Sexual Health bssics

Sexual health basics

Sexuality is part of being human. Love, affection and intimacy all play a role in healthy relationships from childhood through old age.

You often hear about the importance of physical health, mental health and spiritual health, but feeling confident about your sexual health also is very important. Achieving sexual health allows for:

• Healthy relationships
• Planned pregnancies
• Disease prevention

That's why it's essential to be well-informed about all aspects of sexual health and what it takes to have a fulfilling sex life. Similarly, it's important to be aware of factors that can complicate your sexual health. Don't let embarrassment keep you from bringing up concerns or asking questions of your doctor or other health care providers.

STD prevention

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), or sexually transmitted infections (STIs), are infections generally acquired by sexual contact. You can get an STD by having unprotected sex with a partner who's infected. You can't always tell if someone is infected, however, because many STDs cause no symptoms, at least at first. In fact, a person might have an STD without knowing it.

That's why you have to be vigilant about STD prevention. If you're sexually active, your best bet for STD prevention is to have just one sex partner who doesn't have any STDs and who has sex only with you. If you're not in an exclusive relationship, you can still protect yourself by learning about and consistently practicing STD prevention, such as using condoms.