But it's impossible to look at someone and know if they're really at risk. STDs don't discriminate. You can't tell someone's STD status based on age, race, or socioeconomic factors. Until modern medicine makes sense of the muddle, women must take charge of their own STD screening. Our very lives depend on it.
Women also face the added threat of transmitting infections to their unborn children.
The tragic consequences can include premature birth, low birth weight, conjunctivitis, blindness, pneumonia, neurological problems, and congenital abnormalities. To avoid these disasters, women need to step forward and get routine annual STD screening. Get tested before having sex with someone new instead of checking for infection after the fact. Find out whether your health plan covers STD screening and head to a public clinic if it doesn't. Fess up to all the nitty-gritty, and never succumb to embarrassment.