Teens at school

Women’s Sexual Health

Sexually Transmitted Infections

In the U.S., 1 in 5 people has a sexually transmitted infection (STI). In 2018 alone, 26 million new STI diagnoses were made, almost half of which occurred in youth aged 15-24. These new infections are estimated to ultimately cost the U.S. healthcare system nearly $16B in healthcare costs.1

Combating rising STI rates

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the first-ever national strategic plan to address this dramatic rise in STI in the U.S. According the HHS, the five goals of the strategic plan include preventing STIs, reducing adverse outcomes of STIs, accelerating progress in STI research and innovation, improving STI-related health equity, and achieving coordinated efforts to combat the STI epidemic.2


With unparalleled diagnostic and drug development capabilities, Labcorp is uniquely positioned to help combat rising STI rates in alignment with this national strategic plan.

Learn more about diagnosing common STIs.

  • 5 people leaning up against a railing

    Chlamydia and Gonorrhea 

    The newly released “Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021” from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advocates for a new approach to screening for C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae by introducing the concept of opt-out testing.

    Per the updated CDC guidelines, opt-out chlamydia and gonorrhea screening among young and adolescent females can increase screening, save on costs and ultimately identify more infections among patients who may not be comfortable disclosing sexual behavior.4

     

    Learn More

  • A multi-ethnic group of adult men and women are indoors in a board room. They are wearing business clothing. They are watching a presentation attentively.

    Hepatitis B

    Despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine, the rate of acute hepatitis B (HBV) cases increased 11% from 2014 (0.9 per 100,000) to 2018 (1.0 per 100,000). The rate of infection increased even more dramatically in states most affected by the opioid crisis.

     

    Learn more

  • young people talking

    Hepatitis C

    New cases of hepatitis C are on the rise, particularly among reproductive age adults. Rates of new HCV infections increased by more than 60% from 2015 to 2019. And in 2019, more than 63% of HCV infections occurred among adults 20-39 years of age.

     

    Learn More

  • Group of people talking to each other

    HIV

    Nearly 1.2 million people in the U.S. have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and nearly 13% of them don’t know it. Further and more testing is paramount in the continuing fight against this life-threatening illness. To complicate matters, certain populations—among racial, ethnic and sexuality demographics—are disproportionately affected by the disease.

     

    Learn More

  • Woman standing in the middle of a road in the country

    HPV

    Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide, as well as the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women. Fortunately, cervical cancer is preventable and curable if detected early and managed effectively.

     

    Learn More

  • group of medical professionals congregating

    Syphilis

    The national rate of primary and secondary syphilis has increased almost every year since 2001. In 2021, 53,767 cases of syphilis were reported, reflecting a 28.6% increase from 2020 to 2021.3

    Congenital syphilis has similarly increased in prevalence. CDC data showed 2,855 cases of newborn syphilis in 2021 representing a 30.5% increase relative to 2020 and 219.3% increase relative to 2017. Further, in 2012, only three states had over 100 cases of primary and secondary syphilis among women aged 15-44 years; in 2021, 29 states reported over 100 cases.3

     

    Learn More

5 people leaning up against a railing

Chlamydia and Gonorrhea 

The newly released “Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021” from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advocates for a new approach to screening for C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae by introducing the concept of opt-out testing.

Per the updated CDC guidelines, opt-out chlamydia and gonorrhea screening among young and adolescent females can increase screening, save on costs and ultimately identify more infections among patients who may not be comfortable disclosing sexual behavior.4

 

Learn More

A multi-ethnic group of adult men and women are indoors in a board room. They are wearing business clothing. They are watching a presentation attentively.

Hepatitis B

Despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine, the rate of acute hepatitis B (HBV) cases increased 11% from 2014 (0.9 per 100,000) to 2018 (1.0 per 100,000). The rate of infection increased even more dramatically in states most affected by the opioid crisis.

 

Learn more

young people talking

Hepatitis C

New cases of hepatitis C are on the rise, particularly among reproductive age adults. Rates of new HCV infections increased by more than 60% from 2015 to 2019. And in 2019, more than 63% of HCV infections occurred among adults 20-39 years of age.

 

Learn More

Group of people talking to each other

HIV

Nearly 1.2 million people in the U.S. have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and nearly 13% of them don’t know it. Further and more testing is paramount in the continuing fight against this life-threatening illness. To complicate matters, certain populations—among racial, ethnic and sexuality demographics—are disproportionately affected by the disease.

 

Learn More

Woman standing in the middle of a road in the country

HPV

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide, as well as the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women. Fortunately, cervical cancer is preventable and curable if detected early and managed effectively.

 

Learn More

group of medical professionals congregating

Syphilis

The national rate of primary and secondary syphilis has increased almost every year since 2001. In 2021, 53,767 cases of syphilis were reported, reflecting a 28.6% increase from 2020 to 2021.3

Congenital syphilis has similarly increased in prevalence. CDC data showed 2,855 cases of newborn syphilis in 2021 representing a 30.5% increase relative to 2020 and 219.3% increase relative to 2017. Further, in 2012, only three states had over 100 cases of primary and secondary syphilis among women aged 15-44 years; in 2021, 29 states reported over 100 cases.3

 

Learn More

Labcorp offers Mycoplasma Genitalium (Mgen) detection with confidence

Labcorp's mycoplasma genitalium assay is now available for the diagnosis of Mgen with a reflex to macrolide resistance.

 

Group of young adults laughing in a city walkway

Resources for your patients

 

Personalized patient screening checklist

Pap and HPV co-testing patient brochure

References

  1. Sexually Transmitted Infections Prevalence, Incidence, and Cost Estimates in the United States. https://www.cdc.gov/std/statistics/prevalence-2020-at-a-glance.htm. Accessed January 5, 2022.  
  2. Sexually Transmitted Infections National Strategic Plan for the United States | 2021–2025. https://www.hhs.gov/programs/topic-sites/sexually-transmitted-infections/plan-overview/toolkit/index.html. Accessed January 5, 2022.
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Overview of STDs, 2021. Cdc.gov. Updated April 11, 2023. Accessed May 9, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/std/statistics/2021/overview.htm#Syphilis