Your sexual health isn’t just about satisfying, safe sex. It also encompasses your relationships, your physical health, your self-confidence and your peace of mind. Discover what sexual health means and five actions steps to help get you there.
What is Sexual Health?
A Healthier Body
- Protect your health and your partners’ health
- Avoid STIs and HIB
- Prevent cancers caused by STIs
- Good sexual functioning and performance
- Overall health and well-being
- Have planned and healthy pregnancies when wanted
- Protect your ability to have children (your fertility)
A satisfying sex life
- That is right for you and your partners
- That is pleasurable
- That is based on your personal values, desires, and boundaries
- Includes your choice to be sexually active or not
- Allows you to explore and feel comfortable in your choices
Positive relationships
- Based on open and honest communication
- Respectful, pleasurable, comfortable and safe
- Free of fear, pressure or violence
- Where you experience love, intimacy, and affection
- Balanced and fair
Feeling good about yourself and having peace of mind
- Be in control of your sexual choices
- Feel confident
- Be comfortable with yourself, body and sexual identity
- Feel positive about practicing safer sex, including use of condoms and/or contraceptives
- Reduce stress, worry and regrets related to sex/sexual health
Overall Benefits of Good Sexual Health
Value who you are and decide what’s right for you
- Value yourself—what’s on the inside and outside, including your body ad sexual identity.
- Think about what you want—define your personal values, desires and boundaries. These might change over time.
- Understand what you want before you get involved with someone.
- Recognize that we are all sexual beings; it’s a natural part of life.
- Know that sex can bring you pleasure, intimacy and joy.
Reveal Benefits
Benefits
- Be in control of your sexual choices.
- Feel comfortable with yourself, your body, and your sexual identity.
- Feel confident.
- Have peace of mind, and reduce stress, worry, or regrets..
- Have a sex life that’s right for you and your partners
- Enjoy a pleasurable sex life.
Flip Card
Treat your partners well and expect them to treat you well
- Be with someone who makes you feel good about yourself, comfortable, and safe.
- Partners should respect your boundaries and not pressure you.
- Partners should care about your health and well-being.
- Partners should make you happy.
Reveal Benefits
Benefits
- Have relationships based on open and honest communication.
- Have relationships that are respectful, pleasurable, comfortable, and safe.
- Experience love, intimacy, and affection.
- Be free of fear, pressure or violence in relationships.
- Have relationships that are balanced and fair.
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Build positive relationships
- Respect your partner and make decisions together.
- Have open and honest conversations about your relationship, desires, and sexual health.
- If your partner is violent, pressures, or tries to control you, seek help.
- Value yourself, and what’s right for you.
Reveal Benefits
Benefits
- Have relationships based on open and honest communication.
- Have relationships that are respectful, pleasurable, comfortable, and safe.
- Experience love, intimacy, and affection.
- Be free of fear, pressure or violence in relationships.
- Have relationships that are balanced and fair.
Flip Card
Get smart about your body and protect it
- Learn about your body and how it works (anatomy, sexual expression, pleasure and safer sex).
- Choose if and when you want to be sexually active.
- Practice safer sex to prevent STIs and unplanned pregnancies.
- Plan ahead and be prepared with condoms and/or other contraceptives.
- Take steps to protect yourself and your partners.
Reveal Benefits
Benefits
- Prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
- Reduce risk of male and female cancers related to STIs (cervical, anal, throat, and penile).
- Maintain healthy sexual functioning/performance.
- Enjoy good health and well-being.
- Feel positive about practicing safer-sex.
- Have planned and healthy pregnancies, when wanted.
- Protect your ability to have children (your fertility).
Flip Card
Make sexual health part of your healthcare routine
- Find a health care provider/clinic that’s right for you and makes you feel comfortable.
- Get regular sexual health wellness check-ups (screenings for STIs, vaccines, and contraceptive options.
- Have open and honest conversations with your provider.
- Discuss any concerns about sexual functioning or other problems.
Check out the new guide, “Take Charge of Your Sexual Health: What You Need to Know About Preventive Services.”Reveal Benefits
Benefits
- With vaccines, protect yourself from STIs, such as HPV and Hepatitis.
- With screening, detect STIs and get treated early. Help avoid serious problems from developing.
- Get advice on the best contraceptive options for you.
- Improve sexual functioning/performance.
- Have planned and healthy pregnancies.
Flip Card
Make sexual health part of your health care routine. Ask a provider about the following sexual health services.
- HPV Vaccination (men and women up to age 45)
- Chlamydia screening annually (women up to age 25)
- Highly-reliable birth control options
- Hormonal IUD
- Non-hormonal (copper) IUD
- Nexplanon sub-dermal hormonal implant
- Emergency Contraception – Plan B
- Periodic pap test (women age 21 and older)
- HIV test every year for men who have sex with men
- HIV PrEP: pre-exposure prophylaxis
- HIV PEP: post-exposure prophylaxis