Hi guys well over the next few weeks I will write about the more common STI's (sexually transmitted infections) which were more comonly known to me as STD's (sexually transmitted diseases)

Sooner or later our kids will be having intimate relations with their boyfriend/girlfriends and if you have a

So your teen is sexually active?...The hidden dangers of being unprotected...

What I would like to write about today is a sexually transmitted disease called Pubic Lice...

Pubic lice are commonly called Crabs and through this advice I will refer to these as such...Crabs are a parasitic lice just like the ones our kids get on their head...This will live in the pubic region and they attach themselves to course hair so they can move to the armpits, legs, arms and even eyelashes and eyebrows!! The expression crabs came from the fact that these lice have pincers like normal crabs...This is really a very common STI...Most aren't reported as there is over the counter shampoos for this infection...

Crabs are very easily transferred from one partner to another as any close intimate contact can result in the other person getting these...If your sexual partner has crabs there is a 95% chance you will get them also...If your teen comes home with these there is a high chance that they can be passed on to the rest of the family as they stay alive on towels and bedding for short periods...This type of transfer can happen but you would have to be unlucky for this to happen...If you have a large family this way of transferring these is much more likely...

If a person has crabs they will be itchy in have irratation in the genital area...There may be blueish spots where the crabs have been feeding off the hosts blood..The infected person may also have dark spots on the genital area and even their underwear...This is crab feces and shows the person is definately infested with crabs...Pubic lice can be seen and like headlice leave nit eggs on the pubic hair but can make the person who has them feel run down and have a low grade fever...

Crabs are easily treated with a prescription shampoo or over the counter shampoo...When the person treats themselves for this they have to make sure they follow the instruction on the bottle exactly to eradicate them...All clothes and bedding that may have come in contact with the infected person should be washed...When things that can not be washed have been in contact store them in a sealed plastic bag for a couple of days more than 48 hours to eradicate the crabs...If there is any crabs present on the eyelashes or eyeborws there is a special face safe lotion available...

Luckily crabs leave no long lasting effects on the person who has had them...There can be infections caused from having an infestation of these but... so if there does become a infection make sure you go back to your doctor...

Teens need to remember that if they are what they think is old enough to have intimate realtions then they are old enough to get crabs...These are a fact of life and just another STI that can be passed on to sexual partners...

The only way to avoid getting crabs is to not have sexual relations with anyone...Condoms do not really give protection from this STI...Practice good hygeine habits and sharing towels and swimsuits etc are a no no...Also when you go to the shops and try on swimsuits or underwear always wear underwear under it...

This is just one of the STD's that we need to teach our children about when they do make the decision they are ready to take the next step...We need to open the lines of communication with our kids so we have the relationship we need to have for being able to discuss topics such as this...Thanks for taking the time to read this...

This is just my thoughts on this subject I wanted to share with you all....
Have a great day
Cheers
Angie