The Conversations We Should Be Having About our Health

In the past three decades, we’ve done a lot to break down the taboos around a whole range of health topics. How we talk about mental health has entirely transformed from our parents’ generation, too. Another area in which we’re breaking a lot of new ground is in the world of our sexual health (or reproductive health, if you prefer the term.) However, as intimate a topic as it is, it can still be a little awkward for some to broach. Here, we’re going to look at some of the conversations we might still need to be having, for ourselves, others in our family, our friends, our daughters, sons, and partners.

The basics of our anatomy

Now, there is a good chance that this will be taught in sex ed at school. When you’re first talking to a teenager about their reproductive health, it’s important to make sure that they know the basic anatomy and mechanics of what you’re talking about. There are plenty of helpful sex ed apps that can go through the basics in detail, including diagrams and accurate information to help people understand what their bodies are made up of. It can be a little easier to talk with someone of the same sex and, roughly speaking, has the same “parts” as some sons may find it awkward to talk about their own sex organs with their mom.

Know what checks you have to make

Members of each sex have to make sure that they stay on top of their reproductive health and this includes the conditions that can affect our reproductive organs, which may affect things like our fertility. To that end, for women, in particular, there are plenty of checks women should get on a semi-regular basis, at least once a year. Starting to see a gynecologist more regularly is something most women can fit into their schedule. Furthermore, if you’re a woman, you should make sure that you’re getting a breast exam and a pap smear at least once every three years to make sure that you’re always checking for the risk of breast cancer and cervical cancer.

Talking about the consequences of sex

When it comes to parenting, you don’t want to take too hard a line against sex when talking to your teenagers. The dynamic of teenagers wanting to do what their parents tell them not to is a very real phenomenon. What’s more, sex should feel like a natural part of life, even if they should wait a while before engaging with it and you don’t want to give them any complexes that have them develop negative feelings about getting intimate with a partner. However, you should talk to them about the consequences of sex, including unwanted pregnancies and STIs.

Getting informed on contraceptives

When it comes to protecting against STIs and unwanted pregnancies, then it’s important that everyone understands there is no such thing as a 0% chance. However, there are several options for effective contraceptives that can be relied on. Talk about both the implementation and the effectiveness of different methods of contraception, from taking the pill to getting an implant. Regardless of what other types of protection are used, the use of condoms is almost always recommended. You should also talk about the side-effects of the treatments where applicable, as well, as many women start taking the pill without any idea of what long-term effects it might have.

Testing for and treating STIs

When you talk about sexually transmitted infections as a result of either sex or other activities, you have to make sure the conversation isn’t framed only to avoid it. While prevention is the best cure, people should not be overly afraid of being informed of their sexual health or be reluctant to treat it if they need to. Normalise the idea of getting an STI test following any sexual activity with a new partner and look at the options such as treatments for herpes if the results do show an STI. They are much more common than many people think and, as a result, should not be treated with secrecy. Of course, privacy in personal treatment is perfectly understandable, but we should be more aware of the risks and our options.

What’s affecting your libido?

Our sexual health isn’t only about the health of our reproductive organs. Indeed, for a lot of people, their ability to have sex is important to them, personally, and in relationships. There is a very wide variety of factors that can cause a lowered sex drive, and there is some disparity between the probability of such causes between men and women. For instance, in women, a lower sex drive may be more often related to low testosterone levels, medical problems like thyroid disorders, as well as the use of some medications. Mental health and interpersonal relationship issues play a big part in the sex drives of both men and women.

The matter of fertility

Aside from how we have sex safely and how we take care of the health of our sexual organs, the subject of fertility is likely to come up when talking about reproductive health. Fertility problems can be major causes of stress and sadness in relationships. There are many treatments for infertility, including medications as well as processes like in-vitro fertilization that can be explored. However, one aspect that is much more rarely talked about is men’s fertility. If a couple is having trouble conceiving, then it’s important to recognize that male reproductive health conditions are just as often a cause of infertility, even though it is routinely treated as a women’s issue.

Talking about sexual health with partners

Thinking about and talking about our own sexual health in the void of our personal experience can help us be objective more easily. However, a lot of people have trouble talking about sexual health when it comes to their partners. When it comes to things like differences in sex drive, fertility issues, or even simple physical issues, it can feel like an attack when the conversation is handled wrong. As such, thinking about sensitive and positively motivated ways to have those conversations can be very important. Otherwise, you may want to think about making an appointment with a relationship counselor and, in particular, one that has experience in talking about sex with their clients and helping in that arena.

Talking about and coping with loss

Care must be taken when we talk about our reproductive health because where there is talk of fertility, there is often also talk of loss. It is estimated that 1 in 8 pregnancies will end in a miscarriage, and this number only accounts for women who knew they were pregnant and miscarried in the first place. As such, if you’re talking with a group of women friends or family members, there is a significant statistical likelihood that someone there will have experienced a miscarriage at some point. Learning to talk about miscarriage can help some women grieve, but it’s also a topic that should only be broached with the consent of everyone involved as, for some, it may be still difficult to talk about.

The only way to make it easier to manage our health, in all aspects, is to ensure that people know about the risks and what they can do. The conversations mentioned above can help in that process.