![]() Depending on the circumstances and where you live, the exam site may schedule a follow up appointment, or you can ask about resources in your community that offer follow up care for survivors of sexual assault. You may be offered prevention treatment for STIs and other forms of medical care that require a follow up appointment with a medical professional. You can learn more about mandatory reporting laws in your state through RAINN’s State Law Database. If you are a minor, the person performing the exam may be obligated to report it to law enforcement. Any other forms of physical evidence that are identified during the examination may be collected and packaged for analysis, such as a torn piece of the perpetrator’s clothing, a stray hair, or debris. With your permission, they may also collect items of clothing, including undergarments. The trained professional performing the exam may take pictures of your body to document injuries and the examination. It may also include taking samples of blood, urine, swabs of body surface areas, and sometimes hair samples. It may include a full body examination, including internal examinations of the mouth, vagina, and/or anus. This part of the exam may be based on your specific experience, which is why it is important to give an accurate history. You will also be asked about the details of what has happened to you to help identify all potential areas of injury as well as places on your body or clothes where evidence may be located. Some of the questions, such as those about recent consensual sexual activity, may seem very personal, but these questions are designed to ensure that DNA and other evidence collected from the exam can be connected to the perpetrator. You will be asked about your current medications, pre-existing conditions, and other questions pertaining to your health history. If you have injuries that need immediate attention, those will be taken care of first. Remember, you can stop, pause, or skip a step at any time during the exam. ![]() The steps below outline the general process for the exam. What happens during a sexual assault forensic exam? Be aware that if you invite someone other than an advocate into the exam room, they could be called as a witness if you decide to report the crime. The advocate may also be able to accompany you during the actual exam. If you call the National Sexual Assault Hotline () or contact a local sexual assault service provider, you may be connected with an advocate who can talk to you about the examination and offer support. It may be helpful to have someone to support you during this time. The length of the exam may take a few hours, but the actual time will vary based on several different factors. If you have questions about the timeframe, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at (4673) or talk to your local sexual assault service provider. Place your belongings, including the clothes you were wearing, in a paper bag to safely preserve evidence. In most cases, DNA evidence needs to be collected within 72 hours in order to be analyzed by a crime lab-but a sexual assault forensic exam can reveal other forms of evidence beyond this time frame that can be useful if you decide to report. You may want to bring a spare change of clothes with you to the hospital or health facility where you’re going to have the exam. If you have done any of these activities, you can still have an exam performed. It’s natural to want to go through these motions after a traumatic experience. If you are able to, try to avoid activities that could potentially damage evidence such as: Preparing for a sexual assault forensic exam
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