pro⋅mis⋅cu⋅ous

  /prəˈmɪskyuəs/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [pruh-mis-kyoo-uhs]

–adjective

1. characterized by or involving indiscriminate mingling or association, esp. having sexual relations with a number of partners on a casual basis.

When a child is young they learn their self-worth by the way they are treated by their family and the other people who surround them.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/promiscuous

If a child is loved and made to feel safe and secure by those in their family circle and who they are closest to outside their family circle then they will feel good about themselves and will develop a healthy self-esteem.

If a child is not loved, pushed aside and neglected or are physically or sexually abused by a family member, friend of the family or a stranger then there is a good chance that they will develop a low self-esteem.

If a child's parents separate or divorce and there is an absent parent who is not seen very often especially in the case of a "missing father" a child develops a low self-worth.

A child with low self-esteem is often looking for that "missing love!" They are looking for someone to make them feel good; To make them feel accepted, wanted and needed.

Children who have been sexually abused or raped, even fall into the same deep pit of thinking themselves worthless and are looking for someone to make them feel worthy of being loved instead of abused.

Unfortunately what happens is these children start having sexual relations in their early teens. They end up mistaking sex for love. They mistake sex for friendship, caring, and security.

These teenagers believe in err that they are getting what they are missing in their lives from sex. It is unfortunate because what they get is deeper problems with their self-esteem from knowing that they are promiscuous but feel unable to stop because they do not understand the cycle of psychological damage they are doing to themselves. They still need to know what they are missing in their lives, and that sex can not fill that void.

The teenager or even adult who faces the issue of promiscuity needs to face the problem by seeking counseling to get to the bottom of the issue of why she or he has low self-esteem and then they can build on their self-esteem and realize that sex does not equal acceptance and it does not fill any void left behind by abuse or absence.

Sex is a special relationship that is supposed to be saved to be shared between a man and wife on their wedding night and after they are married keeping themselves only for each other, just as God has ordained it. Having this beautiful occasion and relationship shattered by an act of low self-esteem reaching for an answer to a Psychological problem is a shame.

If you are promiscuous there is a reason and you can bet that if you look back into your past you will find that you suffer from low self-esteem, (even if you keep it well hidden) and you will find out why! I urge you to see a counselor before you ruin your reputation, your physical health from an STD and your Mental health. You will never be whole until you stop this vicious cycle of self-injurious behavior!

Teen pregnancy is what we hear about the most when we talk about teens having sex. Each year there are around 850,000 girls between the ages of fifteen and nineteen that become pregnant in the United States. Even more alarming is that the statistics show that about 20,000 girls under fourteen become pregnant annually; and around 8,000 of these girls give birth. Which means that there are tens of thousands of abortions being performed on children under the age of fourteen!  Abortions being performed at all are a tragedy for the baby that dies and the mother who lives with the knowledge of what she did the rest of her life.  Either way it is a double edged sword, you either have a very young child raising a baby without the maturity and knowledge necessary to do it, or a baby being killed.

Those who choose to have their babies are forced to grow up too fast giving up any chance at being a normal teen, and a young adult who can go to college and get a job, marry and raise a family as a mature well grounded adult.

Promiscuity is an an issue that needs to be addressed. No matter what the cause is. Many teenagers engage in unprotected sex with more than one partner. Almost half of all people infected with the HIV virus each year statistically are shown to be between the ages of 15 and 24.

Approximately 1/4 of all sexually active teens will get a sexually transmitted disease (STD)  every year. Of these infected teen, 80% have no idea that thy have an STD and can have long term health problems without treatment. Chlamydia is found in 2% of all girls between the ages of 15 and 19 years old.

These girls go on to spread the sexually transmitted diseases to the males they are having sex with because they do not know they have the STD, and then the male spreads it to the female he sleeps with and so on and so on. The cycle continues to repeat and soon there are hundreds of STDs spread from one single source. 

Now we move on to Emotional Health. Teens who are sexually active and promiscuous develop a bad reputation. Especially girls. A girl is called a "slut" or "easy". I am sure there are plenty of other names these days! The point is, a girl is given a negative reputation and does develop a low self-esteem. If a girl (boy) is honest with herself (himself) she (he) knows deep down that what she (he) is doing is not right and does not feel good about it. Whether the cause of her (his) promiscuity is from:

• peer pressure—a feeling that everyone else is having sex
• in girls more than boys, a belief that sex will keep their partner interested in them and will provide the love they crave
• media influence such as television, music and the Internet
• a negative self-image, believing that participating in sexual activity can increase their popularity
• a belief that having sex will make them more adult
• overly strict parents, increasing the chances of promiscuity when the opportunity arises
• http://www.psychiatric-disorders.com/articles/warning-signs/teenage-sex.php

She or he needs to get to the core of what is causing the sexual promiscuity (I highly recommend counseling as I did ) and begin changing their lives for the better before it is too late for them. Before She becomes pregnant, or they get an STD or they develop a bad reputation and even lower self-esteem and an inability to commit to that one special person.

Who                                                  Estimate             Range

People living with HIV/AIDS in 2007 33.0 million 30.3-36.1 million

Adults living with HIV/AIDS in 2007 30.8 million 28.2-34.0 million

Women living with HIV/AIDS in 2007 15.5 million 14.2-16.9 million

Children living with HIV/AIDS in 2007 2.0 million 1.9-2.3 million

People newly infected with HIV in 2007 2.7 million 2.2-3.2 million

Children newly infected with HIV in 2007 0.37 million 0.33-0.41 million

AIDS deaths in 2007 2.0 million 1.8-2.3 million

Child AIDS deaths in 2007 0.27 million 0.25-0.29 million

Prevention is everything!

Vaginal sex

HIV is found in the sexual fluids of an infected person. For a man, this means the pre-come and semen fluids that come out of the penis before and during sex. For a woman, it means HIV is in the vaginal fluids which are produced by the vagina to keep it clean and to help make intercourse easier.

If a man with HIV has vaginal intercourse without a condom then HIV can pass into the woman's body through the lining of the vagina, cervix and womb. The risk of HIV transmission is increased if the woman has a cut or sore inside or around her vagina; this will make it easier for the virus to enter her bloodstream. Such a cut or sore might not always be visible, and could be so small that the woman wouldn't know about it.

If a woman with HIV has sexual intercourse without a condom, HIV could get into the man's body through a sore patch on his penis or by getting into his urethra (the tube that runs down the penis) or the inside of his foreskin (if he has one).

Any contact with blood during sex increases the chance of infection. For example, there may be blood in the vagina if intercourse occurs during a woman's period. Some sexually transmitted diseases – such as herpes and gonorrhea – can also raise the risk of HIV transmission.

Anal sex

Receptive anal intercourse (i.e. being the “bottom”) carries a higher risk of HIV transmission than receptive vaginal intercourse. The lining of the anus is more delicate than the lining of the vagina, so is more likely to be damaged during sex. Any contact with blood during sex increases the risk of infection.

If a man takes the insertive (“top”) position in anal sex with a man or woman who has HIV, then he too risks becoming infected.

Oral sex

Oral sex with an infected partner does carry a small risk of HIV infection. If a person gives oral sex (licking or sucking the penis) to a man with HIV, then infected fluid could get into their mouth. If the person has bleeding gums or tiny sores or ulcers somewhere in their mouth, there is a risk of HIV entering their bloodstream.

The same is true if infected sexual fluids from a woman get into the mouth of her partner.

There is also a small risk if a person with HIV gives oral sex when they have bleeding gums or a bleeding wound in their mouth. Saliva does not pose a risk.

HIV infection through oral sex alone seems to be very rare, and there are things you can do to protect yourself. For more information go to our Oral sex page.

Injecting Drugs is another way to contract the HIV virus.Sharing injecting equipment is a very efficient way to transmit blood-borne viruses such as HIV and Hepatitis C. Sharing needles and “works” (syringes, spoons, filters and blood-contaminated water) is thought to be three times more likely to transmit HIV than sexual intercourse. Disinfecting equipment between each use can reduce the chance of transmission, but does not eliminate it entirely.

A pregnant woman can pass on the HIV virus to her baby during its gestation, while in labor or during birth. If a mother with the HIV virus breast feeds her baby she can pass the virus on to her baby.

http://www.avert.org/howcan.htm

Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) is the name of a condition in women where the normal balance of bacteria in the vagina is disrupted and replaced by an overgrowth of certain bacteria. It is sometimes accompanied by discharge, odor, pain, itching, or burning. This is the most common of all sexually transmitted diseases.

Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the bacterium, Chlamydia trachomatis, which can damage a woman's reproductive organs. Even though symptoms of chlamydia are usually mild or absent, serious complications that cause irreversible damage, including infertility, can occur "silently" before a woman ever recognizes a problem. Chlamydia also can cause discharge from the penis of an infected man.

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Gonorrhea is caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a bacterium that can grow and multiply easily in the warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract, including the cervix (opening to the womb), uterus (womb), and fallopian tubes (egg canals) in women, and in the urethra (urine canal) in women and men. The bacterium can also grow in the mouth, throat, eyes, and anus.

Any sexually active person can be infected with gonorrhea. In the United States, the highest reported rates of infection are among sexually active teenagers and young adults.

Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the herpes simplex viruses type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2). Most genital herpes is caused by HSV-2. Most individuals have no or only minimal signs or symptoms from HSV-1 or HSV-2 infection. When signs do occur, they typically appear as one or more blisters on or around the genitals or rectum. The blisters break, leaving tender ulcers (sores) that may take two to four weeks to heal the first time they occur. Typically, another outbreak can appear weeks or months after the first, but it almost always is less severe and shorter than the first outbreak. Although the infection can stay in the body indefinitely, the number of outbreaks tends to decrease over a period of years. 

HPV - Human Papillomavirus Infection: Genital HPV infection is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). Human papillomavirus is the name of a group of viruses that includes more than 100 different strains or types. More than 30 of these viruses are sexually transmitted, and they can infect the genital area of men and women including the skin of the penis, vulva (area outside the vagina), or anus, and the linings of the vagina, cervix, or rectum. Most people who become infected with HPV will not have any symptoms and will clear the infection on their own.  This virus can cause cancer!

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a general term that refers to infection of the uterus (womb), fallopian tubes (tubes that carry eggs from the ovaries to the uterus) and other reproductive organs. It is a common and serious complication of some sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), especially chlamydia and gonorrhea. PID can damage the fallopian tubes and tissues in and near the uterus and ovaries. PID can lead to serious consequences including infertility, ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy in the fallopian tube or elsewhere outside of the womb), abscess formation, and chronic pelvic pain. The more sex partners a woman has, the greater her risk of developing PID. Also, a woman whose partner has more than one sex partner is at greater risk of developing PID, because of the potential for more exposure to infectious agents.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. It has often been called “the great imitator” because so many of the signs and symptoms are indistinguishable from those of other diseases. Syphilis is passed from person to person through direct contact with a syphilis sore. Sores occur mainly on the external genitals, vagina, anus, or in the rectum. Sores also can occur on the lips and in the mouth. Transmission of the organism occurs during vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Pregnant women with the disease can pass it to the babies they are carrying. Syphilis cannot be spread through contact with toilet seats, doorknobs, swimming pools, hot tubs, bathtubs, shared clothing, or eating utensils.

Trichomoniasis is a common sexually transmitted disease (STD) that affects both women and men, although symptoms are more common in women. Trichomoniasis is the most common curable STD in young, sexually active women. An estimated 7.4 million new cases occur each year in women and men. The genital inflammation caused by trichomoniasis can increase a woman's susceptibility to HIV infection if she is exposed to the virus. Having trichomoniasis may increase the chance that an HIV-infected woman passes HIV to her sex partner(s).

Most men with trichomoniasis do not have signs or symptoms; however, some men may temporarily have an irritation inside the penis, mild discharge, or slight burning after urination or ejaculation.

Some women have signs or symptoms of infection which include a frothy, yellow-green vaginal discharge with a strong odor. The infection also may cause discomfort during intercourse and urination, as well as irritation and itching of the female genital area. In rare cases, lower abdominal pain can occur. Symptoms usually appear in women within 5 to 28 days of exposure.

http://www.cdc.gov/std/default.htm

Any of these sexually transmitted diseases can be passed during your next sexual encounter. You could already have one. Think about the risk you are taking each time you have sex with someone. In fact you are having sex with them and anyone they have ever had sex with. I stronly encourage you to think about the ramifications about casual sex and promiscuity. I want to encourage you to see your gynecologist or doctor and have yourself checked for possible STDs ,if you are or ever have been promiscuous. I also want to encourage you to see a counselor if you are still having casual sex with more than one partner. You deserve to have a better and brighter future. In the meantime, Please protect yourself if you can not abstain! Use a condom, never take your partners word that they have no STD's or can not get pregnant! What you don't know can hurt you!