WASHINGTON, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Ten percent of young adults who tested positive for common sexually transmitted diseases said they hadn't had sex during the previous 12 months, a study found.
And in a study of 14,000 young adults with a mean age of 22, a full 60 percent of that 10 percent said they'd never had sex at all.
The research suggests the answer given to doctors as to whether or not they had been sexually active might not always agree with lab results from a screening for STDs, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
The researchers acknowledge some room for error: for instance, study participants were only asked about penile/vaginal penetration, not about oral or anal sex. And there's some possibility of false positive readings on the urine tests used to detect STDs, they say.
Still, the study authors say the findings suggest that physicians treating teens and young adults might consider using lab tests to screen all patients for STDs, as screening just those who say they've been sexually active may result in many cases going undiagnosed, untreated and ready to spread to others.
The researchers acknowledge such routine all-encompassing screening would be controversial, as many parents of young adults and teenagers would prefer such screening should be reserved for young people who report they've been sexually active.
