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Among teens in the USA, the percentage who have had sexual i

tercourse or say they'd be pleased if they or their partner were to get pregnant hasn't changed much since early in the decade, and there appears to be a growing acceptance of having babies outside marriage, a government report

said Wednesday. From 1995 to 2002, "it was pretty much across-the-board improvements in those risk factors," says lead author Joyce Abma, a statistician at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. "It is a source of concern to see that forward movement kind of stalling

Chlamydia is the most frequently reported bacterial sexually transmitted disease in the United States. In 2008, 1,210,523 chlamydial infections were reported to CDC from 50 states and the District of Columbia. Under-reporting is substantial because most people with chlamydia are not aware of their infections and do not seek testing. Also, testing is not often done if patients are treated for their symptoms. An estimated 2,291,000 non-institutionalized U.S. civilians ages 14-39 are infected with C. trachomatis  based on the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.  Women are frequently re-infected if their sex partners are not tre

Chlamydia is known as a "silent" disease because the majority of infected people have no symptoms. If symptoms do occur, they usually appear within 1 to 3 weeks after exposure.

To help prevent the serious consequences of chlamydia, screening at least annually for chlamydia is recommended for all sexually active women age 25 years and younger. An annual screening test also is recommended for older women with risk factors for chlamydia (a new sex partner or multiple sex partners). All pregnant women should have a screening test for chlamydia.