Women urged to seek STD testing within 12 months of first intercourse.

Source: AMA Morning Rounds 12/8/09

Women urged to seek STD testing within 12 months of first intercourse.

The Los Angeles Times (12/7, Roan) "Booster Shots" blog reported, "Young women should be screened for sexually transmitted diseases within a year of first intercourse and should be retested every three to four months if an infection is found, according to a study published...in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine." Indeed, the "US Preventive Services Task Force and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommendations for STD screening, but those documents are somewhat vaguely worded." The work conducted by researchers at Indiana University, however, "suggests that starting at a young age and conducting regular screening may prevent many health problems," such as pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancy, in the years to come.