other hormones and it signals the uterus to develop. The hormones from the brain (actually the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus) signals the ovary to release its egg (called ovulation). After the egg is released, the left over follicle keeps on producing estrogen and also produces progesterone. There is a complex interaction between the hormones from the brain and those from the female sex organs.(see below)
After ovulation, the egg travels down the tube on its way toward the uterus. If it meets a sperm along the way, they may join together (fertilization) and start to form an embryo which lands in the blood rich lining of the uterus and there it grows into a fetus.
Hormones
Estrogen - A chemical made by the ovaries that has many effects on women's bodies including:- development of the female reproductive organs (Vagina, uterus, breasts) during puberty.
- signaling the brain and the reproductive organs during the menstrual cycle to have
effects.
- giving women their shape by regulating fatty layers.
- Stopping the growth of bones (most girls do not grow much after puberty).
- Many chemical functions in the body.
- preparing the uterus to accept a fertilized egg.
- helping to regulate the menstrual cycle.
- helping to maintain a healthy uterus during pregnancy.
Puberty
This is a time in a young person's life when there sexual organs become mature. The hormones that affect sexual urges get active during this time and affect the different parts of the body.In girls, their bodies are changing to develop the curves of the hips and the breasts. Body hair in the armpits and in the genital area develops. The girls sex organs mature and the menstrual period begins. Puberty usually begins between the age of nine to fifteen.
In boys the period of puberty usually begins later than in girls. Body hair starts to develop, their voice becomes lower and the sex organs get larger and they are able to make sperm.
In both boys and girls the hormonal changes in the body make them have strong sexual feelings. Boys will get an erection easily by just thinking about sex. Both boys and girls will get a warm, tingling feeling in their bodies especially in their private parts. These feelings are very powerful and it is important to learn to handle them. All grownups get these feelings and they have learned to control them.
How babies are made and prevented
As mentioned in the discussion of the menstrual cycle, an egg gets released by an ovary each month in women and if it meets a sperm in the right place in the fallopian tube it becomes fertilized and starts to grow into a baby. Babies can be prevented by not allowing the egg and sperm to get together.
Birth control methods
Abstinence (not having sex) is the most effective way to avoid having babies or getting an STD. If you don't have sex, you can't get pregnant or get an STD. Even though it sometimes doesn't seem like it, many teens are not having sex. Many teens wait until they are older before becoming sexually active.The birth control pill is a very common and very effective form of birth control. The pill (also called oral contraceptives) stops an egg from being released from the ovary. The advantage of the pill is that it is very effective and the woman does not have to do anything else except take a pill once a day. Its disadvantage is that it does not protect the woman against STDs or HIV disease so a condom should be used along with taking the pill to avoid these diseases.
Condoms ("rubbers") have been used to prevent women from getting pregnant for a long time. They are very effective if used properly and they have the added benefit of helping to prevent STDs and HIV disease. If you choose to have sex, condoms may be the most important thing you can do to protect yourself from an unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases and HIV infection. When condoms were first invented over a hundred years ago, they were made of sheep's intestines and it is still possible to find lambskin condoms which are the same. These type of condoms will not fully protect you against STDs and should not be used. Instead, you should always use latex condoms which are made of a type of rubber.
The diaphragm is an effective means of birth control. It is a round rubber shield-like barrier that is put inside the vaginal before having sex. It is filled with a jelly or cream that contains a chemical (called nonoxynol-9) that kills sperm. Although it has some protection against STD's, It is not very effective for this and condoms should be used along with the diaphragm for protection.
A newer form of birth control is a hormone injection or implant that can prevent pregnancy. The injection is given every three months or it is placed under the skin where it is slowly released into the body.
The IUD or intrauterine device is a piece of special wire that is placed into the uterus by a health provider where it can stay for years. It disturbs the environment inside the uterus making it not possible to have a fetus growing in it. There is a small string that dangles out of the cervix to allow for its removal. Its disadvantage is that it offers no protection against STDs and AIDS. It is no longer as commonly used as it used to be partially because having an IUD may make a woman more likely to get STDs because of the string that sticks out into the vagina.
Some couples use a technique called withdrawal or the rhythm method to prevent getting pregnant. In this technique, the man withdraws or pulls out his penis from the vagina just before he has an orgasm (comes). Since no semen enters the vagina, the woman cannot get pregnant. This method has several problems. First of all it offers no protection against STDs. It is also very difficult to time the withdrawal properly when the couple is in the heat of passion and some semen may enter the vagina. Also, before a man comes, a small amount of fluid(called pre-ejaculatory fluid) is released by the penis and this enters the woman. This fluid, although it is only a small amount, may contain some semen and the woman may get pregnant.
Although it is not a real birth control method, abortion is a way to end a pregnancy. In an abortion, the developing fetus is removed from the uterus and it cannot survive outside. If it is early in the pregnancy, the uterus is scraped with a tool that is pushed through the cervix. If it is late in the pregnancy, some water is injected into the uterus and this stops the pregnancy and the fetus is pushed out through the vagina as in a normal delivery of a baby. There is a lot of controversy about abortions since many people believe it is the same as killing a human being. Of course it is better to avoid getting pregnant than to have to be in the position of thinking about abortion.
Sterilization is a means of permanently changing the normal anatomy so it is impossible to have a child. In women, the fallopian tubes are cut and the ends are sown up. This prevents an egg (or sperm) from traveling down the tube. In men, the vas deferens is cut and the ends sown up to prevent sperm from traveling from the testicles to the urethra. This is called a vasectomy. Although I said these were permanent changes, it is possible to reconnect these tubes in both men and women but it is a difficult operation and it doesn't always work.
Male Physiology
Testicular function - When a boy starts to get physically mature, the testicles start to produce more testosterone which is the male sex hormone. The testicles also become able to produce sperm .Testosterone - the male sex hormone gives boys and men the lower voice, the hair on the face and body, and the bulkier muscles. Since girls have much less of this hormone, they have higher voices, less body hair and less bulging muscles.
Sperm production - Takes place in the testicles and is controlled by the hormone testosterone.
Semen - this is the fluid that squirts out of the penis when a man has an orgasm. It is made of three fluids. Most of it (90-95%) comes from the prostate gland and the seminal vesicles and only a small part of it is actual sperm which comes from the testicles.
Libido - this is the sex drive or urge that men (& women) have. A persons libido increases during the teen years since the hormones that control this increases during these years.
Erection (include size of penis) - The penis increases in size during sexual excitement because it gets filled with blood. There usually seems to be a lot of concern with the size of the penis in boys (and men). There is a big difference in the size of the penis when it is erect or not erect. In adult men the erect size varies from five to seven inches but it may be smaller or bigger in some cases. Teenage boys can get an erection easily since they have a new increase in the sex hormone testosterone.
Orgasm - During sex with another person or alone (called masturbation), a climax is reached where semen squirts out of the urethral opening. An intense feeling occurs which lasts for a very short time.