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A big part of keeping yourself sexually healthy is maintaining your sexual and reproductive health in the first place, and paying attention to your sexual health daily so that you can get the jump on any problems that may crop up.
In general, for sexual and general health, a whole-food diet, low in saturated fats and sodium, with a balance of fiber and complex carbohydrates, organic proteins and fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as soy proteins, with plenty of fresh, filtered water is highly suggested. Refined sugars, processed foods or beverages, foods treated with chemicals or pesticides, too much red meat, dairy and refined carbs, and too little fresh, organic raw foods are a recipe for poor health overall, and are often major contributors to sexual health problems and general health conditions. In general, if the majority of your diet is based in fast foods, inorganic meats, simple carbohydrates, refined sugars and junk foods you should seriously considering changing your diet, as numerous health and sexual health conditions are often rooted in poor nutrition.
Your sexual health is also supported by other healthy habits, like getting enough exercise, enough sleep and keeping your stress levels as low as possible.
Yeast infections, vaginosis and urinary tract or bladder infections can often be avoided by simple dietary measures. Being sure to drink plenty of water every day is of use with both. Avoiding refined sugars and processed foods is also of great help with both.
Carbonated beverages (sodas), refined sugars (white sugars, as opposed to natural fruit sugar), processed foods or fried foods (junk foods or fast foods), alcohol, chocolate, caffeine, citrus fruits, and foods which are inorganic and have been treated with chemical pesticides can ALL contribute to candidiasis, vaginosis, UTI or bladder infections and menstrual problems or disorders. In general, a healthy, organic diet can make a world of difference with not simply your sexual health, but your general health. When you're eating healthfully and staying hydrated, your immune system can function at its best, helping to keep any sort of infection or illness at bay.
Being underweight, inactive, overactive, or too much dieting can also bring about effects which can exacerbate these conditions. So again, take care of yourself properly. If you need help in finding a regimen that suits you, consult a qualified dietitian or nutritionist who has worked with younger people. If you are under 20, your dietary needs are different from someone who has fully completed their growth.
To keep you healthy, and keep your immune system at its optimum, an organic vitamin supplement should be taken daily. Since most people do not eat an optimum diet with enough vitamins, and of organic, non-processed foods, a basic daily supplement is key. The best supplements are found not at grocery stores, but at natural foods stores or vitamin stores. Choose multivitamin supplements especially for women, as they have additional supplements needed for female health, like extra amounts of calcium, vitamin e, folic acid, and others.
Cranberry Juice (undiluted, unsweetened, not cranberry juice cocktail) or cranberry tablets w/water, or Uva Ursi (a type of cranberry): They are both a mild diuretic and antiseptic which help to keep the bladder and urinary tract healthy and free of bacteria. CranActin by Solaray is an excellent cranberry supplement.
Acidophilus, or fresh organic yogurt that states it has live cultures: These restore friendly bacteria in your body. Things like yeast infections don't happen because bacteria get in your body. Your body actually needs certain types of bacteria to help fend off unhealthy bacteria. Acidophilus helps to provide and balance health bacteria.
Garlic: A natural and effective antibiotic and immune system enhancer. It may be eaten raw, or taken in odorless capsules. Raw garlic can even be used as a vaginal suppository to help ward off a mild yeast infection.
Calcium: reduces bladder irritability and can help with menstrual cramps.
Vitamin E: combats infectious bacteria.
Zinc (plus copper, to balance): aids in tissue repair, acne, and is an immune system booster. Do not take more than 50 mg. daily.
Kelp/Iodine: supplies important minerals, supports the thyroid and adrenal system, and supports healthy development of reproductive organs.
Essential fatty acids(a combination like Ultimate Oil from Nature's Secret, which contains flaxseed oil, blackcurrant seed oil, leclthin and safflower oil): aids in brain function, menstrual complaints and can help to alleviate depression.
Chromium: mobilizes fats for energy.
Herbal Female toners: Dong quai, black cohosh, red raspberry, motherwort, kava kava, pau d'arco, kudzu and saw palmetto.
Note: Pregnant women should not use red raspberry leaf. Women with uterine fibroids should not use Dong Quai.
Charting your menstrual and fertility cycles monthly -- even just by checking out your cervical mucus with a finger every morning -- is a great way to be aware of what vaginal/cervical mucus is normal for you, and what is not, as well as helping to get you in touch with your fertility cycle (hint: when you learn when you are most fertile, if you abstain from ALL sexual activity, even with condoms and birth control, during that time, you drastically decrease any pregnancy risk). It can also get you acquainted enough with your mucus and menstrual flow and schedule so that you will be aware when you have an unusual cycle you should call your gynecologist about.
In general, if you have a missed or late period for more than three months (and are not pregnant, nor have no pregnancy risk), or unusual aspects of your cycle for more than three months, you should contact your gynecologist. If you have menstrual cramps or pain that stretches, rest, hot baths or analgesics (like Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen) do not alleviate, see your doctor or gynecologist.
Normal vaginal discharge and cervical mucus are yellowish, whitish, clear, or -- around your period -- slightly brown or pink. Normal vaginal mucus or discharge does not itch or smell foul, and while it can be everything from thin to pasty, it should not have "chunks" or curdles in it. If on any day you find your vaginal discharge to be itchy, have a strong scent, have curdles in it, or to be greenish or very pink (when you are not approaching or finishing your period), consult your gynecologist.
Daily genital care:
When washing the genitals, use only a gentle, unfragranced soap. Fragranced soaps, vaginal "cleansers" or douches are not advised, as they can upset the pH balance of the vagina, creating infection.
Check out your Breasts
Every month, you should do a breast self-exam. Need to know how to do one? Take a look at this helpful page at the American Cancer Association.
Should you find an unusual lump, see your doctor or gynecologist.
Check out your Genitals
Ingrown hairs and pimples are generally pretty easy to identify. They either have a small white head, or are just a tiny bump, slightly red, that may smart a little bit, but should not itch or develop a raw, open or crusty top.
If when examining your genitals, you have open, raw or red sores, hard lumps inside the outer labia or on the mons, small white cauliflower-like growths or warts, or if you itch or scratch regularly, again, see your gynecologist.
For your optimum health, during your menses it is ideal to use organic, 100% cotton and unbleached menstrual pads or tampons, at the lowest absorbency you need. Washable cotton pads or The Keeper or Divacup are also healthy and ecologically-happy methods of managing menstrual flow.
High-absorbency pads or tampons with rayon fibers, which use bleaches (most commercial brands use both) are not advised, as they can contribute to Toxic Shock Syndrome, and can also upset the acid and bacterial balance of the vagina, or irritate the tissue. Are they patently unsafe? No, but you could do better by your body, your wallet and the environment by switching to washables or reuseable menstrual cups.
STD and STI screenings are necessary if you are sexually active, having engaged previously or presently in manual sex (AKA "fingering"), oral sex ("eating out" or "blow jobs"), vaginal sexual intercourse or anal sexual intercourse. If your partnerships are lasting longer than average for teen and young adults -- you and your partner are together and monogamous for longer than six month periods -- you can shift to once yearly.
It is important to specify that you want a full STD and STI screen, not simply an HIV test or pap smear. Your gynecologist, doctor or general clinician can do these screenings, or you can go to a sexual health clinic to do so.
Once you've been regularly menstruating, it is time to get into the habit of annual gynecologist exams. While you may not have full exams or pap smears given to you until you are sexually active, there are health issues which are paramount once you begin menstruating, so it is important to have an annual preventative checkup. As there is no set age for first menses, there is no set age for a first gynecologist appointment.
Gynecological care can be relatively easy to get, even if you do not have insurance, or do not want to see your family doctor for that care (many young women don't feel comfortable with seeing their family doctor for reproductive/sexual healthcare, but plenty also are comfortable). Globally, in most countries (but unfortunately, not all) there are numerous free or sliding scale women's health clinics where you can get excellent, confidential sexual health exams for little or no coat at all.
An annual gynecological exam should include a breast exam, a general physical, a pelvic exam, and for women who have been or are sexually active, a PAP smear and bimanual exam.
Always be sure to be honest with your doctor, or else he/she can't do their best to examine you. Be sure and inform him or her of your sexual activity, if you have had any sexual activities without safer sex practices, of any drug use, or of any special health concerns.
Safer sex practices
If you are sexually active, safer sex is a must to maintain your health, as well as the health of your partner(s). If you and your partner have:
Even when those things are as such, safer sex practices are still recommended, as medical tests are not infallible. Some STDs and STIs can lie dormant without testing positive over a period of years, and monogamy, even when stated, does not always happen, nor are partners always truthful when they have not been monogamous, or about their sexual history.
For the record, you or your partner have NOT been physically monogamous if you/they have engaged in any other intimate genital activities with another person, including manual, oral, vaginal or anal sex.
Sexual activity without safer sex measures can transmit numerous sexually transmitted diseases, infections or bacteria. Want to know what sexual activities pose what risks of disease or infection? See our Risk Assessment Sheet.
Want to know how to practice safer sex, when you need to, and what you'll need to do it? Check out Safe, Sound and Sexy.
Lastly, oral herpes is incredibly common, in 1 out of 4 people, even in those who have not been sexually active. It should be treated as any sexually transmittable disease, as it is, so if you have cold sores, you need to always practice safer sex. While the risk is minimal to nil when a sore is not active, many people cannot tell when a sore is becoming active until it flares up and is visible, but Herpes is transmissible when a sore is developing and not visible.
Birth Control
If you are sexually active with a male partner, and do not wish to become pregnant, you must use a reliable method of birth control.
If you are using condoms by themselves, an excellent method of birth control is to use condoms EVERY time, AND to abstain from even protected intercourse during your most fertile period.
If you would like a hormonal method of birth control, see your gynecologist to discuss if the birth control pill, Implanon, the Nuvaring, the birth control path or Depo-Provera is right for you. If you are using these methods, be sure when you get them your doctor fully explains them to you, and that if you notice any unusual side effects, you notify your doctor. A diaphragm is also another possible option for young women, and for some younger women an IUD may be a good choice.
Allergic Reactions
If you do not know if you have a latex allergy, try it out on your hands before your genitals by wearing a latex glove for about a half hour. If you do not develop a rash or itching, you are likely not allergic to latex, and may use latex condoms, gloves or dental dams. If you are allergic to latex, use polyurethane condoms, gloves and non-latex vaginal barriers.
Pregnancy Tests or Emergency Contraception
If you have had unprotected sex or your birth control method failed (or you suspect it did, or you did not use it effectively) you may see your doctor, sexual health clinic or emergency room to get the emergency contraception within 120 hours of the incident. If you also did not use a condom or other barrier method, you should also have a full STI screening.
If you suspect you are pregnant, you may use a home pregnancy test as soon as ten days following the possible pregnancy. It is advised that you buy two tests, and if you receive a negative result when testing, but miss your period, that you repeat the test. Many sexual health clinics offer free pregnancy testing.
Reasons to See a Reproductive Health Pro or Gynecologist
Pain in the abdomen during intercourse or other sexual activity, unusual discharge from the genitals or nipples, skipped or missed periods when there is no pregnancy risk, suspected pregnancy, STD or STI, suspected yeast or urinary tract infection, blood in the urine, or difficulty or pain when urinating, unusual sores or discharge on/from the genitals or mouth, extended viral illness (like a cold or flu which lasts more than a week or two), unusual tiredness or lethargy, recurring illness or infections. Also, if you are on hormonal birth control and have changes in your health or habits which may pose risks to you while using those methods (such as smoking or high blood pressure), consult your doctor.
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