RSS Feed
October 2, 2018 16:25
Comments
November 29, 2017 19:23
Blogger
An Overview of HPV Statistics in America
Real Alternatives is a not-for-profit health organization that provides women with a variety of services and support during unexpected and crises pregnancies. Real Alternatives also offers a wealth of information regarding related health topics, including sexually transmitted diseases.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 110 million Americans are living with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), at a cost of more than $16 billion annually. Studies have found that of the 20 million newly-reported cases of STDs every year, over 14 million are linked to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.
Nearly 80 million individuals of all ages in the United States live with HPV. The infection is incurable, though some symptoms can be managed with medical treatments. In many instances, HPV is passed between partners, and it can remain dormant for years without active symptoms. Some strains of HPV can cause genital warts or even cancer.
There are a number of ways to mitigate one's chances of contracting HPV. Individuals are advised to get the HPV vaccine, which helps protect against the most common strain but not all of the strains. Practicing safe sex can lower the chance of contracting HPV or other STDs. However, living a chaste lifestyle (abstinence) until committing to a long-term monogamous relationship is the best and the most effective means of risk reduction.
Reply
November 29, 2017 19:20
Basic Facts about STDs in America
STDs
Image: realalternatives.org
Real Alternatives puts women dealing with unexpected pregnancies in touch with helpful programs and services. In addition to unplanned pregnancy, Real Alternatives operates in areas related to sexual health and STD prevention.
Unexpected pregnancy is not the only reason to refrain from sexual intercourse at a young age, or at any time outside of a committed, trusting relationship. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are another serious consequence to consider. In recent years, STDs have reached epidemic levels in the United States, with more than 20 unique infectious diseases impacting over 20 million American men and women. Every year, the US government addresses the effects of STDs with response efforts in excess of $16 billion.
Knowledge and prevention represent an individual’s two strongest weapons against STDs, which can be contracted by any sexually active individual. Age, gender, race, economic background, and other identifying characteristics have nothing to do with contracting an STD. That said, certain populations are more at risk than others. More than 66 percent of STD cases in America are found in individuals under the age of 25, for example.
Sexually active individuals must be highly vigilant in regard to the symptoms of a possible STD. In many cases, particularly in women, the symptoms do not show immediately. In some cases, a disease may lie dormant for years at a time. Even when there are no symptoms, the disease can be transmitted.
There are a number of ways to mitigate the chances of contracting an STD, but abstaining from sexual intercourse is the only way to completely prevent the chances of infection.
November 17, 2017 01:18
Blogger
Real Testimonies from Real Alternatives Clients
Real Alternatives provides support and information to women from all walks of life who have been impacted by an unplanned pregnancy. The Real Alternatives website, www.realalternatives.org, features a number of stories from clients who have benefited from the support of the organization.
The stories come from a host of women of different ages and backgrounds, a testament to the organization’s desire to provide help to any individual who seeks it. Certain accounts highlight the organization’s all-inclusive attitude in regard to age, as opposed to similar agencies that focus solely on helping younger women dealing with unexpected pregnancies.
Other women have pointed to a lack of support upon learning about their pregnancy, including disapproval from family and friends and pressure to abort, or complete indifference from their partner. The informed support and welcoming approach of the Real Alternatives team, along with a number of approved service providers, helped these women to identify different ways to address their situation.
November 7, 2017 15:08
What Happens during an Abortion
Abortion
Image: realalternatives.org
Founded to provide pregnancy and parenting support to new and expectant mothers, Real Alternatives is committed to educating women about their options. Real Alternatives helps women to understand what is involved in an abortion, so that they can make informed choices. Medical abortions, also known as chemical abortions, involve the use of a hormone-blocking chemical known as mifepristone. Mifepristone is colloquially known as the abortion pill, as well as RU-486 this chemical is used to end an early pregnancy by inducing an abortion. In some cases, the woman will need to take a second drug, misoprostol to complete the abortion. Misoprostol causes the womb to contract; the contractions expel the baby from the womb. Medical abortions are typically only available to women who are nine or fewer weeks into pregnancy.
After the ninth week of pregnancy, women seeking abortions who are still in their first trimester are more likely to undergo vacuum aspiration, a surgical procedure in which a physician will numb the cervix and insert a catheter into the woman’s cervix. The catheter is connected to a machine that acts like a vacuum cleaner. The fetus is sucked out of the womb through the catheter.
Usually during a second trimester (the fourth, fifth, and sixth months of pregnancy), to perform an abortion, the doctor opens (dilates) the cervix and empties (evacuates) the uterus. This method is known as dilation and evacuation (D & E).
When this abortion method is used in the second trimester, the doctor may insert a sponge-like material into the cervix. As the sponge gets wet it becomes larger, opening the mouth of the cervix. The doctor will remove the sponge two to sixteen hours later. The doctor uses forceps to remove the fetus or fetal parts; the doctor may also suction the fetus or fetal parts by vacuum aspiration using a larger catheter than described for the first trimester. The afterbirth is most commonly removed by vacuum aspiration.
Finally, late-term abortions are abortions performed between 24 and 38 weeks gestation.
An abortion at this stage of your pregnancy may only be done if your physician reasonably believes that it is necessary to prevent either your death or a substantial and irreversible impairment of one of your major bodily functions.
When a pregnancy is ended at this stage, one of two procedures is performed: labor induction or cesarean section.
Labor and delivery of the fetus during the third trimester are similar to childbirth. The duration of labor depends on the size of the baby and the “readiness” of the womb.
If labor cannot be started by injecting medicine into the pregnant woman, or if the pregnant woman is too sick to undergo labor, a cesarean section may be done.
Another type of late term abortion that is also performed is known as partial birth abortion. Partial birth abortion is legal in only 18 states.
November 1, 2017 14:48
Blogger
Sexually Transmitted Diseases Reach Record High in US
Real Alternatives provides easy-to-understand education surrounding pregnancy, parenting, and sexual health. Targeting its services to pregnant women and women of childbearing age, Real Alternatives strives to help its audiences make informed decisions.
According to recent data available through the Sexually Transmitted Diseases Surveillance Report, collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the incidence of gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis has reached a record high in the United States. Chlamydia stands out as the most prevalent of these three diseases, the total number of cases having reached 1.6 million, as compared to 470,000 cases of gonorrhea and close to 28,000 cases of infectious syphilis.
Close to 50 percent of reported chlamydia cases occur in young women, a percentage significantly higher than the incidence rate in other populations. New diagnoses of syphilis are present primarily in men, the percentage being highest in men who engage in sex with other men (MSM). There were also 600 new cases of syphilis reported in infants in 2016, a rate that indicates the widespread failure of readily available screening procedures.
The most dramatic increase in gonorrhea infection also rests with the male population, and particularly with those in the MSM category. Scientists believe that the 22 percent increase in men with gonorrhea is attributable largely to the resistance of the infection to common antibiotics.
October 22, 2017 14:03
Blogger
Then-Governor Mike Pence’s Support of Indiana’s Real Alternatives
Regarding the long-term impact he hoped to achieve through this backing, Governor Pence spoke of wanting see more women who are facing an unplanned pregnancy receive needed assistance, support, and education. Responding to criticism from some corners that Real Alternatives does not counsel or advocate for abortion, he noted that under Indiana law, “childbirth is preferred, encouraged, and supported over abortion” (IC 16-34-1-1). He described the provided services as being both legal and in sync with a pro-life worldview that defines Hoosier values.
Mike Pence also commended the nonprofit orientation of Real Alternatives, such that any participating service provider cannot charge money for services rendered. This he saw as essential in ensuring that all Indiana residents would be able to access the state-funded program with ease.
October 22, 2017 13:44
Catholic Social Services – Recognized for Life Affirming Work
Real Alternatives
Image: cssphiladelphia.org
A nonprofit organization based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Real Alternatives engages with women facing unplanned and crisis pregnancies in providing compassionate and practical support. Affirming life, Real Alternatives operates as part of the state-funded Alternatives to Abortion initiative and teams up with dozens of qualified support service providers statewide.
As reported in the National Right to Life News, Real Alternatives has consistently selected Catholic Social Services as the recipient of its Pennsylvania Service Provider of the Year award. In 2015 alone, the Philadelphia organization met the needs of some 5,500 pregnant women, with core services including parenting and prenatal support that included baby showers held monthly at many of its greater Philadelphia locations.
Real Alternatives’ vice president of operations described the award as reflecting Catholic Social Services’ longstanding commitment to going “above and beyond” what is required in reaching out to young women in the urban communities it serves. Coordinated efforts by the group have significantly decreased the number of abortions regionwide and bolstered life-affirming personal decisions.
September 28, 2017 19:12
Strategies for Breaking the News of a Pregnancy to Family Members
Pregnancy
Image: realalternatives.org
Providing free, life-affirming support to women facing unexpected pregnancies, Real Alternatives offers confidential support in everything from temporary shelter to maternal health care. Real Alternatives also offers compassionate counseling that enables expectant mothers to overcome hurdles in informing their partners and family members, such as parents, of a new addition to the family.
Before women speak to their parents, it is important to confirm that a pregnancy has actually occurred. Real Alternatives offers a combination of health care provider references and free self-test kits for this purpose. Once a pregnancy is confirmed, mothers are advised to relax and collect their thoughts by visiting a favorite spot or taking a walk.
They may also want to speak with a trusted relative, counselor, or friend. If possible, they can use a journal to collect their thoughts, including ideas and options for their child’s future. This will not only bring a sense of order to a chaotic process, but also prepare them to bring up the subject with their parents.
Breaking the news is often accompanied by a sense of anger and hurt among parents, who may fear the ways in which their daughters’ lives will change. Mitigating this reaction should begin with a mature response from the mother that emphasizes that she is taking responsibility and actively working to ensure a healthy, happy future for her new baby.
September 15, 2017 21:20
Learning to Be a Parent Requires Support
Real Alternatives
Image: realalternatives.org
Based in Pennsylvania, the nonprofit organization Real Alternatives serves as a contracted government partner in providing life-affirming free counseling services to pregnant women who are contemplating an abortion. Real Alternatives’ staff offers empathetic, nonjudgmental, emotional support designed to empower women to make positive choices for themselves and their families.
The organization’s mission also includes facilitating access to a wide range of helpful information on parenting, child development, and life skills. By calling 1-888-Life-Aid, women worried about how they will feed, shelter, clothe, and care for their unborn children can obtain free assistance with these needs, as well as access to classes that will help them develop parenting skills.
Expectant and new mothers may feel intense concern about their ability to effectively parent a child, particularly when they themselves may have grown up in chaotic, neglectful, or abusive homes. A solid parenting skills class is set up to address these issues and offer guidance on everything ranging from how to build strong emotional bonds between parents and their children to how to deal with medical emergencies.
For generations, experts on family dynamics have pointed out that no one is born knowing how to be a good parent. Learning to be an effective and caring parent comes from many sources that include one’s own family history, personal life experiences, books and other educational materials, observation of role models, and trial and error.
With counseling, support, and education, women can learn how to confront their fears associated with parenting a child and learn to nurture happy, healthy families.
September 15, 2017 21:11
Blogger
How to Support a Friend Experiencing a Crisis Pregnancy
Serving women and their families in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Michigan, Real Alternatives partners with these states’ social service agencies to offer free crisis pregnancy counseling and support. With close to 150 centers spanning the three states, Real Alternatives provides safe, empathetic, and non-judgmental advice. The organization also offers food, clothing, shelter, and ongoing parenting education.
Many people will, at some point in their lives, know of someone who is considering an abortion. Knowing how to be supportive and helpful can be difficult, given the mixed messages that society and popular culture relay about the subject.
Experienced pro-life counselors generally suggest that you remain loving and accepting of a friend who is experiencing a crisis pregnancy. They advise that you focus on the woman’s need to be heard, understood, and treated as an individual who is capable of making her own decisions.
Other ways to help include offering practical assistance with activities such as household chores, transportation, and shopping, so that a woman can concentrate on caring for herself and her family.
Friends can also show that they care by staying positive and affirming through their words and actions the value of every human life, including those begun under less-than-ideal circumstances.
August 30, 2017 23:15
Qualifications to Become a Real Alternatives Service Provider
Service Provider
Image: realalternatives.org
Real Alternatives is a nonprofit provider of pregnancy and parenting support services assisting women throughout Michigan, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. To support women during and after their pregnancies, Real Alternatives partners with more than 140 service providers, including pregnancy support centers, maternity homes, and adoption agencies.
To ensure that it delivers high-quality, compassionate care to each woman who seeks services, Real Alternatives holds its service provider partners to a set of strict standards. Before providing services to women under one of the nonprofit’s state-funded programs, providers must submit documentation demonstrating that they meet a number of approval requirements.
These requirements include tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, commitment to promoting pro-life options as a response to unplanned pregnancies, and at least one year of experience assisting women in seeking alternative options to abortion. Partner organizations must agree not to promote any specific religious philosophy, charge any fees, or discriminate against clients, including individuals with limited English proficiency. In addition, prospective partners must provide all policies, procedures, and materials used in their counselor training programs.
If found to meet these initial guidelines, partner providers must supply Real Alternatives with a number of additional documents illustrating their operations in further detail. These documents include the provider’s bylaws, mission statement, and articles of incorporation. Other required documentation includes the service provider’s written policies regarding confidentiality, nondiscrimination, and abortion services and information about the organization’s governing body. Once a prospective partner advances to the final round of evaluation, Real Alternatives will conduct site visits to ensure that the provider’s facilitates meet all standards for quality and accessibility.
August 20, 2017 21:23
Understanding First Trimester Surgical Abortions
Surgical Abortions
Image: realalternatives.org
With a focus on providing women with comprehensive support when unplanned pregnancy occurs, Real Alternatives’ network of service providers affirms a woman’s decision to keep her baby. Abortion rates have dropped in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Indiana due in part to Real Alternatives’ programs. The Real Alternatives website at www.realalternatives.org offers a full range of educational resources, including details on the risks and possible complications associated with abortion at the various stages of pregnancy.
Surgical abortions undertaken during the first trimester center on a vacuum aspiration technique that begins with the mother lying on her back and bending the knees. The physician examines the uterus opening using a speculum, placing one hand in the vagina and one on the abdomen. A drug injection or spray is then used as a way of blocking any pain that may be experienced.
A long soft tube called a catheter is then inserted into the cervix, with the baby removed using suction similar to that of a vacuum cleaner. In cases where six weeks or more have passed since menstruation, the cervix is gently dilated so that a curette (a larger, more rigid tube) can be inserted and the fetus evacuated. Undertaking this procedure requires that the mother be fully informed on what will occur and provide signed intent that she wants to end the life of her unborn baby.v
August 9, 2017 19:05
Real Alternatives’ Seal of Excellence Accreditation
Seal of Excellence
Image: realalternatives.org
Real Alternatives is a nonprofit organization that provides parenting and pregnancy support services in the states of Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Michigan, with a combined budget of nearly $12 million. In Pennsylvania alone, Real Alternatives’ services are funded by the state at $7.26 million per year. Real Alternatives high performance and accountability has been recognized multiple times. The nonprofit submitted to evaluation of its operations and obtained the Seal of Excellence accreditation three times in a row from the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO).
To qualify for the Seal of Excellence, nonprofits must successfully meet 56 criteria of the PANO Standards for Excellence program, which is based on fundamental values such as integrity, honesty, fairness, responsibility, and accountability.
In judging Real Alternatives, PANO conducted an in-depth examination of the management, financial practices, fundraising efforts, and programs and services of Real Alternatives. Among the first four nonprofits to earn the Seal of Excellence in 2002, Real Alternatives became one of the first to earn re-accreditation three times.
August 9, 2017 18:49
Blogger
Early Pregnancy Symptoms
As the nonprofit administrator of parenting and pregnancy support services for Michigan, Indiana, and Pennsylvania, Real Alternatives has served over 275,000 women since it launched in 1996. Real Alternatives offers free pregnancy test kits at each of its 144 centers in the three states.
Although the only way to be certain of pregnancy is by seeing a doctor, there are several early symptoms. One of the earliest signs is implantation bleeding, which can occur as early as eight days after conception when the unborn child starts to implant itself into the uterine wall. As a result, some women experience cramping and spotting.
Other signs, which can appear as early one to two weeks following conception, include fatigue, headaches, frequent urination, swollen or tender breasts, and darkening of the areolas. The most common early sign is a delay or difference in menstruation.
Typically, women miss their next period if they become pregnant, although some women have a lighter or shorter-than-normal period. If you're experiencing any of the aforementioned symptoms, visit a doctor or call 1-888-LIFE-AID.
August 5, 2017 12:41
Real Alternatives’ Toll-Free Referral Program
Toll-Free Referral Program
Image: realalternatives.org
A nonprofit organization based in Pennsylvania, Real Alternatives provides pregnant women with life-affirming support in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Indiana. A particular focus of the Real Alternatives staff is to help those women who are considering an abortion or are being pressured to have an abortion to gain awareness of options that will allow them to bring their child to term.
Among the core offerings of the program is the 1-888-LIFE-AID toll-free number, which serves the urgent needs of thousands of women annually who are living through an unplanned pregnancy. The toll-free referral program begins with general crisis intervention counseling, after which the woman is connected to a counselor operating in the local area in which she lives.
The Real Alternatives network spans nearly 130 social service agencies, pregnancy support centers, maternity homes, and adoption agencies, meaning that those seeking assistance are typically able to access a physical location within a one-hour drive from where they live. This translates into measurable results, as pregnant women receive support that addresses their specific situation in their local community.
June 1, 2017 13:34
The Uses of 2D, 3D, and 4D Ultrasounds For Expecting Mothers
3D and 4D ultrasounds
Offering assistance to women throughout their pregnancies and during the first year of their babies’ lives, Real Alternatives possesses a full range of parenting and pregnancy support services. Through a network of 144 nonprofit centers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Indiana, Real Alternatives assists women with prenatal care decisions to ensure that they deliver healthy babies.
The latest 3D and 4D ultrasounds enable mothers to view the fetus in greater detail as compared with 2D ultrasounds. Most pregnant women who have visited a physician are familiar with 2D ultrasounds, which involve a transducer or wand being placed in the vagina or on the belly. Sound waves that bounce off of organs in the body provide a cross-sectional view, or 2D image, of the fetus. The Doppler fetal ultrasound also enables the amplification of sounds detected, such that the fetal heartbeat can be heard.
3D and 4D ultrasounds are employed when assessing potential fetal anomalies and can identify issues, such as a cleft palate, that do not appear on traditional 2D sonograms. They can also be used in creating 3D images and 4D movies of a preborn baby, allowing expectant mothers to connect visually with the imminent new member of their family.
June 1, 2017 13:29
Blogger
Resisting Pressure to Have Sex as a Teen
Based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Real Alternatives teams up with government agencies in three states to assist pregnant women considering abortion. The organization offers empowering pathways to overcome those challenges associated with unexpected pregnancies. Real Alternatives provides free support and counseling that enable expecting women to choose life for their preborn baby.
The organization also provides a host of educational resources focused on preventing and treating STDs, as well as saying “no” should sexual pressure occur. This is particularly important during the teen years, when peer pressure is at its highest and romantic partners may have strong expectations of having sex.
When under pressure, the best response is to assert one’s personal identity. Emphasizing that “everybody is doing it” is never a good reason for any activity. Having had sex before is similarly not a valid reason for continuing an activity that is risky and that feels uncomfortable.
If one is pressured to have sex before marriage, the ideal response is that there is a gulf between intention and action. Being married and wanting to marry are two very different things.
May 19, 2017 14:39
Blogger
How Your Baby Develops in the Final Four Weeks of Pregnancy
From its headquarters in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Real Alternatives coordinates statewide parenting and pregnancy support programs in Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. For 20 years, tens of thousands of women haven been helped. Real Alternatives is dedicated to providing educational resources to expectant mothers. In the “Hear the Heartbeat” section of its website, Real Alternatives discusses how pre-born children develop.
At week 35 the baby’s hand has a firm grasp. It is usually at the end of the third trimester that the baby’s head will dip or drop into the pelvis. This change often helps the mother to breathe easier.
Between weeks 36 and 37, the baby’s weight can be 6.5 pounds. The baby’s length is about 13.5 inches, from crown to rump. The heart is pumping 300 gallons of blood every day. The baby is fully capable of living outside the womb with minimal intervention. At week 37, the baby’s downy hair and vernix is absorbed into the amniotic fluid and swallowed by the baby. This will produce the baby’s first bowel movement after birth.
At week 38, the baby’s heartbeat can be heard outside the uterus. The baby is approximately 19 to 20 inches in length and typically weighs between six and eight pounds. The baby is ready at any moment to come into the world.
May 8, 2017 02:53
Standards for Excellence Accreditation for Pennsylvania Nonprofits
Pennsylvania Association for Nonprofit Organizations
Image: pano.org
Abortion alternatives and pregnancy services provider Real Alternatives empowers pregnant women through programs and offices in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Michigan. Real Alternatives maintains affiliation with the Pennsylvania Association for Nonprofit Organizations (PANO) and received accreditation through the organization’s Standards for Excellence program.
An accreditation program for nonprofits and community benefit organizations, the PANO Standards for Excellence provides access to a series of tools and resources that help these entities exceed government, management, and operational standards. Community organizations that acquire accreditation adhere to an ethics and accountability code that consists of six guiding principles designed to cover 27 topic areas, including best practices, legal components for nonprofits, educational resources, training, and implementation.
The accreditation process focuses on providing nonprofits and community organizations with a disciplined approach to ensuring standards are implemented and followed. The program delivers support to nonprofits and enables them to apply standards for accreditation through a structured or self-guided approach, or through a combination of the two.
Adoption
Image: realalternatives.org
For women who are pregnant and not ready to raise a child, adoption is a brave choice that can benefit the child and birth mother, as well as the baby’s new family. Real Alternatives can help women considering this option through its network of pregnancy support centers, where trained counselors can work with mothers to discuss their situation and connect them with licensed adoption agencies.
Birth mothers can benefit from adoption in a number of ways. Knowing that her child has been placed with a loving family can bring significant comfort to the birth mother while she pursues an education, career, or other life goals that would have been difficult while raising a child. Moreover, pregnancy support centers can provide ongoing assistance and counseling for the birth mother and family members if necessary.
When a baby is placed with the new family, the birth mother can find joy in knowing that her difficult decision has brought tremendous happiness to another family and that it was made with great love and with the baby’s best interests in mind.