Rotten Bananas and Moldy Muffins: STDs and STD Prevention

Six Women’s and Gender Studies minors held an informational program on Monday to raise awareness about STDs and STD prevention at Sewanee. Seniors Hannah Beath, Amalia Engelberger, Alessandra Cotton, Caroline Murphy, Aimee Johnson, and Emily Susman organized the event as part of their activism project for their seminar class with Dr. Julie Berebitsky.

“We feel like it’s a really important issue on campus,” said Murphy. “[STDs] are really prevalent, but it’s not talked about very often.”

In order to provide the most accurate information possible, the women teamed up with University Health Services Director Karen Tharpe, RN, BA, and family practitioner Natalie Owsley, MSN, FNP-BC. Tharpe and Owsley spoke to the standing-room-only crowd at the Mary Sue Cushman room in the Women’s Center about commonly believed myths, ways to prevent STDs, and testing resources available to students.

Posters the group came up with and put around campus to prompt discussion and raise awareness about STDs 

“It takes a lot of courage to come in [to Health Services] and say ‘I think I have an STD’,” said Tharpe. “So we’re really aware of that and we want you to feel as comfortable as possible when you come in to see us. We talk about this stuff all the time.”

Tharpe and Owsley emphasized the importance of testing for STDs, particularly chlamydia and gonorrhea, which often do not present any symptoms. Health Services offers testing for common STDs including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV. However, Owsley acknowledged that some students are reluctant to get tested at Health Services because they are worried about the tests showing up on parents’ insurance bills. In that event, the Franklin County Health Department offers free and anonymous testing for all STDs, meaning a student does not have to worry about parents potentially finding out. “We’ve gotten good feedback from students who have gotten tested there [at FCHD],” said Tharpe. “We like to send you to people who we know and trust will do a good job.” Regardless of how you get tested, both the UHS staff and the WGS minors agreed that knowing your status is vitally important for not only your health, but also the health of those around you.

The WGS minors sent out a brief survey before the event to gauge students’ attitudes and knowledge of STDs and STD prevention, and the results were somewhat surprising:

• 14% of respondents indicated they were “extremely well informed” about STDs and STD prevention, while 61% said they were “relatively well informed”, 17% were neutral, and 8% said they needed more information
• Only 49% of respondents who were sexually active said that they had been tested for STDs
• Only 22% of respondents said they always used protection, while 31% said usually, 16% said rarely, and 7% said never (16% were neutral)

“The survey results suggest that even though people are pretty well-informed, only half have ever actually been tested,” said Johnson. Given that the plurality of respondents indicated they use condoms “usually”, implying there are times when they don’t use condoms, it is imperative that sexually active people get tested regularly and often. 

The CDC’s “GYT” campaign is directed at young people to encourage them to get tested

Tharpe and Owsley emphasized that testing for most STDs is non-invasive. A simple urine sample can test for chlamydia and gonorrhea, while blood samples can test for syphilis and HIV. It’s quick, painless, and could potentially help you out in the future. Chlamydia and gonorrhea, the most common STDs on campus, are particularly dangerous because even though they lack symptoms, they can severely damage your reproductive system, leading to sterility.  

Despite the easiness of getting tested, Tharpe and Owsley acknowledge that the stigmatization of STDs can prevent some people from going to get tested. “If we could shift things so that people would look at STDs like just having a wart on your finger or strep throat, that would be helpful,” said Tharpe. “But it’s so hard to do that because there’s so much stigma. The best thing to do is get tested regularly.” 

To learn more about UHS STD testing and treatment services, you can make an appointment by calling ext. 1270, or visit their website to learn more here. To make an appointment with Franklin County Health Department, you can call 931-967-3826.