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Hopefully you will never have to visit a Doctor's office like this one in real life. Abstinence before marriage is the most pain-free, worry-free, and inexpensive way to avoid the epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases, divorce and abortion that is destroying many people's lives.

Abortion
Human life begins at conception, which is defined as when a father's sperm meets a mother's egg. At that moment another human being comes into existence. This is also known as fertilization. Anything that results in its death after this point is an abortion. Many chemicals and devices used for contraceptive purposes also work as abortifacients. There are well over one million surgical abortions each year, and many more abortions are attributable to chemicals and devices used primarily for contraceptive purposes.

It may sound strange, but abortion also hurts the parents who chose it in the first place. Whether they are surgical or chemical, abortions can have serious physical complications. These often go unreported in abortion clinic statistics, because the injured women are admitted to hospitals, which then assume the responsibility for their care. Some common adverse physical effects include: sterility, future miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies, bleeding, perforated uterus, blood clots and death. Just to name a few.

For assistance in finding a pregnancy help center near you, please click here.

Post-Abortion Syndrome
Recent medical studies have observed and identified serious emotional and psychological complications following abortion. Often referred to as Post-Abortion Syndrome (PAS), its symptoms can appear many years after the abortion. PAS occurs when parents deny the natural grief they feel due to the loss of their unborn child.

Here is a short sampling of PAS symptoms: grief, denial, guilt, emptiness, nightmares, anger, eating disorders, shame, depression, panic attacks, sexual dysfunction, loss of self-esteem, broken relationships, desire for a replacement child, coldness toward children, being overly-interested in babies, etc. Somehow abortions also seem to destroy the relationship between the parents. This list could continue, but you get the idea. The good news is that there is professional help available to assist in the healing process.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases
An Introduction to Sexually Transmitted Diseases by The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a part of the National Institutes of Health.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), once called venereal diseases, are among the most common infectious diseases in the United States today. More than 20 STDs have now been identified, and they affect more than 13 million men and women in this country each year. The annual comprehensive cost of STDs in the United States is estimated to be well in excess of $10 billion.

1. STDs affect men and women of all backgrounds and economic levels. They are most prevalent among teenagers and young adults. Nearly two-thirds of all STDs occur in people younger than 25 years of age.

2. The incidence of STDs is rising, in part because in the last few decades, young people have become sexually active earlier yet are marrying later. In addition, divorce is more common. The net result is that sexually active people today are more likely to have multiple sex partners during their lives and are potentially at risk for developing STDs.

3. Most of the time, STDs cause no symptoms, particularly in women. When and if symptoms develop, they may be confused with those of other diseases not transmitted through sexual contact. Even when an STD causes no symptoms, however, a person who is infected may be able to pass the disease on to a sex partner. That is why many doctors recommend periodic testing or screening for people who have more than one sex partner.

4. Health problems caused by STDs tend to be more severe and more frequent for women than for men, in part because the frequency of asymptomatic infection means that many women do not seek care until serious problems have developed.

   Some STDs can spread into the uterus (womb) and fallopian tubes to cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which in turn is a major cause of both infertility and ectopic (tubal) pregnancy. The latter can be fatal.

   STDs in women also may be associated with cervical cancer. One STD, human papillomavirus infection (HPV), causes genital warts and cervical and other genital cancers.

   STDs can be passed from a mother to her baby before, during, or immediately after birth; some of these infections of the newborn can be cured easily, but others may cause a baby to be permanently disabled or even die.

5. When diagnosed and treated early, many STDs can be treated effectively. Some infections have become resistant to the drugs used to treat them and now require newer types of antibiotics. Experts believe that having STDs other than AIDS increases one's risk for becoming infected with the AIDS virus.

Chlamydial Infection
This infection is now the most common of all bacterial STDs, with an estimated 4 to 8 million new cases occurring each year. In both men and women, chlamydial infection may cause an abnormal genital discharge and burning with urination. In women, untreated chlamydial infection may lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, one of the most common causes of ectopic pregnancy and infertility in women. Many people with chlamydial infection, however, have few or no symptoms of infection. Once diagnosed with chlamydial infection, a person can be treated with an antibiotic.

Genital Herpes
Genital herpes affects an estimated 60 million Americans. Approximately 500,000 new cases of this incurable viral infection develop annually. Herpes infections are caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV). The major symptoms of herpes infection are painful blisters or open sores in the genital area. These may be preceded by a tingling or burning sensation in the legs, buttocks, or genital region. The herpes sores usually disappear within two to three weeks, but the virus remains in the body for life and the lesions may recur from time to time. Severe or frequently recurrent genital herpes is treated with one of several antiviral drugs that are available by prescription. These drugs help control the symptoms but do not eliminate the herpes virus from the body. Suppressive antiviral therapy can be used to prevent occurrences and perhaps transmission. Women who acquire genital herpes during pregnancy can transmit the virus to their babies. Untreated HSV infection in newborns can result in mental retardation and death.

Genital Warts
Genital warts (also called venereal warts or condylomata acuminata) are caused by human papillomavirus, a virus related to the virus that causes common skin warts. Genital warts usually first appear as small, hard painless bumps in the vaginal area, on the penis, or around the anus. If untreated, they may grow and develop a fleshy, cauliflower-like appearance. Genital warts infect an estimated 1 million Americans each year. Genital warts injections of a type of interferon. If the warts are very large, they can be removed by surgery.

Gonorrhea
Approximately 400,000 cases of gonorrhea are reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) each year in this country. The most common symptoms of gonorrhea are a discharge from the vagina or penis and painful or difficult urination. The most common and serious complications occur in women and, as with chlamydial infection, these complications include PID, ectopic pregnancy, and infertility. Historically, penicillin has been used to treat gonorrhea, but in the last decade, four types of antibiotic resistance have emerged. New antibiotics or combinations of drugs must be used to treat these resistant strains.

Syphilis
The incidence of syphilis has increased and decreased dramatically in recent years, with more than 11,000 cases reported in 1996. The first symptoms of syphilis may go undetected because they are very mild and disappear spontaneously. The initial symptom is a chancre; it is usually a painless open sore that usually appears on the penis or around or in the vagina. It can also occur near the mouth, anus, or on the hands. If untreated, syphilis may go on to more advanced stages, including a transient rash and, eventually, serious involvement of the heart and central nervous system. The full course of the disease can take years. Penicillin remains the most effective drug to treat people with syphilis.

Other diseases that may be sexually transmitted include trichomoniasis, bacterial vaginosis, cytomegalovirus infections, scabies, and pubic lice.

STDs in pregnant women are associated with a number of adverse outcomes, including spontaneous abortion and infection in the newborn. Low birth weight and prematurity appear to be associated with STDs, including chlamydial infection and trichomoniasis. Congenital or perinatal infection (infection that occurs around the time of birth) occurs in 30 to 70 percent of infants born to infected mothers, and complications may include pneumonia, eye infections, and permanent neurologic damage.

For more information visit www.medinstitute.org

The best way to prevent STDs is to avoid sexual contact with others.