The Emergency Room Exam
Seeking medical care is important, whether or not you choose to report to the
police. A local hospital emergency room can provide immediate medical attention.
You may sign consent forms to allow the medical personnel to examine,
treat, and administer medication to you, and release information to the
police. The
nurse will explain the exam procedures to you and will be present throughout
the exam.
After a sexual assault, the primary
medical concerns are physical injuries, sexually transmitted
diseases, and pregnancy. At the time of the examination,
testing
will also be done to collect evidence that can be used to prosecute the person
who assaulted you.
Do not bathe, douche, or change clothes
before the exam. This may destroy evidence. If you already
have, it is still important to have prompt, thorough medical
care. Remember to bring a change of clothes with you when you go to the emergency
room.
Sexually Transmitted
Disease
Sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea,
herpes simplex II and HIV can be transmitted during a sexual
assault. You may not know that
you
have a sexually transmitted disease until several weeks or months after
it has been transmitted.
If you are concerned about having a
sexually transmitted disease, discuss this with the doctor.
He or she can give
you preventive medicine at the
time of
the exam. You should receive information on any medication given to
you. Make sure
you know the name, dosage, purpose, and possible side effects of the
drug.
Even if you receive preventive treatment,
it is important to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases
two weeks
after the attack, and again
in six
weeks.
Pregnancy
There is a chance that pregnancy will result from a sexual
assault. While the chances are lessened if you are using
birth control, a
test for pregnancy
is
recommended for all women of childbearing age.
You may request a pregnancy test at
the time of the exam. However, an accurate pregnancy test cannot
be given until six (6) weeks
after your
last period.
There is a medication available in most
hospitals which can be given at the time of the exam to prevent
pregnancy. To be effective,
emergency
contraception
must
be given within 72 hours of the assault. Again, make sure you
know the name,
dosage, purpose, and possible side effects of the drug.
Late Menstrual Period
Having a late period does not necessarily mean you are pregnant.
Stress, tension and worry can cause you to have a late period;
this happens
to many sexual
assault victims. Follow-up testing is the most reliable way
to determine whether or not
you are pregnant.
If you do not have a private physician, the hospital emergency
room or community sexual assault crisis center can refer
you to a doctor
or health
clinic.
Next Page: Evidence
Collection
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