Maintaining Good Sexual Health
Why is it so important?
Sexual health is important because it enables people individuals to take charge of their reproductive health, and their emotional well-being surrounding their intimate relationships. There are several components involved in becoming sexually healthy, some of which include education, safety, and communication (both with healthcare providers and intimate partners).
Education
Sex education is taught in many schools throughout the world. However, the curricula typically vary and may only teach students about the possibility of becoming pregnant or spreading STIs when they have sex. With that said, individuals may need to take sexual education into their own hands in order to not only protect themselves from unintended pregnancy and STIs, but also to learn their own sexual preferences.
Safety
When discussing sexual health, safety is a term that may refer to prevention of unintended pregnancy and STIs or protection from sexual abuse. Sexually healthy individuals engage in safe sex practices.
While the best way to prevent unplanned preganancy is to practice abstinence (i.e. not having sex), this is not realistic for many indivdiuals. Thankfully, another successful technique is implementing contraception. Hormonal methods, such as the pill, patch, ring, and IUD, are great options for women who want to have greater control over their reproductive health, as they are very effective at preventing pregnancy when used as prescribed. However, these methods do not protect individuals from the spread of STIs. Therefore, it is necessary to use an additional form of contraception, such as condoms during penetrative sex (i.e. penis-to-vagina or penis-to-anus).
Unfortunately, there is no explicit way to prevent sexual abuse, as this is far too common throughout the world. However, this does not mean that sex has to be seen as something scary. If you experience something that makes you feel uncomfortable, it is okay to stop. Sex should be enjoyable for everyone involved and if that is not the case, then something likely needs to change.
Communication
When an individual becomes sexually active, it’s vital that they communicate with their doctors and healthcare team. While it may feel uncomfortable to discuss such an intimidating topic, the more open you are, the more a healthcare professional will be able to provide informed, effective care. It is especially important to consult a doctor if you are considering hormonal birth control. Once they have an idea of your health background and current lifestyle, they can prescribe something they feel will be best for you.
It is also important to have strong communication with your partner. Relationships thrive when both partners are respectful, and communicate their needs, expectations, and boundaries. A sexually healthy individual will feel comfortable expressing honesty to their partner whether this means telling them that they like or dislike a certain sex position, admitting to having an STI, or simply stating that you do not want to have sex. The more comfortable both partners feel with each other, the stronger a relationship can become.
