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Safe Sex and Birth Control |
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Effectiveness
of Birth Control
Method
|
Effectiveness
|
Side Effects
|
Abstinence
|
100%
|
None
|
Withdrawal Method
|
20-40%
|
None
|
Spermicide
|
64-96%
|
Irritation, and can cause birth defects
|
Condom or Diaphragm
|
64-97%
|
Irritation
|
The Pill (causes early abortions)
|
98-99%
|
Death, strokes, heart attacks, stunts
height, mental depression, cancer, increased blood pressure, headaches,
dizziness, excessive bleeding, rashes, blood clots, sterility, birth defects,
loss of interest in sex
|
IUD (cause early abortions)
|
94-99%
|
PID, Infection, Perforation of uterus and
intestines, sterility, hemorrhage, cramps, pain, ectopic
pregnancy, can become embedded in the uterus or lost, death
|
Sympto Thermal
(NFP)
|
98-99%
|
None
|
Vasectomy or Tubal
Ligation
|
99.99%
|
Infections, fever, pain, possibly
non-reversible
|
Source: Facts
from the Physicians Desk Reference and the Indiana State
Reasons To Wait
Wait
for sex until marriage!! Are you crazy?
No…just the
opposite. Having
multiple sexual relationships, whether one at a time or all at once, is a game
of genital Russian roulette. No
one expects to lose, but too many do.
Consider the following:
Thirty years ago the
average boring high school health education class discussed only two sexually
transmitted diseases (or STD’s):
syphilis and gonorrhea. These
were described as potentially hazardous but nothing a little penicillin
couldn’t vanquish if treated in time.
The sexual
playground of the 1960s and 1970s has now become a jungle teeming with exotic,
dangerous and often incurable infections.
GONORRHEA has become leaner, meaner and widely resistant to
penicillin. It can create pelvic
infections in women, both low grade or red hot, causing damage ranging from
scarred tubes to complete destruction of the reproductive organs.
SYPHILIS, while still responsive to penicillin, continues to spread among
sexually active adolescents and adults.
Left untreated, it can lead to serious damage of the brain or heart,
among other organs, or even death.
CHLAMYDIA infects or reinfects an estimated 3
million people every year without causing any obvious symptoms. In women, chlamydia
can silently damage the fallopian tubes, leading to the heartbreaking problem
of infertility. Damaged fallopian tubes
can also cause an ectopic pregnancy (one occurring
outside the uterus), a dangerous condition requiring emergency surgery.
Then there’s
another contingent of STDs – those caused by viruses – that have a
disturbing habit: Once on board they
never get off. In fact, they may even
sink the ship.
HERPES SIMPLEX has infected one in five people over the age of 12
nationwide. Its blisters may be a mild
nuisance or a major disruption as they come and go for years. Two out of three newborns who
pick up a herpes infection from their mothers at birth will die, and most of
the rest will be seriously handicapped.
HUMAN PAPILLOMA VIRUS, or HPV, may be the most common sexually transmitted organism in
the
HEPATITIS B, a serious liver infection, can be transmitted sexually. The disease may be self-limited, or it may
continue for years, leading to some very unpleasant or even fatal
complications, including liver cancer and cirrhosis
HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV) is carried by more than 900,000
Americans. The progression from an HIV
infection to AIDS, and ultimately death, appears inevitable, despite advances
in drug therapy. As of 1998, more than
375,000 Americans have died from AIDS, and millions
more worldwide.
Want
to hear something really scary?
All these diseases, and many
others, can be transmitted during sex by people who don’t know they are infected. These people don’t look sick. They feel great and they enjoy sex, but
without knowing it they may be lethal weapons.
But I
practice safer sex!
(Did you notice no one calls it
“safe sex” any more?)
Despite the epidemic of
heartaches and horrors from STDs, far too few people today are willing to
accept the obvious: these diseases could be eliminated altogether if
uninfected people would postpone sex, find and marry one partner, and remain
mutually faithful for life.
That’s unrealistic,
say those who are talking endlessly about “safer” sex. Having safer sex usually means taking these
precautions:
·
Limiting the number
of partners with whom one has sex. Fewer
partners means fewer chances for exposure to disease.
BUT: A lethal disease can be transmitted by a single sexual contact with one infected partner.
·
Knowing something about a partner’s sexual history, and presumably
avoiding sex with someone who has had many partners.
BUT: How do you know if you’re going to get
the whole story of your prospective partner’s sex life, especially if he
or she has something to hide? And how
are you going to find out what your prospective partner’s partners, or
their partners, or their partners’ partners, have been up to? From
an infectious disease standpoint, you not only have sex with the person at
hand, but with all of his or her sexual contacts, and all of their
contacts’ contacts, and so forth.
And how about the job of taking that sexual history in the middle of a
hot date?
Scene from a
best-seller yet to be written:
She felt his hot breath on her neck as her
supple arms twined around his waist, and then he caught a glimpse of shimmering
moonlight reflected in her longing gaze.
As their passions welled, she pulled out her clipboard and purred,
“Say, Harold, could you tell me about your first sex partner? Who was she, and what was she like? And then what happened in college when you
were in that fraternity, you know, I Phelta Thi? Oh, and how about graduate school?...”
·
Use a condom at all
times.
BUT: What if he doesn’t want to wear
it? Some men feel that wearing a condom
during sex is like taking a bath with their socks on.
What if it
breaks? With their 10 to 15 percent
failure rate during the first year of use, condoms
have never been considered the most effective way to prevent pregnancy, and wherever sperm can go, so can Chlamydia,
herpes, HIV, and all the others.
Is
“Safer” Sex safe?
You would be wise to consider
some bottom line questions before entering a sexual relationship:
1.
If you knew that
your prospective partner harbored a hazardous or even lethal disease, would you
entrust your life and health to a condom?
2.
If your partner has
HIV, does a one-in-ten chance of exposure to a miserable death sound like
reasonable odds?
The reality is that, in the STD
jungle, wearing a condom is certainly safer than not wearing one, but only, the
Centers for Disease Control says, if the condom is used consistently, which
means using a fresh condom – not an old one from a glove compartment
– and applying it properly, not in haste, every time. If not used this
way, condoms work no better than if not used at all.
Still
not convinced? Then remember how babies
get started…
Despite the widespread
availability of condoms, spermicides and
contraceptive pills, birth control precautions aren’t always taken in the
heat of passion, and they don’t always work when they are.
More than 50% of America
And when a woman becomes pregnant
she is never the same. Pregnancy cannot
be ignored, and whatever is done about it will have a permanent effect on her
life. Only two outcomes are possible:
1.
The baby will be
born, or
2.
The baby will die
before birth, whether through deliberate or spontaneous abortion.
Neither outcome is easy to deal
with. There are no quick fixes where
human life is concerned. If a woman
bears and raises her child, her time and attention will necessarily be diverted
for years. If she bears and gives up her
child for adoption – an act of considerable courage – she will not
escape physical and emotional pain. The
child is gone, but not forgotten.
Because many women find these
options highly uncomfortable, they may seek an abortion, which may appear to be
an easier solution. Unfortunately, many
later come to realize that what was destroyed looked a lot more like a tiny
human than a shapeless wad of tissue.
And since at least one out of four women seeking an abortion does not
actually believe it is morally right, thousands ultimately live with severe, longterm regrets,
especially if the procedure itself, or a subsequent infection, leaves
her unable to have children later in life.
Which brings us to an important warning for women:
(Men read at your own risk.)
In the sexual revolution, women have been (and still are) the big losers.
1.
When an unwanted
pregnancy occurs, the woman is usually left holding the bag, and she virtually
always pays a far bigger price than her partner.
2.
STDs tend to have
more severe consequences in women than in men.
3.
When women accept
the Playboy philosophy of sex as recreation, they trade a number of sexual
encounters for . . . nothing. No ongoing
relationships, no commitment, no security, no family and possibly no children,
if they acquire a pelvic infection from a partner.
Therefore, when your
date/boyfriend/fiancé begins murmuring famous lines such as, “If you
really loved me, you’d sleep with me,” or “If you
don’t, I’ll find someone who will,” guess whose interest he
has at heart. If you said yours, guess
again.
It’s time to wise up.
This
all sounds really puritanical. Do you
have something against sex?
No way. On the contrary:
1.
What really
devalues sex is the idea that intercourse is no more meaningful than a good meal
or a drive in a fast car.
2.
What stifles sexual
satisfaction is casual copulating with little or no emotional involvement. Songwriter Michael Johnson said it well more
than a decade ago: Bodies on bodies, like sacks upon shelves/People just using each other
to make love to themselves…
3.
What people miss in
non-marital sex is the opportunity for enjoyment far greater than the immediate
sensual experience.
Sex can and should generate a
powerful bond, a relational Super Glue between two people. In the setting of a permanent and public
commitment, it can be savored, explored and nurtured without guilt, without
fear of consequences, without bartering, negotiating, and haggling.
But
how can I resist the pressure? Everyone
I know is having sex!
Contrary to popular belief, there
are plenty of single adults who are holding off on sex until the time is
right. Intercourse is not like breathing
– you can survive without
it. But since the going can get tough,
keep the following in mind:
1.
Decide - before the
conversation, before the date, before the relationship gets serious - that sex
begins on the wedding night and not before.
2.
Keep your reasons
clearly in mind. You’re waiting
because you want to enjoy sex fully, without risking serious disease, unplanned
pregnancy and distorted relationships.
3.
Keep your most
significant sexual organ – your brain – free of sleaze. Sexually oriented films and videos and
explicit lyrics in rock and rap have not been created with your health and
welfare in mind. Pornography, along with
being incredibly stupid, pushes barnyard sex, rape and abuse.
4.
Avoid situations
that increase the risk of an accident.
Remember that sexual feelings gain momentum, much like a car rolling
down an ever-steepening hill. It’s a lot easier to put on the brakes
in the coffee shop than on the couch.
5.
Alcohol and drugs
cloud judgment and weaken resolve. Stay
sober.
6.
Don’t be a
sucker for sexual come-ons and con games.
Have in mind some responses for the tired lines that continue to make
the rounds:
“Sex will bring us closer.”
(No, it
won’t.)
“Sex will enhance our
relationship.”
(No, sex will
become the center of attention and choke out everything else.)
“If you really loved me, you’d do
it.”
(If you really loved me, you wouldn’t ask.)
“Just this once…”
(No one wants sex
just once.)
“I want to give you something to
remember me by.”
(Such as herpes, HIV, or a pregnancy?)
“If you don’t, I’ll find
someone who will.”
(I hope the two of
you have a nice life.)
What
if it’s too late?
It’s never too
late. Many people, sadder but wiser, are
now waiting for the safety and pleasure of a marital relationship. To rephrase a cliché, today is the first day
of the rest of your sex life.
Source: “Sex And Singles: Reasons
to Wait”, Focus on the Family, 1994.
STDs
CHLAMYDIA:
What is Chlamydia?
Chlamydia is an
infection caused by the most commonly transmitted microorganism in the
Unfortunately, the
misery does not end there. Women whose
tubes have only partial scarring may conceive but have a tubal
pregnancy. If you have this type of
scarring, you have a six times greater chance of having a tubal
pregnancy than a woman who has not had a Chlamydia (or gonorrhea) infection of
her fallopian tubes. Tubal
(ectopic) pregnancies can be dangerous. They are the leading cause of death in pregnant
women. A tubal
pregnancy is a pregnancy that grows in a fallopian tube instead of the
uterus. After only three or four weeks
the tube is too small to hold the pregnancy and often ruptures, causing
hemorrhage inside a woman’s abdomen.
It is estimated that
over four million people in the
Implications
Listed below are the
important facts to remember about Chlamydia:
1.
Chlamydia is often a silent infection, and up to 80 percent of
people who have it are not aware of it.
2.
Chlamydia is an extremely common sexually transmitted
infection. In some groups of young men
and women, as many as 20 to 40 percent are infected.
3.
It is a devastating infection for a woman. There is evidence that it can cause
miscarriages or premature births. It is
a major cause of tubal pregnancies, which are
medically dangerous and emotionally painful.
The most devastating thing about Chlamydia for a woman is that it can
develop into PID, which may cause sterility that can lead to years of expense
and heartache.
4.
If a pregnant woman has Chlamydia at the time of delivery, her
baby may develop an eye infection, pneumonia, and/or a middle ear infection.
5.
A woman who has Chlamydia will often have another sexually
transmitted disease. It is important
that she be tested for other STDs as soon as the Chlamydia is diagnosed.
6.
Although men can develop epididymitis
or sterility from Chlamydia, this is not very common. This disease primarily ravages women.
Source: Joe S. McIlhaney, Jr., M.D.
Safe Sex: A Doctor Explains the Realities of AIDS &
Other STDs, pp. 102-103, 108-109. Used by permission of Baker Books, a division of Baker Book House Company, copyright ©
1990, 1991. All rights to this
material are reserved. Materials are not
to be distributed to other web locations for retrieval, published in other
media, or mirrored at other sites without written permission from Baker Book House Company.
HERPES:
What is Herpes?
Herpes is caused by
a virus that produces blisters and sores in and on the sex organs. In men, the blisters may appear on the penis,
the scrotum, or the anus; in women, the sores may be on the vulva, inside the
vagina, on the cervix, or in the anal region.
In both men and women, the outbreaks may also occur on the skin,
anywhere on the body.
The infective virus,
herpes simplex type II, is spread by
direct contact with someone who carries it.
This contact may be sexual intercourse, but the virus can be spread by mouth,
so herpes sores on the lips may result from kissing or from oral-genital
contact with an infected individual.
The herpes virus
does not remain in the area where initial contact is made. It invades the body and finally lodges in
groups of nerve cells (ganglia) located near the spinal cord. When it is causing its typical sores, the
virus spreads through the nerves to the genitals or the skin. For this reason, merely treating the area of
the sores will not prevent a future herpes outbreak.
Implications
Herpes is a sexually transmitted disease that is
almost always contracted through intercourse or other intimate physical
contact. The only way it can be caught
from a toilet seat is by coming in direct contact with infectious secretions
that have very recently been left on
the seat by someone else. You also do
not need to worry about catching this disease by shaking hands or hugging or
similar contact with others. Herpes can
be contracted by kissing.
Herpes is very
prevalent as studies already cited have shown.
Remember that 75 percent of herpes-infected individuals have never had
an outbreak of herpes (and therefore may be unaware of its existence) but can
pass it on nevertheless.
Dr. Andre Nahmias, of Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta,
reported in the Journal of the American
Medical Association (April 4, 1986) a study suggesting that 20 to 60
percent our our population has genital herpes, and
that the average male adult in the United States has almost a 50 percent chance
of having already been infected with the virus.
The bad news about
herpes is that it can be painful, embarrassing, terribly annoying, and
expensive – and places an unborn baby at risk if the mother is
infected. Somewhat better news is that
it is not a dangerous disease, except to a very few people. In fact, after four or five years, some
people may actually stop having recurrences of herpes outbreaks.
Source: Joe S. McIlhaney, Jr., M.D.
Safe Sex: A Doctor Explains the Realities of AIDS &
Other STDs, pp. 112, 118. Used by permission of Baker Books, a division of Baker Book House Company, copyright ©
1990, 1991. All rights to this
material are reserved. Materials are not
to be distributed to other web locations for retrieval, published in other
media, or mirrored at other sites without written permission from Baker Book House Company.
GONORRHEA:
What is Gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is a
sexually transmitted disease caused by the gonococcus (Neisseria gonorrhoeae), a pus-producing bacterium
that is almost never transmitted any other way than by intercourse. Although gonorrhea is often thought to be a
disease of the past, the threat from gonorrhea is still very real and is
growing. Gonorrhea is highly
communicable – even a one-time sexual act with an infected partner brings
a 40 percent chance of contracting this disease.
The incidence of
gonorrhea is increasing dramatically in the
One of the main
problems with gonorrhea, as well as certain other STDs, is that it can be
present and produce absolutely no noticeable symptoms. This fact alone makes gonorrhea, along with
Chlamydia, dangerous.
Implications
Although gonorrhea
has been around so long that it is sometimes laughingly considered a relic of
the past, it is no joke to those who become infected by it. Here are some of the facts concerning this
dreadful disease:
1.
For women, gonorrhea can cause abscesses of the vulva and Bartholin’s gland cysts. The possible long-term effects of a gonorrhea
infection include sterility, tubal pregnancies,
cystic ovaries, chronic pelvic pain, and need for a hysterectomy. Gonorrhea can also cause blindness in babies
who are untreated after delivery.
2.
Men who are untreated for gonorrhea may develop scarring of the
urethra, which can cause difficult urinary-tract problems.
3.
Antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea strains are becoming increasingly
common in the
4.
If a woman uses an IUD (intrauterine device to prevent
conception), she is from two to four times more likely to develop PID if she
becomes infected with gonorrhea.
5.
While antibiotics can kill the gonorrhea organisms, they cannot
erase the scars that may have already resulted from the infection. Complications may remain. If the gonorrhea has produced scarring,
adhesions, or blocked fallopian tubes, the condition will remain long after the
gonococci have been eradicated – and may have permanent effects on a
woman’s health and / or fertility.
Source: Joe S. McIlhaney, Jr., M.D.
Safe Sex: A Doctor Explains the Realities of AIDS &
Other STDs, pp. 119-120, 124-125. Used by permission of Baker Books, a division of Baker Book House Company, copyright ©
1990, 1991. All rights to this
material are reserved. Materials are not
to be distributed to other web locations for retrieval, published in other
media, or mirrored at other sites without written permission from Baker Book House Company.
SYPHILIS:
What is Syphilis?
Syphilis is a
sexually transmitted disease that results from infection with the syphilis
organism, Treponema pallidum. This is a spirochete, so named because of its
somewhat corkscrew-shaped appearance.
The syphilis organism dies quickly if it is not in a warm, moist
environment. It can be transmitted only
from one moist area to another and it is almost entirely a sexually transmitted
disease.
In their previously
cited book, Benign Diseases of the Vulva
and Vagina, Drs. Herman L. Gardner and Raymond Kaufman write:
Syphilis is a continuous infectious
process that is initiated at the time of contact. It passes through well-known clinical
stages: incubation, primary, secondary,
latent, and late (tertiary).
Transmission of syphilis involves intimacy, and in the vast majority of
cases, it is attributable to sexual contact.
Many recorded examples have occurred
from kissing. Spirochetes (the syphilis
organism) readily invade intact, moist mucus membranes. Invasion through dry, unbroken skin is
unlikely.
According to estimates, approximately
half of the patients with syphilis are either unaware of its presence, or
consider the lesions inconsequential until the disease is past its early
stages.
Although the patient is actually
infected from the moment of inoculation (the time of intercourse from which he
or she gets the infections), the primary lesions (chancres) usually do not
appear for ten to ninety days, the average being three weeks. Serologic (blood) tests do not become
positive for an additional week or longer.
Implications
There are many facts
about syphilis that are important enough to keep in mind:
1.
The incidence of syphilis has recently surged dramatically; for
the past few years it has been occurring at the highest rate since 1950. In 1987, syphilis increased 25 percent, and
it increased another 25 percent in 1988.
Public health officials are alarmed.
2.
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease passed by intimate
sexual contact, including intercourse, kissing, and oral / genital contact.
3.
A man in the latent stage of syphilis is not as likely to transmit
the disease to a sexual partner as in the primary and secondary stages. A
woman, however, can transmit syphilis during the menstrual period, even in the
latent phase. (Menstrual flow
contains the spirochete germ, even in the latent stage).
4.
Approximately 42 percent of people who have intercourse one time with a person who has syphilis
do not become infected. This means,
however, that over 50 percent do (British
Journal of Venereal Disease, 1983).
5.
Even extremely competent doctors can miss the diagnosis of
syphilis because it is often difficult to identify initially, even when laboratory techniques are used.
6.
It is not against the law to have syphilis. Your doctor will not report it to the police
but will make a confidential report to your local public health
department. This allows them to trace
this silent killer and identify people who are infected and don’t know
it.
7.
Syphilis affects women more adversely than it does men. In the last three years of the 1980s, the
national incidence of syphilis increased 30 percent, but the increase among
women was 60 to 75 percent.
Source: Joe S. McIlhaney, Jr., M.D.
Safe Sex: A Doctor Explains the Realities of AIDS &
Other STDs, pp. 128, 133-134. Used by permission of Baker Books, a division of Baker Book House Company, copyright ©
1990, 1991. All rights to this
material are reserved. Materials are not
to be distributed to other web locations for retrieval, published in other
media, or mirrored at other sites without written permission from Baker Book House Company.
HPV (GENITAL WARTS):
What is HPV Infection?
The virus group
causing venereal warts is essentially passed only by sexual intercourse and is
therefore a true sexually transmitted disease.
Infection by an HPV
can cause growths of soft warts on the genitals. In men, the warts can develop on the penis,
on the scrotum, or sometimes (due to anal intercourse) in or around the anus. They can also occur in the groin area. These warts are very contagious. Roughly 85 percent of women whose regular sex
partners have these warts will develop similar growths within eight
months. In women, the warts may appear
in the groin, on the vulva, or (with or without anal intercourse) in or around
the anus. They also commonly occur in
the vagina and on the cervix.
Venereal warts are
only mildly irritating. They do not
burn, and usually do not itch. A woman
will often by unaware of the warts if they are inside the vagina. I have found, though that women are often
very bothered emotionally to know that they have venereal warts. It is probably not the physical discomfort
but the mental concerns that are worrisome.
Physicians and
medical science have only in the past few years begun realizing another
significant fact about HPV infection. Essentially all abnormal Pap smears
indicating precancerous cells are a result of infection from this sexually
transmitted virus. Studies done
recently show that between 63 and 80 percent of the current male partners of
women with abnormal (premalignant) Pap smears had
venereal warts on their penis. It is
primarily because of this sexually transmitted disease that doctors advise
every woman to have a Pap smear ever year.
This is the impact that just one STD has already had in our society.
The human papillomavirus can cause changes of the skin cells of the
penis, the vagina, and the vulva that may develop into precancerous
growths. Abnormal cells of any of these
organs will remain in a precancerous state for a while, but, if untreated, they
can eventually change into invasive cancer.
An increasing
problem from genital HPV infection is discomfort at the entrance to the
vagina. This is called vestibulitis. Symptoms
are vulvar irritation, burning, itching, and pain,
especially with intercourse. This very
distressing problem is difficult both to diagnose and to treat.
If a woman becomes
infected with a very aggressive form of this virus, or if she has not had a diagnostic
Pap smear for several years, she may develop cancer of the cervix and not know
it. The same thing can happen to a
woman’s vagina or vulva if she does not have regular exams that would
discover the abnormalities early enough to treat successfully.
Implications
HPV infection may be
the most common sexually transmitted disease in the
1.
HPV infections are the most rapidly increasing sexually
transmitted disease and cannot be taken for granted. These infections are presently (1990) killing
many more women than AIDS.
2.
Genital HPV infection has a particular affinity for young
women. When 796,337 Pap smears of women
of all ages were evaluated, nearly one-fourth of the abnormal smears were from
women between the ages of 15 and 19.
Most of these girls had had sexual intercourse before the age of 15, and
more than half had had more than one partner.
3.
Older women who have had multiple sex partners have a similar
risk of developing precancerous and cancerous changes to the cervix from HPV.
4.
The partner of a person with an HPV infection will contract the
virus from 60 to 90 percent of the time.
5.
The HPV can be carried undetected for days, months, and perhaps
years, but the disease can be transmitted during this time. It is estimated that up to 30 percent of all
sexually active women and men have this virus.
6.
For a woman, HPV infection can involve multiple visits to a
physicians, colposcopies, biopsies, laser treatments,
repeated Pap smears, etc.
All the worry and
expense related to HPV infection can be avoided by following the basic
guideline that sex is only for marriage.
If neither partner in a mutually monogamous marriage has ever had sex
with anyone else, HPV infection will not develop.
Source: Joe S. McIlhaney, Jr., M.D.
Safe Sex: A Doctor Explains the Realities of AIDS &
Other STDs, pp. 136-137, 142-143. Used by permission of Baker Books, a division of Baker Book House Company, copyright ©
1990, 1991. All rights to this
material are reserved. Materials are not
to be distributed to other web locations for retrieval, published in other
media, or mirrored at other sites without written permission from Baker Book House Company.
AIDS:
What is AIDS?
AIDS (Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is a viral infection caused by the human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
HIV is a
“retrovirus”. It is
selective, choosing the immune cells in a human body to attack. (Brain and spinal cord cells can also be
damaged, however). Once an HIV infection
occurs, it spreads throughout the cells of the immune system, destroying them
as it goes. The human immunodeficiency
virus is one of the most variable viruses known. Over 150 strains have already been
identified.
Although most people
(including some physicians) refer to those who are HIV-infected as having AIDS,
that is not technically correct. While
the potential for developing full-blown AIDS exists in HIV-infected individuals
– and this disease will ultimately develop – the term AIDS is not
truly applicable until the “silent” period is passed. At that point, when the immune system has
been severely damaged, opportunistic infections that would otherwise not be a
problem become life threatening. As
these begin to occur in an HIV-infected individual, he or she is said to have
AIDS.
The term HIV-positive is used for anyone who has
been infected with HIV. Once this
infection occurs, a person is infected and contagious for life. Not only can future sexual partners contract
AIDS from this person, but also his or her blood can infect others through
breaks in the skin, shared drug needles, and transfusions.
However, I will use
“HIV-infected” throughout this chapter to refer to a person who has
been infected with the AIDS virus,
whether or not the disease symptoms are present. Such a person is considered as contagious to
others as if the infection were already “mature”. And,
short of a miracle, he or she will develop AIDS and eventually die from it.
A person who is
HIV-positive may feel perfectly healthy and be unaware of carrying the AIDS
virus. Even a blood test can give a
false sense of security, since it may fail to show positive from months to
years after an infection. In fact, it may take longer than that. An Associated Press news release from Boston (quoted
in Houston Post June 1, 1989) stated
that people at high risk of developing AIDS may silently harbor the AIDS virus for years, while standard blood test
show them to be free of infection (though this rarely happens). A study conducted by Dr. David T. Imagawa of the University of California at Los Angeles and
published in the New England Journal of
Medicine (June 1, 1989) revealed that HIV can permanently insert itself
into the genes of blood cells but stay “hidden,” so that the body
does not produce antibodies for three years – and perhaps much longer
– after the initial infection.
Dr. William A. Haseltine of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in
AIDS is spread by
the exchange of HIV-infected body fluids:
blood and blood products and semen (and possibly saliva and even
tears). Principal transmission is
through intimate sexual contact or through the use of contaminated I.V. needles
in the drug-use population. Before
mandatory testing was instituted for blood-bank reserves, hemophiliacs were at
great risk from receiving transfusions of HIV-infected blood. In addition, dental professionals now
routinely wear rubber gloves since – if even a minor cut were present on
their hands – they would be at risk from any AIDS virus that might be
present in the blood of patients with periodontal (gum) disease or those
requiring dental surgery.
AIDS has not been
proven to be spread in restaurants, by mosquitoes, by hugging, by toilet seats,
by eating utensils, by hairdressers, or by shaking hands. To be
transmissible, the AIDS virus needs the warmth and moist surfaces available in
intimate contact or the commingling of blood.
A report released in
March 1989 by the Texas Department of Health revealed some startling
statistics. The study (prepared by
1.
Most Texans did not know the signs and symptoms of AIDS.
2.
One-sixth of the population was unaware that healthy-appearing
people can be a source of HIV infection.
3.
A majority of Texans stated their belief that AIDS was a result
of a breakdown of traditional values.
4.
Subjects who attended religious services most often were less
likely to have had multiple sex partners or to have had sex with
prostitutes. The most sexually active
group was the 18- to 24-year-old group, with blacks more likely to report
multiple sex partners than Hispanics or Anglos.
5.
Those considered “at risk” through sexual activity
were those who had been sexually active and either (a) had more than one sexual
partner in the past year, or (b) had been in a mutually faithful relationship
for less than seven years, prior to which they had been sexually active.
6.
Only half of the “at risk” respondents to the survey
had used a condom in the past year, and only 32 percent of that half had the
condom in places before the first genital contact was made.
Implications
In spite of the
increased publicity and available information, AIDS is still spreading rapidly
in our society. It is estimated that the
number of people with AIDS is doubling every 2.8 years. Many of the statistics regarding AIDS are
startling:
1.
As with most other sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS seems to
be increasing especially rapidly in the teenage population. Dr. Karen Hein of the Medical College of
Virginia in
2.
Among teenagers, there are just as many females as males who are
HIV-infected, showing that HIV is a heterosexual disease; in adult groups, more
men than women have the virus.
3.
Dr. Allen Guinan of the Centers for
Disease Control in Atlanta showed that women accounted for 10 percent of all
AIDS cases in 1988, an increase of more than 40 percent from 1987 (OB/GYN News, Feb. 1988). AIDS is the leading killer of women in the
25-34 age group in
4.
One of the big myths of AIDS is that it is contracted from
“kinky” sex. AIDS, however,
is not so selective. It is transmissible
through “normal” penile / vaginal intercourse.
5.
There is no “safe sex” when one partner has
AIDS. In one study it was found that
when couples had intercourse without protection, thirteen out of sixteen
uninfected partners became infected. If
couples used condoms, two out of 12 (17 percent) became infected during the
short period of the study. And these
were couples in which the uninfected partner knew that his / her partner had
AIDS and was being excruciatingly careful about using so-called protective
measures.
6.
According to Dr. Robert Redfield, an infectious disease expert
with Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, it is estimated that in ten
years, one in 200 males in our country and one in 400 females will be
HIV-positive.
7.
One in two hundred teenagers who graduate from high school in
8.
The statistics from
9.
AIDS is alarmingly present in our colleges. A CDC study reported in American Medical Association News (June 2, 1990) showed that 2 in
1,000 college students test positive for AIDS.
10.
The risk of infection with a sexually transmitted disease climbs
as the number of persons with whom a person has intercourse increases. The
Journal of the American Medical Association (Oct. 1988) stated that a
sizable percentage of young, never-married men reported more than ten partners
during the previous twelve months. A
woman who has intercourse with one of these men should consider the fact that,
in effect, she is having sex with all the people with whom her partner has ever
had sex.
11.
The American Medical News
(March 18, 1988) reported that a new HIV (HIV-2) has been found in the
Dr. Roger W. Enlow, an AIDS expert, said in 1983, “We will have
the answer [to AIDS] within two years” (American Medical Association News, August 5, 1983). What a naïve statement! This exemplifies the wishful thinking that
most people adopt in regard to any
sexually transmitted disease. And the
AIDS virus is much more complicated than most viruses that affect humans. A significant number of experts now feel that
there may never be a vaccine
effective against HIV, and that it will be years before a cure is discovered,
if ever.
Once again I have
good news. You don’t need to worry
about HIV if you and the person you marry never had sex before marriage,
maintain a monogamous relationship once married, never have used or use I.V.
drugs, and have never had a blood transfusion.
Source: Joe S. McIlhaney, Jr., M.D.
Safe Sex: A Doctor Explains the Realities of AIDS &
Other STDs, pp. 146-149, 152-155. Used by permission of Baker Books, a division of Baker Book House Company, copyright ©
1990, 1991. All rights to this
material are reserved. Materials are not
to be distributed to other web locations for retrieval, published in other
media, or mirrored at other sites without written permission from Baker Book House Company.
Hepatitis B:
What is Hepatitis B?
Although it was only
fifteen years ago that hepatitis B was first thought to be sexually
transmitted, it is now known to be one of the most common STDs in the
world. Hepatitis B is caused by a virus
that is transmissible through body fluids – blood and blood-derived
products, semen and vaginal fluids, and saliva.
This virus basically affects functioning of the liver, often causing damager
that is severe enough to be fatal.
As with AIDS, there
are other ways to transmit the disease than through sexual intercourse. Blood transfusions and any other exchange of
body fluids (such as getting infected blood onto a break in the skin or using contaminated
I.V. needles) can also cause a hepatitis B infection.
Implications
One of the most
important aspects of this sexually transmitted disease was reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association
(Sept. 12, 1986). Dr. Schreeder’s studies of university students showed
that a person who has had fewer than ten sexual partners has a relatively low
risk of getting hepatitis B. A history
of more than ten partners presents a huge increase in the possibility of
contracting this infection.
Of course, the
safest course is to have no sexual intercourse until marriage. But a person who has had multiple sex
partners over a period of time, and who
has not yet developed hepatitis B, AIDS, or other sexually transmitted disease,
should stop those sexual practices now if he or she wants to stay healthy.
Source: Joe S. McIlhaney, Jr., M.D.
Safe Sex: A Doctor Explains the Realities of AIDS &
Other STDs, pp. 158, 160. Used by permission of Baker Books, a division of Baker Book House Company, copyright ©
1990, 1991. All rights to this
material are reserved. Materials are not
to be distributed to other web locations for retrieval, published in other
media, or mirrored at other sites without written permission from Baker Book House Company.
Vaginitis:
What is Vaginitis?
There are basically
two types of what is known as “vaginitis.” One, trichomoniasis
is an infection caused by a protozoan Trichomonas vaginalis.
Except in rare cases, this parasite is spread only by sexual
intercourse, making it a true sexually transmitted disease.
Trichomonal vaginitis
causes a vaginal discharge and itching of the vulva. The itching can be quite intolerable, and it
is often this discomfort that forces a woman to see a physician. Tenderness and burning of the vulva
frequently accompany the infection, often leading to pain with intercourse.
Although men who
have contracted this infection occasionally have a discharge from the penis,
they usually have no other symptoms.
Very rarely they may have occasional slight burning with urination.
Since being
recognized as a sexually transmitted disease, trichomoniasis
is now known to be one of the most common STDs in the world. For example, 90 percent of prostitutes have
this infection at one time or another.
Gardnerella vaginalis (or Hemophilus vaginalis) is a bacterium that causes
another type of vaginitis. A woman with this infection will have a
vaginal discharge that may initially be misinterpreted as only heavy vaginal
secretions. The most bothersome symptom
of the discharge, aside from stained underwear, is the fishy odor. There may also be a very mild burning and
itching in the vaginal area.
Infected men usually
have no symptoms of Gardnerella.
Gardnerella vaginitis
is almost invariably sexually transmitted and is present in 10 to 20 percent of
women of reproductive age.
Implications
It is important for
a woman with vaginitis to realize that the same
sexual partner from whom she contracted those organisms may also harbor other,
more dangerous diseases. Chlamydia,
gonorrhea, syphilis, or any of the other sexually transmitted diseases may
accompany Trichomonas or Gardnerella
vaginitis.
Because of the danger of multiple infections, a woman may want to
request examinations by her doctor for other sexually transmitted diseases.
I have discussed two
causes of vaginitis.
We gynecologists are seeing more and more women with exceedingly
persistent vaginitis in spite of standard
therapy. It has now been shown that an
HPV infection at the entrance to the vagina (genital warts) can make these
tissues very sore and tender for months.
I believe we will find that other sexually transmitted organisms are
complicating the treatment of persistent vaginitis in
women who continue to change sexual partners.
We almost never see persistent vaginitis in
married women if both husband and wife are faithful to each other.
Ask women who have
suffered it – a clean vagina with freedom from discharge, itch, and odor
is another good reason to have sex only with one man for a lifetime.
Source: Joe S. McIlhaney, Jr., M.D.
Safe Sex: A Doctor Explains the Realities of AIDS &
Other STDs, pp. 162-165. Used by permission of Baker Books, a division of Baker Book House Company, copyright ©
1990, 1991. All rights to this
material are reserved. Materials are not
to be distributed to other web locations for retrieval, published in other
media, or mirrored at other sites without written permission from Baker Book House Company.
Chastity – the real “Safe” solution
Keeping Sex for Marriage frees
you from the high personal cost of “free sex”
·
The pill and the IUD are known to cause early abortions and
neither is foolproof. The list of
possible dangerous side effects attributed to use of the pill, including blood
clots, strokes, cancer, and sterility (not ever being able to have children)
would make me wonder if the few minutes of fun were worth chances I was taking. Would you ask someone you care about to take risks like that?
·
Let’s face it – no
form of birth control is foolproof. No
matter what you use, condoms, IUD, or the pill, you can still become parents. Are
you ready to devote the next 18 years of your life to your child? Guys are required to pay child support, no
matter what your age, until the child is 18 years old. There is a test that is 99% accurate to prove
who the father is.
·
When you wait for sex you don’t have to worry about a hurry-up
wedding, or bringing a child up alone without two loving parents, having to
make tough decisions about adopting out your baby to a good home or killing
your first baby by abortion.
·
Next time seriously rephrase “making love” to
“let’s make a baby”, and see if you both still really want
to.
·
AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise in
epidemic proportions. They affect rich,
poor, and middle class. Some of these
are not curable and they are spread through sexual contact…do you really
want to expose yourself to life long diseases?
·
You and your partner are free to continue school, college, or
career plans without being trapped by the consequences of your sexual
act…thinking ahead to what’s best for someone else is a sign of
maturity.
·
You don’t have to worry about being exploited sexually by
others if you wait…and you don’t have to wonder if your partner
really likes you, or just the sex.
·
If you’re the kind of person who likes to be honest and
proud of what you do, waiting will take care of having to sneak sex and hope no
one finds out, as well as lying about what you really did last night.
·
Your parents won’t be hurt and disappointed by all the
problems premarital sex can cause, and you won’t have to feel like you
betrayed their trust.
·
You don’t have to worry about a bad reputation which might
make some really nice guys and girls who would have liked to get to know you
better steer clear.
Love & Chastity
Love is patient, kind, willing to endure all things. Love enables a husband and wife to care for
and support one another till death do they part. Love is not high pressured and
demanding. Love is much more a decision
than a feeling.
Sex is a symbol of marital love and commitment. It is meant to be a renewal of the marriage
covenant.
Freedom is the ability to do what is morally right. Freedom means being able to say
“no” to temptations.
Chastity is the spiritual energy that helps break the bonds of
selfishness and sexual aggressiveness.
Chastity is an inner strength that helps you to control your sexual
urges.
For the unmarried, “Yes” to Love means
“No” to Sex
Why Chastity?
FREEDOMS FROM:
1.
Pregnancy
2.
Hurry-up wedding
3.
Adoption decision
4.
Abortion decision
5.
Guilt
6.
Sexually transmitted diseases
7.
Cancer of the cervix
8.
Hazards of birth control
9.
Self-induced sterility
10.
Being used
11.
Loss of reputation
12.
Ruining your future
FREEDOMS TO:
1.
Develop friendships
2.
Help others
3.
Understand sex
4.
Resist temptation
5.
Plan your future
How
to Say NO
It’s not easy
but you can do it. Be kind, but firm. Just say “no” – you
don’t need to explain.
Know why you choose
your attitude and standards – when you know why it makes saying “no” easier.
Value your virginity, it is not only good for you but also for your
partner.
Choose friends who
have high standards, and show them you’re proud of yours.
Try to stay away
from situations that cause temptations (parking, R and X rated movies, having
alcohol on dates, etc.)
Sometimes teenagers
who have had sex feel like they have to keep having sex. It may be hard to say “No more”,
but it’s not impossible.
It’s the mature person who can admit they made a mistake and then
change to become the kind of person they really want to be.
The
Pill
Click here for information on
the pill’s effectiveness and side effects from the American Life League.
Depo-Provera
Side Effects (from Dear Doctor Karen)
Depo-Provera is a long-acting
progestin (artificial progesterone) drug administered by injection every three
months. Its actions are similar to those
of oral contraceptives – blocking ovulation and thinning the uterine
lining so that if fertilization occurs, implantation will be more difficult or
impossible – causing an early abortion.
Its side effects are
often bothersome to patients. Most
frequent is irregular bleeding or spotting, which frequently (but not always)
progresses to amenorrhea (cessation of menses).
Patients may notice swelling, weight gain, hirsuitism
(abnormal hair growth in a male pattern) and depression. Some patients have told me they have
experienced loss of libido (sexual drive).
More
life-threatening is the increased risk of breast cancer in women who have used
Depo-Provera – a study showed a 190 percent or more increase in the rate
of breast cancer among women who used Depo-Provera for more than two years
prior to age 25. If a woman conceives
while on Depo-Provera, she has a greater chance of ectopic
pregnancy – which can be life-threatening if it ruptures. Depo-Provera users also are at increased risk
of osteoporosis – loss of bone density leading to increased risk of
fractures. This may not seem very
serious, but any physician who cares for elderly women has seen patients suffer
markedly worsened overall health status – and even death – from hip
fractures and the resultant mobility problems.
Serious side effects
such as these might be warranted when one is treating a life-threatening
disease. However, when the
“disease” we are treating is normal fertility, the price is simply
too high.
Source: This article
appeared in the January/February 2001 issue of Celebrate Life, a publication of
American Life League.
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