Does Abstinence Bring Any Health Benefits?

In today’s world, there is certainly an emphasis on becoming healthier as an individual. This can be achieved through quality diet and exercise. However, there are certain health benefits that come from other life choices. Often, these benefits are not discussed as much but are equally important. Choosing abstinence before marriage offers numerous health benefits, and it can be a very wise decision in terms of your body and your long-term health. What are the health benefits of abstinence?

Obviously, with the choice of abstinence, it is not as much about how to get healthy, but instead about how to keep from becoming ill. Many people believe that, as long as they practice safe sex, they do not have to worry about disease. However, no method other than abstinence completely guarantees that a person will not catch a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD).

 

Most STDs are at best a nuisance, requiring an embarrassing visit to a Family Planning Clinic for treatment, but some may be incurable and even life threatening (such as AIDS). Prophylactics may work 99% of the time to prevent pregnancy, but doctors advise that many diseases cannot be stopped by barrier methods, including Herpes, Syphilis, and even HIV. The HPV virus can be transmitted via any skin-to-skin contact, even if a condom is used. In women, HPV is the virus that can lead to cervical cancer. Abstinence is the only way to completely protect yourself from such illnesses.

 

Additionally, there is always the chance of pregnancy despite birth control methods, usually due to accidents such as split condoms or if the woman forgets to take her pill. Unplanned pregnancies can have detrimental health, financial and psychological effects on younger women, especially teenagers, whose developing bodies are not yet ready to carry a child. In teens, psychological side effects caused by having to give up their own supposedly ‘carefree’ teen years to care for the baby can cause resentment of the child.

 

In addition, there are many financial factors to consider when it comes to calculating the true cost of an unplanned pregnancy. You may be surprised to learn that the cost of raising a child from babyhood to the age of 21 now exceeds $200,000 (2011 figures), excluding the cost of private education. For teenagers or single young adults on a low income, paying for baby’s upbringing can be financially overwhelming, and can lead to a reliance on Welfare, adding an additional strain to an already overtaxed system.

 

The most important health benefit of abstinence is that it guarantees that you will not suffer from illnesses and disease, nor will you end up with a baby that you are not physically or financially prepared for. It may not be the most fashionable ‘cure-all’ for society’s many ills, but for individuals, abstinence is the only 100% certain way to guarantee that control of your own and your family’s future is in your hands.

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