We may think of love as a sweet heart throbbing fairy tail situation, but in reality, unexpected dreadful circumstances often occur. As a couple falls helplessly in love, they become sexually active. Because of this intimate, uncontrollable love, a couple, with extremely high endodorphine levels may make a poor choice about contraceptives. This poor choice may result in a STD or even the life-concluding virus, HIV/AIDS. In this situation the couple develops mixed emotions which may cause a painful breakup leading to depression, which is the number one cause of suicide.
Being in love is a sense of excitement, of heightened emotion, heightened senses, of being in the unknown, of abduction, of not being in control of yourselfits like an excuse, ‘I don’t now what I’m doing. I’m in love'”(Gochros and Ricketts 27). Every day, people all over the world experience this intense description of love. Dr. JM Morris explains this in profound detail. “The first step to falling in love is imprinting. Imprinting is finding a specific physical trait that attracts you to a certain person. Then there is a subliminal attraction, which is a personal quality, such as a person’s laugh.
Next is the hypotaemic stage. When experiencing this stage, a person becomes nervous and develops sweaty palms when their object of affection is close to them. Then chemical anvetamines in the brain such as dopamine, norepine, and phenye ethyeamine react, causing a natural drug rush. ” Now that the couple has fallen in love, certain addictions and attachments occur. Dr. Morris continues, “The brain chemical, oxytocin, otherwise known as the ‘cuddle chemical’ promotes a realxed satisfying attraction and strong bonds due to endodorphine levels urging the couple to make love.
Through this addiction, the couples brains actually begin to grow together. ” So now the endodrophine level is at its peak and it is the perfect time and place for the couple to have sex, but there is only one problem, they have no form of contraceptives. The couple, so in love and naturally drugged on endodorphine, cannot resist their feelings and proceed by engaging in unprotected sex. The use of contraceptives have become vital when considering that unprotected intercourse is likely to result in pregnancy and more importantly, it carries a high risk of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease (Contraception: choosing).
There are presently many forms of contraceptives available to fit persons cost, comfort and preference. When making this crucial choice, it is important to consider all your options. There are types of contraceptives, which are excellent for preventing pregnancy, but have absolutely no effectiveness against STD’s. The Combined pill, mini-pill, Depo-Provera, Norplant, IUD, and morning after pill are all in this category (Roland 6). Contraceptives, which prevent pregnancy and STD’s, include the male and female condom, spermicides and diaphragms. The male condom is the most common use of contraception for males.
It is a protective covering made of latex and polyurethane that fits over the penis. The condom keeps the semen from entering to vagina (Kronenfeld, Whicker 43). The female condom which is not commonly used, not only has a high cost, but is bulky and difficult for the female to insert. It is a polyurethane sheath that lines the entire vagina and partially covers the external genitals (Birth Control 2). Spermicides are another over the counter contraceptive. These products are a type of spermicidle jelly or foam in the form of a capsule, which are inserted into the vagina before intercourse.
There are no serious side effects but it may be messy. The woman can also use a diaphragm or cervical cap, which is a flexible rubber barrier used with spermicidal cream or jelly. It is inserted before intercourse to block and kill sperm moving toward the uterus (Emergency Contraceptives 2). All of these contraceptives are effective in stopping pregnancy and STD’s but the only thing that can completely prevent sexual mistakes is abstinence. If a couple decides not to use any of these methods of contraception they are at a high risk for sexually transmitted diseases and even HIV/AIDS.
Present day, more than fifty organisms and syndromes are now recognized as sexually transmitted. These diseases can lead to serious health problems, and when untreated, can lead to major consequences (Anderson and Smith 22). Sexually transmitted diseases can cause pelvic inflamation, a woman who develops a serious case of this may die. But an even more serious STD that causes death is HIV/AIDS (Clinic). The two most common STD’s are Chlamydia and Syphilis. Although Chlamydia can be extremely painful for females in the lower abdomen, 80% of the infected have no symptoms at all. Chlamydia is curable with certain antibiotics.
Syphilis, although curable as well, can cause sever damage to the nervous system and other body organs, resulting in long term damage. Other STD’s cause painful blisters and warts to develop on the mouth and genitals and anus. Genital herpes, genital warts, and scabies are all included in this category. These sores are extremely painful and sometimes are incurable (Holmes and Mardh and Sparling and Wiesner). Other popular STD’s include Garderella Vaginits, Hepatitis A, B, C and D, and Gonorrhea, they all have symptoms including, vaginal discharge, pain while urinating, possible bleeding, ect.
Some people have no symptoms at all and most of these STD’s can be cured by antibiotics (Clinic). But one STD that cannot be cured by antibiotic or any other way is the life concluding disease, HIV/AIDS. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS, this infection damages the body’s immune system that protects the body from disease. As HIV forms to AIDS the immune system is extremely weak, when this happens, other diseases and infections enter the body, eventually causing death (Schettler 1-2).
The only guarantee to keep from getting a STD is to practice sexual abstinence, but on a more realistic note, it is extremely important to use contraceptives during sexual intercourse to lessen the chances of infection. Being infected with and STD is a very difficult situation. It causes hardship between the sexually active couple, it effects the victim’s family and friends who care about them, and if the victim is bearing a child at the time, it ould effect the baby’s health as well.
The STD might cause a difficult breakup between the two partners, or for teenagers, it creates a conflict between them and their parents. A person may be deeply bothered by long term scars that can effect their future, like women becoming unable to bear children because or the damage done, or even the embarrassment it causes. In many cases the victim falls in a stage of depression. Depression, effecting over one in five Americans in their lifetimes is the number one cause of suicide (Campbell51). People who have AIDS are at an extremely high risk of taking their own lives (Pahl 3).
They don’t want to go through the pain of a slow death or wish to face the humility. An infected person may feel dirty and unwanted; this type of depression often leads to suicide (Fagan 8). So now when we think of love, we may see it a little differently after being educated. We can see how love and death can tie together; love leads to sex, allowing high endodrophine levels to make a poor choice of contraceptives, which, in turn, leads to STD’s, HIV/AIDS, which causes depression, resulting in suicide.