Many students take advantage of the newfound freedom that comes with college life by immersing themselves in the party scene and making reckless decisions.
This is exactly why one in four college students have contracted a sexually transmitted disease (STD), according to Stanford University’s Sexual Health Peer Resource Center.
One reason the STD rate is so high among college students is because some of the more common STDs, such as chlamydia and gonorrhea, may show little or no noticeable symptoms. A student could have an STD and not even know it.
“A lot of times for females and men, it [chlamydia and gonorrhea] just feels like they have a urinary tract infection. They’re going to the bathroom more often, they’re having a little bit of pressure when they use the bathroom, and sometimes they’ll have a discharge,” said Michelle Reed, director of the University Health Center.  
For some STDs, the only way to detect an infection is through routine
testing. Reed recommends for sexually active to people be tested at least once ayear for STDs.
Many college students engage in promiscuous behavior when intoxicated or under the influence of drugs.
“College students tend to be more sexually active at this stage of their life. Maybe they’re just coming from home, so they’re increasing those risk-taking behaviors. I think alcohol might be a big factor in that,” said Annette Baldwin of the University Counseling Center. “If you’re intoxicated, you’re not going to be making the wisest decisions.”
Avoiding sexual behavior while intoxicated is only one of many precautions one may take to reduce the risk of contracting an STD. Fewer partners means less chance of becoming infected. Monogamous relationships make it easier to ensure neither partner is involved with others who may be infected. Before having sex with a new partner, it is recommended both people get tested.
Most people know the use of condoms can help protect against STDs, but statistics show only 54 percent of students use condoms during vaginal intercourse. This number is reduced to 29 percent during anal sex.
According to ETR Associates, a nonprofit organization seeking to improve the health of communities nationwide, engaging in anal sex puts one in much higher risk for STD infection because tears in the skin and bleeding are more common, and it is also easier for condoms to break.
The ETR suggests that if either partner experiences pain during anal sex, it is best to stop. When switching from anal to vaginal sex, it is necessary to use a new condom.
Limiting oneself to safe sex may seem restricting, but it is worth it to avoid the consequences of an STD.
Those with STDs, especially those that cannot be treated, must not only deal with the physical repercussions following the infection, but emotional repercussions as well.
“The biggest quandary, I think, is the burden to move forward and communicate that to future partners, and how future partners will react to that,” said Baldwin. “I think that they have to go through a grieving process, that life is different now. They have to make other considerations.”
Having an STD can have serious physical and emotional consequences for an individual. It is particularly important to emphasize safe sex during college years, a time in which reckless behavior is prevalent.
For more information on STDs, safe sex and STD testing, call the University Health Center at 985-549-5718.