For Some At-Risk Groups, The CDC Now Advises Post-Sex Antibiotics
A dose of doxycycline within 72 hours of having sex is now the post-exposure prophylaxis measure recommended by the CDC for people at a higher risk of contracting bacterial STIs. Separately, research shows teens with strong family ties are less likely to have sex at young ages.
Stat:
Take Antibiotics After Sex, CDC Recommends For Certain Risk Groups
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finalized its guidelines for post-exposure prophylaxis against bacterial sexually transmitted infections on Tuesday. For groups at higher risk of contracting syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea, the agency now recommends taking doxycycline, an antibiotic, within 72 hours of having sex. Doxycycline has been used to prevent malaria infection both before and after exposure, but this is the first time the antibiotic has been used prophylactically against STIs. (Merelli, 6/4)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Teens With Strong Family, Community Ties Less Likely To Have Sex Young
In one of the first studies to examine the link between children’s sexual behavior and their social connections at home, school and neighborhoods, a new study led by a UCSF pediatrician has found that teenagers who have closer relationships with their family and neighbors are less likely to start having sex at a young age. The findings could ... potentially reduce the risks associated with having sex at a young age, such as sexually transmitted infections, unplanned pregnancies and depression. (Ho, 6/4)
In abortion updates —
Stat:
Senators Tussle Over Abortion Against The Backdrop Of A Presidential Campaign
Nearly two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, U.S. senators on Tuesday tussled over how the end to national abortion protections has played out across the country. There was little mistaking the fact that the debate was occurring in an election year. (Owermohle, 6/4)
The Washington Post:
Conservative Attacks On Birth Control Could Threaten Access
Republican lawmakers in Missouri blocked a bill to widen access to birth-control pills by falsely claiming they induce abortions. An antiabortion group in Louisiana killed legislation to enshrine a right to birth control by inaccurately equating emergency contraception with abortion drugs. An Idaho think tank focused on “biblical activism” is pushing state legislators to ban access to emergency contraception and intrauterine devices (IUDs) by mislabeling them as “abortifacients.” Since the Supreme Court overturned the right to abortion two years ago, far-right conservatives have been trying to curtail birth-control access by sowing misinformation about how various methods work to prevent pregnancy, even as Republican leaders scramble to reassure voters they have no intention of restricting the right to contraception, which polls show the vast majority of Americans favor. (Weber, 6/5)
The Washington Post:
As Supreme Court Weighs Abortion Pill Case, Three States Wait In The Wings
If the Supreme Court rules the anti-abortion doctors challenging mifepristone don’t have legal standing, three states could try to quickly revive the challenge. (Marimow and Kitchener, 6/4)
NPR:
The Push For Embryo Rights In State Legislatures Worries IVF Patients And Doctors
For seven years, Jacqueline Brock endured grueling fertility treatments – and all of the emotion that came with them. “I had to stop going to outings with our friends because they’d bring their kids or talk about their kids, and I would just cry,” she said. “I didn't go to a lot of baby showers and things because I couldn't physically handle it.” Last year, Brock, who lives in West Des Moines, Iowa, with her husband, James, underwent a third round of in vitro fertilization, or IVF. It produced two embryos. (Krebs, 6/4)
In global abortion news —
Reuters:
Free Contraception Helps Finland Reduce Teenage Abortions By 66%
The number of teenage abortions in Finland fell by 66% between 2000 and 2023, its public health institute THL said on Monday, attributing the reduction to the offer of free contraception to adolescents and compulsory sex education in schools. Finland also passed a law in 2022 liberalizing abortion, at a time of deep divisions over abortion rights in Europe and court rulings in the U.S. that restricted access to terminations of unwanted pregnancies for millions of people there. (Kauranen, 6/3)
North Carolina Health News:
Q&A: How U.S. Compares To Global Abortion Landscape
Since the Dobbs decision in June 2022, nearly half of states in the United States — including North Carolina — have curtailed access to abortion by implementing increased restrictions. The significant rollback in abortion legality throughout much of the country puts the United States in sharp contrast to the global trend of loosening abortion laws and increasing protections for abortion rights. (Crumpler, 6/5)
