What is Sexual Health?
An Informative Guide to Healthy Sexual Practices
Sexual health is more than just physical intimacy. It’s about emotional, mental, and physical well-being. It’s about fostering positive relationships, ensuring safety during sexual practices, and developing effective communication with partners. Nurturing your sexual health enhances personal well-being and strengthens the fabric of healthy relationships, leading to a satisfying sex life.
The team at Toowoomba Obstetrics and Gynaecology are dedicated to educating and supporting individuals throughout their sexual health lives. We have gathered a list of important information to help kickstart your educational journey into sexual health.
Exercise and Diet
It’s no secret that physical health plays a major role in a satisfied sex life. Regular exercise increases blood circulation, ensuring a healthy circulatory system. A smooth blood flow is vital for arousal: in men, it aids in erections; in women, it contributes to vaginal lubrication and clitoral sensation.
But improving your physical health isn’t all about stamina.
A healthy diet made up of fruits and vegetables can dramatically improve your sex life. Foods high in antioxidants boost blood circulation, while chocolate, tea, and coffee contain a substance called methylxanthines, which activates your libido (your sex drive).
This isn’t to say that in order to enjoy sex, you need to exercise regularly and never eat an unhealthy snack. But if you notice yourself not enjoying sex as much as you used to, have a look at your physical well-being and see if any changes could be made.
Mental Health
Mental health plays a significant role in sexual well-being. Conditions such as stress, anxiety, and depression can impact libido and overall satisfaction, which is why it’s important to manage your mental health through mindfulness practices, meditation, or therapy.
Acknowledging mental health concerns, whether your own or your partner’s, is an essential aspect to overall and sexual well-being, and by understanding how mental health impacts sexual health, you recognise that a healthy mind contributes to a healthy sex life.
Emotional Communication
Emotional intimacy forms a foundation for satisfying sexual experiences. A supportive emotional environment with mutual respect, trust, and effective communication encourages open dialogue about needs, preferences, and boundaries, creating positive and healthy sexual relationships.
Understanding that sexual desires may evolve over time and adapting to those changing desires, as well as being attuned to each other’s needs and actively engaging in intimacy, contribute to a fulfilling and sustainable sexual connection. It’s important to create an environment where both partners feel comfortable expressing their desires and concerns, promoting a healthy and satisfying sexual experience.
Sexuality and Sexual Identity
Everyone is different, and that includes sexual preferences and identity. LGBTQIA+ is an evolving acronym that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning, and asexual, and is an umbrella term for anyone and everyone who identifies with one or more of these terms.
Understanding if you sit, and if so, where you sit within the LGBTQIA+ community is essential for establishing a healthy sex life and creating positive and satisfying sexual experiences. If you feel you don’t fall under the umbrella, you may be heterosexual.
The above is a small list of common identities, so it’s best to do your research to understand what you may feel most comfortable in identifying with, if you identify with any.
Individual Sexual Practices
Sexual practices don’t necessarily need to be performed with a partner. Masturbation is a form of sexual activity involving yourself, and can be just as satisfying as with a partner (sometimes even better). It’s also a great way to help you understand what you like and don’t like when it comes to the bedroom, and what is comfortable and what is painful for you. So, when it comes time to be intimate with another, you know exactly what you want.
Safe Practices
Practicing safe sex is crucial for a healthy sexual experience. This involves the use of contraceptives, testing for sexually transmitted infections (STI’s), and open communication.
There are three main types of contraceptive methods: condoms, contraceptive pills, and implants, but there are many others that may better suit your needs. Oral contraceptives and implants are a good alternative for protecting from impregnation. However, condoms are the only contraceptive that can protect against STI’s, which is why it’s important to keep using condoms even when using other contraceptive methods. Speak to Dr Homar about what contraceptive method is best for you.
Testing for STI’s is only required if you start to notice something is wrong in your genital area. This could be irritation, itchiness, painful toileting, or a rash to name a few. If you feel any of these symptoms, or anything else that you know is not natural for you, book an appointment with Dr Homar as soon as you can.
Open communication is another crucial element of safe sex practices. Ensuring that all parties involved are comfortable and have provided their explicit consent is fundamental to positive sexual experiences. Everyone likes different things, so being open about your boundaries, and understanding your partner’s boundaries, creates an environment of trust and safety. Be honest about your thoughts and feelings before, during, and after sexual acts. This helps in understanding what you and your partner/s are comfortable and not comfortable with to continue having satisfying sexual experiences.
Education and Awareness
Educating yourself on sexual health doesn’t need to stop after you’ve finished puberty. Ongoing education and awareness no matter your age is vital and hugely beneficial to healthy sexual experiences. A well-informed approach to sexual practices is better than a non-informed one. This includes understanding one’s own body through masturbation, and understanding sexual anatomy and reproductive health. Staying informed about contraceptive options, consent, and the diversity of sexual orientations and identities contributes to a more inclusive and supportive sexual environment.
Understanding sexual health is important to create a happy and satisfied sex life. That’s why the team at Toowoomba Obstetrics and Gynaecology are passionate about supporting and educating you through every step of your sexual health journey. Contact us for more individualised information regarding your sexual health.