MEDICAL INFORMATION

It is important for you to seek medical attention immediately following an assault for three reasons:

You may obtain medical attention through local hospitals or a private physician.  Before seeking medical attention, it is important that you not “clean up”, bathe, douche, or change clothing, as this may destroy valuable evidence.  If possible, you should bring an extra set of clothing to the hospital since it may be necessary for the hospital to forward the clothes worn during the assault to law enforcement.  However, if this is not possible, Turning Point will provide clothing to you in the emergency room.

Most hospitals have staff who are specifically trained to work with survivors of rape.  Survivors are treated as quickly as possible and second only to others who are experiencing life threatening situations.  You also have the option of having a Turning Point advocate with you during your stay in the emergency room.  This advocate will be able to offer support to you and any family or friends who may have accompanied you, answer questions, and provide referrals for follow-up services.

In the examination room, a nurse will take a brief medical history.  At this time, you will need to give information on any past illnesses or injuries; if you have bathed or douched since the assault; if there was vaginal, oral, or anal penetration during the assault; and if there are any medication allergies.  It is not necessary to disclose the details of the assault, but the doctor will need to know some of what happened in order to provide appropriate medical attention.  You will also be checked for scratches, bruises, red marks, cuts, etc. and these will be noted (and often photographed) for evidence.

The examination will include a thorough physical including a pelvic exam.  If you would like for a relative, spouse, parent, friend, or even the rape crisis advocate to accompany you for support during the exam please let the hospital staff know.  It is often helpful to tell the doctor if you have never had a pelvic exam.

The medical staff will collect evidence throughout the exam that is necessary for prosecution.  Since there are usually no witnesses to the crime, and frequently little physical evidence in sexual assault cases, any evidence obtained is helpful.  Little or no evidence can be collected after 48 to 72 hours.  Regardless of the time span or your decision whether or not to prosecute, it is recommended that all survivors seek medical attention.

Since rape is a crime, the hospital staff is required by the state to notify the local law enforcement agency.  The police will usually arrive at the hospital to take your statement. You are not required by law to speak to the police.  However, only you can provide information needed to apprehend the assailant.  Reporting the crime to the police does not mean that you must prosecute.

PREGNANCY

You should discuss with the doctor or nurse any possibility of current pregnancy (pregnancy before the assault).  It is also important to discuss any type of birth control now being used.  You will have a pregnancy test completed during your emergency room visit.  However, this test will not show whether you have become pregnant because of this assault, only if you are already pregnant.  The chance of getting pregnant from a single, unprotected intercourse varies depending upon your menstrual cycle.  If the pregnancy test results are negative, you will have the option to receive a pill to be taken as directed to prevent the possibility of pregnancy from the attack.  You may have heard of this hormone medicine referred to as the “morning after pill” (medical name-Ovral).  Ovral is a drug to prevent pregnancy that is used only in an emergency.  The “morning after pill” discourages implantation of a fertilized egg by causing the lining of the uterus to slough off.  It must be taken within three days or 72 hours of having sexual intercourse for it to be effective.  If you happen to have been pregnant at the time of the assault, Ovral will not cause a miscarriage, but it could harm the baby.  That is why the pregnancy test is important.  You will be given instructions about taking Ovral and any possible side affects before you leave the hospital.  If you have any questions, feel free to ask the nurse or rape crisis advocate.

SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES (STD)

Many STDs can be avoided if treated as soon as possible following the assault.  During your medical treatment, you will receive tests for sexually transmitted diseases or STDs.  These tests cannot tell whether you contracted a sexually transmitted disease from the assault, only if you already have a STD.  Before you leave the emergency room, you will be given antibiotic medicine to help prevent the spread of venereal disease.  You will need to see your doctor in 10-14 days to have the cultures to check for STDs.

HIV AND AIDS

Survivors of rape and sexual assault need to be aware of HIV infection and the AIDS disease.  HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is a small germ that can cause AIDS.  AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, a disease in which the immune system of the body breaks down.  Once your immune system breaks down, you cannot fight off infections and diseases.  If HIV enters your bloodstream, you can become infected with the HIV virus.  A person who is infected can infect others, even if no symptoms are present.  You cannot tell by looking at someone whether he or she is infected with HIV.  An infected person can appear completely healthy.

You can become infected with HIV in two main ways:

Please remember that although YOU may not use drug needles or syringes, the person who attacked you may have. Therefore, this information is extremely important.

HIV can be spread through sexual intercourse, from male to female, female to male, male to male, and possibly female to female.  HIV may be in an infected person’s blood, semen, saliva, or vaginal secretions.

Following a rape or sexual assault, you must be aware of the correct procedures.  Much like STDs, HIV tests given immediately following the rape would only indicate if you were infected before the assault.  Therefore, you should seek out an ANONYMOUS testing center three to six months following the assault.  A simple blood test will be given to you and results can be available anywhere from 24 hours to a couple of weeks.  These testing sites see hundreds of people every week and the people giving the tests are very knowledgeable and caring.

It is a good idea to talk with a Turning Point Crisis Advocate or a counselor from a local AIDS support center as soon as possible following the assault.  Most communities also have Public Health Agencies that offer confidential counseling.

For more information on HIV/AIDS testing, please contact the following:

National AIDS Hotline
1-800-342-AIDS
1-800-344-SIDA (Spanish)
I -800-AIDS-TTY (Hearing Impaired)
Available 24 hours a day. calls are toll free, and you do not have to give your name.