Casual sex is taking toll on young Bangaloreans

Bangalore Mirror

Bangalore, 30 July 2011:  Gynaecologists warn about rising incidence of sexually transmitted diseases and other infections in young girls due to unprotected sex with multiple partners.

 

Dr Chetan K Nelvigi, consultant gynaecologist at Sagar Hospital, said, “There is an increase in the number of youngsters coming to us with STDs and other vaginal infections. Nowadays, I get on an average 20 such patients in a month, whereas two years ago it was hardly five or six cases.” 

 

The doctor said one of the major reasons for the trend was unprotected sex with multiple partners. “Despite knowing the after effects, young girls these days have become so casual about premarital sex that they rarely insist on the use of protection. They feel that even if they get pregnant, getting an abortion is very easy. Most of the girls who come to us are in the age group of 20 to 30 years, educated and from well-to-do families,” he said. 

 

Dr Padmini Prasad, gynaecologist and sexologist at Ramamani Nursing Home, Rajaji Nagar, also said that the number of women going to her for treatment of STDs and infections has increased. She said, “The highest number of cases I receive are those with herpes infection. While three years ago I used to receive hardly two or three such cases in a month, now I see one or two cases a week. The most common symptoms are the recurrent onset of small multiple rashes or ulcers that are painful. Most such patients are between 20 and 35 years of age.”

The doctors said the trend could be reversed through counselling and spreading awareness among youngsters about the dangerous consequences of their behaviour. “Most of the youngsters, either students or those in the early stages of their career, stay alone in the city and since their families are not there to monitor their activities, try to replicate whatever they see around them. For young girls, getting pregnant and having an abortion done has nowadays become a kind of a joke,” said Dr Chetan.

 

Dr Padmini said there are also cases where married women contracted STDs because of their unfaithful partners.

 

Dr S Anuradha, a consultant gynaecologist at Cloudnine, said she has also witnessed an increase in the number of patients coming with warts. “Cervical warts is a condition that can lead to cancer. The major reason is unprotected sex with multiple partners. The worst part is, even if we warn the patients about the danger of the trend, they take it very casually. Since most of these youngsters keep consulting different doctors, we do not get to know if they have changed their behaviour.”

 

Dr Padmini also said that warts are on the rise. “Three years ago, we used to get hardly four to eight cases in a year, but now the number goes up to even 35.”