BIRTH CONTROL METHODS
This is a list of some contraceptives in order of effectiveness
Abstinence
Vasectomy
Tubal ligation
Birth Control pills
Intrauterine device (IUD)
Diaphragm
Condom
Jellies, creams, foams
Rhythm Method
Penis withdrawn before ejaculation
The most reliable method of birth control is abstinence, that is, the absence of sexual intercourse. This form of birth control has the added advantage of preventing transmission of a sexually transmitted disease.
Oral contraception (birth-control pills)
Involves taking a combination of estrogen and progesterone for 21 days a month.
They prevent ovulation. There can be some serious side effects: increased
risk of heart attack.
Intrauterine device (IUD)
This is a small piece of mold plastic that is inserted into the uterus by a physician. It prevents implantation. Problem is that it can harbor bacteria and become infected.
Diaphragm
This is a soft latex cup with a flexible rim that fits over the cervix and can be inserted into the vagina two hours at most before sexual relations. It must be used with spermicide. Jelly or cream and should be left in place at least six hours after sexual relations. Problem is that it takes some skill to use; must be exactly in the proper position.
Condom
A condom, when used in conjunction with a spermicide, the protection is better than with the condom alone. It also protects against sexually transmitted diseases. Problems occur unless air must be squeezed out of the tip after it is in place or it will break. Use of hand creams will also cause it to break. Only K-Y Jelly (water-based lubricant) is safe to use near a condom.
Modern myths :
- The suggestion that douching immediately following intercourse works as a contraceptive is untrue. if anything, douching spreads semen further towards the uterus. Having sex in a hot tub does not prevent pregnancy, but may contribute to vaginal infections.
- Although some sex positions may encourage pregnancy, no sexual positions prevent pregnancy. Having sex while standing up or with a woman on top will not keep the sperm from entering the uterus. The force of ejaculation and the ability of sperm to swim overrides gravity.
- Sneezing or urinating after sex are also completely ineffective, they do not prevent pregnancy and are not forms of birth control.
Considerable research has been done on the safety and effectiveness of Nonoxynol-9 for HIV prevention. WHO, in collaboration with the CONRAD Program, convened a technical consultation in October 2001 to review the data on the use of Nonoxynol-9 as a spermicide.
Key conclusions from the technical consultation include:
- nonoxynol-9 has been shown to increase the risk of HIV infection when used frequently by women at high risk of infection, however it remains a contraceptive option for women at low risk.
- Nonoxynol-9 offers no protection against sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhoea or chlamydia.
- There is no evidence that condoms lubricated with nonoxynol-9 are any more effective in preventing pregnancy or infection than condoms lubricated with silicone, and such condoms should no longer be promoted.
- Nonoxynol-9 should not be used rectally.
The least effective method is withdrawing the penis before ejaculation. Statistics say that there is a 30% chance of pregnancy with this method.
Female REPRODUCTIVE
Can you get pregnant while you are having your period?
Will yogurt cure a yeast infection if you put it "inside"?
Is possible for a baby to have five parents:
(1) sperm donor, (2) egg donor, (3) surrogate mother, and (4) and (5) adoptive mother and father.
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES (STDS)
1. VIRUSES
A) HIV / AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome):Caused by a virus
that infects white blood cells.
Prevalence
JOKE: Did you know senior citizens are the leading carriers of AIDS? Yup…hearing aids, nursing aids, walking aids, Band-Aids!
Seriously, About 40 million people worldwide have become infected with HIV, and of these, 12 million have died of AIDS. A new HIV infection occurs every 15 seconds, the majority in heterosexuals. Most infected people live in Africa (66%) where it is believed HIV infections first began, but new infections are now occurring at the fastest rate in Southeast Asia and India.
In the United States, HTV infections are more prevalent among African Americans and Hispanics. Everyone who is sexually active or who use IV drugs are at risk.
Symptoms of an HIV Infection
It attacks white blood cells to destroy a person’s immune system. During the initial phase, there are no symptoms and the blood test is negative, yet the person is highly infectious.
Several months to several years after infection, symptoms begin with swollen lymph nodes, severe fatigue, fever with night sweats, and diarrhea are present. If the virus enters the brain there will be loss of memory, inability to think clearly, loss of judgment, and/or depression.
Persons with AIDS die from opportunistic diseases, not from the HIVinfection itself.An opportunistic infection is when a bacteria that frequently lives on our body without causing disease but will cause disease if given the opportunity. One opportunity that can present itself is when the immune system is weakened.
Treatment
There is no cure for AIDS, but they can be given therapy that usually consists of two drugs that prevent mutation of the virus to a resistant strain. Unfortunately, if the virus is the resistant strain, there is no drug therapy.
Transmission of HIV
The largest group of people with AIDS in the United States is homosexual men, but the largest population of new cases are intravenous drug users and heterosexuals.
Women now account for 20% of all newly diagnosed cases of AIDS. An infected woman can pass HIV to her unborn children or to a newborn through milk. Transmission at birth can be prevented if she takes AZT, and delivers by C section.
HIV is spread in body fluids, such as blood, from one person to another.(Blood transfusions are now tested for the presence of HIV, so risk of contracting an infection in this manner is now considered very unlikely).
B) Herpes Infections
The herpes viruses cause various illnesses. Chicken pox and mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr) are examples of a herpes virus. However, only the herpes simplex virus is sexually transmitted. They infect mucosal linings such as the mouth and vagina. There are two types of herpes simplex viruses: type 1 usually causes cold sores and fever blisters, while type 2 more often causes genital herpes. However, oral sex with someone with a fever blister can cause genital herpes and oral sex with someone with genital herpes can cause fever blisters.
Cold Sores and Fever Blisters
Cold sores are usually contracted during childhood from a smooch from a well-meaning adult with a cold sore. The sores heal and break out again during times of stress throughout the person’s life. The stress can be from emotional stress, illness, menstruation, high fever, colds, or exposure to sunlight. These sores are infectious for at least three to four days until the sores begin to heal. Contact with the sores or any contaminated object can cause the virus to be transmitted.
Genital Herpes
Genital herpes is what causes genital warts.
All warts are caused from a virus. A regular wart on the hands or plantar wart on the feet is harmless, but they can spread, get bigger, and cause discomfort. Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted wart. Over one million persons a year become infected, but not everyone goes in for treatment. It is caused from having intercourse with someone who has genital herpes, or from having oral sex with someone with a cold sore.
Transmission and Symptoms
In some people there are no symptoms, so many people don’t know they have them.
They start as a tingling or itching sensation before blisters appear on the genitals. Once the blisters rupture, they leave painful ulcers that may take as long as three weeks or as little as five days to heal. The blisters may be accompanied by fever, some burning on urination, swollen lymph nodes in the groin, and in women, a copious vaginal discharge. As with cold sores, the blisters come back from the same stress situations.
A newborn can become infected by passage through the birth canal so they have to be delivered by C-section.
Genital warts are associated with cancer of the genitals. Teenagers with multiple sex partners are very susceptible to genital warts, and more cases of cancer of the cervix are being seen among this age group.
Treatment
There is no cure for genital herpes. There are some medicines in the form of pills or ointment that disrupt the reproduction of the virus and so relieve the initial symptoms at the first sign of outbreak, but it will always come back later. They can be temporarily removed by surgery, freezing, acid, or laser. However, as with all warts, there is a high likelihood of reoccurrence. Even after treatment, the virus can be transmitted because the wart may look gone, but it lingers in the subdermal tissues. Therefore, abstinence or use of a condom is necessary.
C) Hepatitis Infections
There are several types of hepatitis. There is no treatment and no cure, but there is a vaccine.
Hepatitis A
This is a virus you get when you or a food worker doesn’t wash the hands after going to the bathroom, and then you eat. It can also be sexually transmitted through oral/anal contact.
Hepatitis B
This is the form that is primarily spread by sexual contact or sharing needles by drug users.
Only about 50% of infected persons have flu-like symptoms, including fatigue, fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, and dull pain in the upper right of the abdomen. Jaundice, a yellowish cast to the skin, can also be present. Some persons have an acute infection that lasts only three to four weeks. Others have a chronic form of the disease that leads to liver failure and a need for a liver transplant.
Hepatitis C
This is the form you get from infected blood. It is very serious and can lead to chronic hepatitis, liver cancer, and death.
Since there is NO TREATMENT for an HBV infection, PREVENTION is imperative by a vaccine, which is safe and does not have any major side effects. This vaccine is now on the list of recommended immunizations for children.
2. BACTERIA
Bacterial diseases are controlled by preventing transmission and by antibiotics. Abstinence or monogamous relations (always the same partner) with someone who is free of an STD will prevent transmission. Otherwise, the use of a condom and avoidance of oral/genital contact is recommended.
A) Chlamydia
Chlamydia is the leading STD in the United States. There are about 6 million new cases per year. Five times more women than men go in for treatment for this because women have more symptoms and men who are infected don’t know it.
Symptoms
At first there may be no symptoms, but after 1-3 weeks there may be a mild burning sensation on urination and a mucous discharge in vagina. Unfortunately a physician mistakenly may diagnose it as a urinary tract infection and prescribe the wrong type of antibiotic; until they realize the medicine is not working, the person is still contagious.
If the infection spreads to the ovaries, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) results. This is a very painful condition with no treatment and no cure. It also causes sterility. The woman has to live with this severe pain for the rest of her life.
If a newborn comes through the birth canal of a women with Chlamydia, its eyes become infected and results in blindness. This is the leading cause of blindness in third-world countries. That is sad, because all it requires are some eye drops in the infant right after birth, and it will prevent this. This STD is easily cured with tetracycline.
B) Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea was at an all-time high in 1978, but it’s going down now. Women using birth-control pills or an IUD have a greater risk because they cause the genital tract to be more receptive to pathogens.
Symptoms
Unlike Chlamydia, gonorrhea symptoms are more obvious in men than in women. Men have pain on urination and a milky urethral discharge three to five days after contact. In women, there are usually no symptoms until after it spreads to the ovaries, again causing PID (a million women a year get this). Since PID scars up the area around the ovaries, pregnancy can result in an ectopic pregnancies.
The leading cause of blindness in newborns is from Chlamydia infections in their eyes after passing through an infected birth canal.Adults can get it in their eyes, too, if they touch an infected area and rub their eyes. Eye infections cause blindness.
Oral/genital contact can cause infection of the mouth, throat, and the tonsils. Gonorrhea can spread to internal parts of the body, causing heart damage or arthritis.
Transmission and Treatment
The chances of getting a gonorrheal infection are good. Women have 50—60% risk, while men have a 20% risk of contracting the disease after even a single exposure to an infected partner. Painful urination usually indicates gonorrhea. It is easily cured using antibiotics.
C) Syphilis
Syphilis is caused by a bacterium that has a tail and can move, so it is particularly nasty.
Syphilis has three stages.
1)Primary stage: an ulcerated sore with hard edges appears at the site of infection. The ulcer heals itself, but it is just gearing up for the next stage.
2)Secondary stage: the bacteria spread throughout the body and a rash forms all over, although it is not itchy. Again, it heals itself, but the worst is on its way.
3)Tertiary stage: lasts until the patient dies. It weakens the arteries, causing aneurysms, and is known for attacking the brain. Symptoms include mental impairment, blindness, and insanity. Henry VIII died from syphilis.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Diagnosis of syphilis can be made by blood tests and microscopic examination of fluids from lesions. It is easily cured by penicillin, but once it enters the last stage, there is no cure and is fatal.
3. Other Organisms that cause Sexually Transmitted Diseases
A) Trichomonasis a single cell parasitewhich is transmitted sexually and causes severe itchiness a woman’s vagina. Men are usually asymptomatic (no symptoms).
B) Fungi and Yeast are pathogens from the plant kingdom. When a woman takes an antibiotic while using birth-control pills, it disrupts the normal balance of bacteria, and allow normal yeast there to cause an infection.
C) Lice are insects that can infect the hair of humans. Head lice is well known for infecting the hair of schoolchildren; lice on the pubic hair are called “crabs”, and are sexually transmitted and also can be contracted by contact with an infected person’s clothing or bedding. They suck blood from their host and cause severe itching, particularly at night. The pubic hair, underarm hair, and even the eyebrows can be infected, and it can be self-diagnosed by examination of the hair. Protozoa, yeast, worms, and lice are all easily treated with antibiotics and disinfection of sheets and clothing.
Prevention is still the best way to manage STDs.
- The use of a condom along with a spermicide that contains nonoxynol-9
- The avoidance of oral/genital contact
- Have a monogamous relationship
- Don’t have sex with someone who has a STDs
- Don’t have sex with an intravenous drug user.
EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT
This is an amazing process that one cell can grow into an entire organism is 9 months!
FERTILIZATION
SPERM
This is the simplest and smallest cell in the body. It consists of a FLAGELLUM (to swim), a NUCLEUS (to carry DNA), and an ACROSOME (for fertilization.
The function of the sperm is to allow the nucleus to reach the egg.
The relative sizes of the egg to the sperm
IDENTICAL TWINS is when one fertilized egg develops into two masses. These have the same embryo, same genetic make-up. Occurs randomly. If more than one egg becomes fertilized = FRATERNAL TWINS.
If the identical twins don’t completely separate = CO JOINED TWINS, which are always identical. They can be joined anywhere. Sometimes they are joined at the chest and share a heart, or are joined at the head and share meninges and a blood supply. This can be detected in utero by ultrasound.
The first known co joined twins were from Siam, so they were called Siamese twins. These two brothers had two heads but one pair of legs. They married two different women and had lots of kids. One died two days before the other one.
EGG
The egg has to support the embryo for a few weeks. Eggs are so large they can be seen with the naked eye. It contains a membrane filled with nutrients= YOLK SAC
When the sperm reach the egg, millions of them break open their acrosome and release enzymes to digest the outer layer of the egg to get in. The first sperm to do this causes the egg to prevent any other sperm from getting in. It is impossible for more than one sperm to fertilize one egg. Fertilization occurs in the fallopian tube or the uterus. The fertilized egg travels down to the uterus where it should implant in the wall. If there is no implantation, menses (shedding of the uterus lining) occurs.
The egg begins rapid cell division. This occurs as the egg is going from the fallopian tube to the uterus. It takes one week to get to the uterus.