An Indiana teacher, 23, told TIME in 1967 “When I got married, I was still in college and wanted to be certain that I finished. Now we want to buy a home and it’s going to be possible a lot sooner if I teach. With the Pill I know I can keep earning money and not worry about an accident that would ruin everything,” Writes Time Magazine reporter Nancy Gibbs in an article called The Pill at 50: Sex, Freedom & Paradox.

Fifty years later this story is still relevant to young people seeking financial stability during these economic hard times.  As the Pill turns 50, what better time to talk about the impact it has made on our society?

The Food and Drug Administration announced that it would approve the oral contraceptive in 1960. At the time, promoters of the pill hoped that it would be an end to poverty, a cure for divorce, and the elimination of unwed pregnancy.  Few of it’s promoters imagined how it would become a tool for transforming women’s lives writes New York Times Op-Ed contributor Elaine Tyler May.

The pill is one of the most transformative medical breakthroughs of the past 100 years.  In 1999 the Economist named it one of the most important scientific advances of the 20^th century. The pill enables women to plan their own futures by giving them the ability to make decisions about the type of education, employment, economics and lifestyles they envision for themselves and their children.

Advocates of the pill have long fought for all women to have access to the pill.  When it first debuted in 1960 it was only available to married women in a few states until a court decision in 1965 made it available to married women in all states. It wasn’t even available to single women in all states until another court decision in 1972.

“By the 1970s the true impact of the Pill could begin to be measured, and it was not on the sexual behavior of American women; it was on how they envisioned their lives, their choices and their obligations. In 1970 the median age at which college graduates married was about 23; by 1975, as use of the Pill among single women became more common, that age had jumped 2.5 years. The fashion for large families went the way of the girdle. In 1963, 80 percent of non-Catholic college women said they wanted three or more children; that plunged to 29 percent by 1973. More women were able to imagine a life that included both a family and a job, which changed their childbearing calculations,” writes Time Magazine reporter Nancy Gibbs.

Very quickly, the availability of the pill in America also resulted in huge advancements in women’s and infant health, and a decline in unwanted pregnancies- particularly in married women. The pill has played a key role in women’s ability to plan and space pregnancies, which has contributed to improved maternal, infant and family health.

• From 1965 to 2005, the rate of maternal death declined by 52 percent (to 15.1 per 100,000 live births).
• Unwanted pregnancies among married women have been cut by more than half, from one in five births in 1960-61 to just nine percent in 2002.
• Births that occurred sooner than married women wanted declined from 45 percent in 1965 to 14 percent in 2002.

Today, 19 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 44 use the pill and more than 60 percent of women between 15 and 44 use birth control.  In 2010, too many pregnancies are still unintended. It is essential that the pill finally be available to all women in the United States, regardless of what kind of insurance they have or their ability to pay.

Every time I think of Get Yourself Tested that song, “Let’s Talk About Sex” by Salt-n-Pepa, pops into my head.   The lyrics make complete sense; they simply say, “let’s talk about all of the good and bad things about sex,” and the women in that group are referring to an important conversation people should have with their partners.

How easy is it to talk about the three letter word S-E-X? I think a few of us find it quite challenging. The awkwardness associated with discussing sex hangs over young people regardless of whether the word pops up amongst friends or family. I have always wondered why that is when sex causes some of the most common diseases in today’s society. (http://www.cdcnpin.org/stdawareness/gyt_campaign.htm)

We need to bring a change to this problem, to get more people comfortable about discussing sexual health concerns and issues. I believe we’d all be surprised what a small conversation could lead to, so I am going to provide a few talking tips all of us could use revolving around that three letter word “S-E-X.”

When talking to your parents:

• Sit down in a room where you can speak to them without any interruptions.
• Let them know you want to discuss something concerning your health.
• Be honest and upfront. You can say something like, “I want to make an important decision about sex and I want talk to you about getting tested for STI’s.”

Visit Planned Parenthood for more resources and tips at www.plannedparenthood.org/teen-talk

When talking to your friends:

• Try to keep the mood light and friendly.
• Refer to something you may have seen on a popular television network regarding sex.
• Be honest and encourage one another to get tested together.

When talking to your partner:

• Have an idea why you want to discuss STI testing with them.
• Be prepared for questions.
• Honesty is important in all relationships. You may want to start your conversation like this, “I’m not sure how you may feel about STI testing, however I think it’s important for the two of us to consider getting tested.”

For more tips on how to get the S-E-X conversation going and staying calm and relaxed, please visit the websites provided below.

Planned Parenthood offers plenty of information regarding talking about sexual health with parents and teens.

• www.plannedparenthood.org/talk-teen
• www.plannedparenthood.org/parents

Scarleteen, a website that can guide you towards topics for a conversation you may want to carry with your friends, parents, or health care provider.

• www.scareletteen.com

Get Yourself Talking now, it’s never too late chat.

Did you know that by the age 25, an estimated one in two sexually active young adults will contract an STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection)?

Did you know some STI’s show no symptoms?

Wait, one more, did you know those who may be infected may not know it?

It’s scary to think about and even scarier to not to know your status. Getting tested needs to become the norm in today’s society amongst young people. I personally would think the number of STI’s would decrease if some of us took out the time to go get tested.

Some of us out there are not sure where, when or how to get tested or are too scared to go alone. However, I am going to try to simplify those problems by providing some information to help you feel at ease. Just follow these few steps to becoming closer to knowing your status:

1. Locate your local health care provider and call to set up an appointment to be tested. Setting up an appointment for testing will prepare doctors for your visit and they will know what you’re there for.
2. Most health care providers suggest sexually active teens to be tested by the age 18. This is a good time to get tested because you are considered an adult. However, I think it may be a good idea to go earlier just to protect yourself and others. The sooner the better when you want to know if you’re infected with an STI.
3. Testing for STI’s does not come in one form. Testing different STI’s can require different types of testing. This is why it’s a good idea to make an appointment with your health care provider.
4. I’d say, take someone with you. Going with someone can help you relax and put you in good spirits. Ask a parent, friend, or your partner to join you. This way you have more support in taking a huge step towards knowing about your sexual health.

Okay, if I haven’t made your decision easier and you feel like you want or need more information you can check the following websites that I have provided.

MTV’s GYT FAQs page outlines several topics about getting tested.

• http://www.itsyoursexlife.com/gyt/articles/testing-faqs

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provide more information regarding STI testing and the importance of being tested.

• http://www.cdcnpin.org/stdawareness/gyt_campaign.htm

If you don’t have a regular health care provider, please visit Planned Parenthoods website to find a local health center near you for testing.

• http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/where-we-work/health-center-directory-23127.htm

Get yourself tested, because you owe it to yourself. It’s better to know than to be left in the dark.

GYT, what does that mean? Can you come up with an acronym that fits those three letters? Well I sat around and made up many different acronyms that weren’t even close to what it actually stands for. I know what GYT stands for and I am going to share some fun information about GYT and what it means in April.

GYT?

• Get Yourself Tested

MTV (Music Television) and Planned Parenthood are teaming up to encourage youth to go and get tested for STI’s. During the month of April, National STD Awareness is recognized through GYT and there are several ways to get involved.

1. Go online and visit www.gytnow.org/. This is a link to one of MTV’s pages that has a lot of information pertaining to GYT. Including facts about why you should get tested, tool kits to promote GYT, and a fun interactive sweepstakes that you could possibly win.
2. Visit www.plannedparenthood to help you find the nearest health center near you. That way you can be tested ASAP.

3. Get Yourself Tested and know what your status is.

Many Americans were shocked  in 2008 when the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) announced that  at least one in four teenage girls has an STI. They have also estimated that there are approximately 19 million new cases each year amongst youth ages 15-24 (http://www.cdc.gov/Features/STDAwareness/).

GYT?

• Get Yourself Talking

Not only does GYT mean get tested, it also means to talk about getting tested. Spreading the awareness and knocking down the walls that make some people shy away from talking about their sexual status is also important. How would anyone know whether or not you want to be tested if you don’t say anything? How will your partner trust that you’ve been tested? You have to talk about it. Yes this conversation can get a little awkward at first, but it’s something that must be discussed. Talking about getting tested and knowing your status can help protect others and yourself from contracting unknown STI’s.

What’s to come next…?

• Each week in April has a message, a message you will learn.
• Fun Tweets and Facebook status updates to follow
• A challenge to GYT and help spread the word, not the STI.

Here is where you can follow GYT on Twitter:

• www.twitter.com/gytnow

The link to the GYT Facebook

• · www.facebook.com/GYTnow

Discover more facts about STD Awareness month at the CDC website:

• · http://www.cdc.gov/Features/STDAwareness/

Don’t miss out on this year’s GYT movement. Join MTV and Planned Parenthood so you can say know what GYT stands for and know how important those three words are

The first time my primary care doctor suggested I get a Pap test, also called a Pap smear, I had no clue what she was talking about and why she was advising me to be tested. My world caved in because I thought she was indicating I was unhealthy. Little did I know that a Pap test was something many of my friends were getting done.

A Pap test is a routine exam for screening for cervical cancer.  Women should get routine screening to help them avoid getting cervical cancer, which is caused by a common sexually transmitted infection, human papilloma virus (HPV).

About 1 out of 4 women will get the types of HPV that are related to cervical cancer in her lifetime.  Routine cervical cancer screening and early detection has helped to save lives. Today, only 1 out of 1,000 women who contracts cancer-related HPV will develop full-blown cervical cancer.

When should you receive your first Pap smear?

Leading women’s health authorities suggest that routine Pap testing begin at age 21 or three years after first vaginal intercourse. Women should have a Pap test every year until they are 30.  From age 30 on, Pap tests can happen every two or three years.

Why you should have a Pap smear test performed yearly is safe in early detection of cervical cancer. If the test results come back abnormal that does not mean you have cancer, but it can indicate cancerous or abnormal cells were detected. If cervical cancer is detected during its early stage it can be cured (http://www.cdc.gov/hpv/).

How can you avoid receiving an abnormal test?

Practice safe sex. The Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common viruses in the United States and 50% of sexually active individuals contract this virus (http://www.cdc.gov/hpv/). HPV is linked to cervical cancer because if the virus remains in the body for long periods of time (years) it can cause the cancers found on the cervix.

My Advice.

If you haven’t received your first Pap smear or if it has been too long to remember your last Pap smear, I suggest you call your local health care provider and request a test at their soonest availability. The information provided on this blog is intended as a guideline. It is important to discuss your individual concerns with your health care provider. Everyone’s health history is different or unique. We encourage you to make health decisions in consultation with a trusted medical provider.