Parents Make Teens Less Likely To Talk About STD Risks CDC Reports

More than ten percent of young adults who are sexually active say they wouldn’t seek out sexual or reproductive health care out of concerns that their parents might find out, according to a new analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The group most likely to steer clear of services? Young women between ages 15 and 17. The same study also looked at how having alone time with a doctor — without a parent in the room — changed the conversation. They found that 71 percent of youths who had alone time received a sexual risk assessment, compared to 37 percent of teens who didn’t.

Sexually transmitted diseases are most common among young people, the authors note. That makes STD screening in this group essential for reducing infection rates and catching the disease early to prevent long-term health harms.