Sexual Health

Sexually transmitted infections are one part of sexual health, but that’s not all! Any aspect of health or healthcare that is related to sex and reproduction is about sexual health: menstruation, common infections like yeast or bacterial infections, birth control and abortion, health conditions like endometriosis, PCOS or phimosis, vaccinations, pain with sex, safer sex and other preventative sexual health practices and yep, STIs, too.

a couple o' peaches

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Articles and Advice in this area:

Advice
  • Heather Corinna

So long as you know – not just by guessing, but via regular, complete reproductive health exams – that you’re in sound reproductive health, and so long as that abdominal pain is really only showing up after intercourse, the most likely culprit for that symptom would simply be that you’re not…

Advice
  • Heather Corinna

If it’s suspected that you have ovarian cysts, your gynecologist will most likely want to give you a full pelvic exam, and it’d be wisest for them to do that. In the best interest of your reproductive health, you’ll always want your healthcare provider to be as thorough as they can: you’re at…

Advice
  • Sarah Riley

Have you seen your health care provider about this problem yet? If not, then that’s the very first place to go. You need to get checked out and make sure that everything physically is alright with you right now. You should also make sure that you tell your health care provider specifically that you…

Advice
  • Sarah Riley

Was this actually diagnosed by a health care provider as being a yeast infection? If it was, then your provider should have told you how long you should wait before becoming sexually active again. If it was not, then you need to get yourself to your health care provider or clinic to get this checked…

Advice
  • Sarah Riley

While your risks for STI transmission may be lesser if both of you have not ever been sexually active in any way, it does not totally negate the risk. Not being “sexually involved” can mean lots of things for different people. Some people might only consider “sexually involved” to mean having…

Advice
  • Sarah Riley

In terms of your current lateness, keep in mind that you won’t have your withdrawl bleed (you don’t have real “periods” when you’re on hormonal birth control because you are not ovulating) at the exact time that you had it before you were on the birth control. Your cycles will probably be around 28…

Advice
  • Heather Corinna

The most obvious culprits for persistent bleeding following intercourse would be: cervicitis ( an inflammation of your cervix) the sexually transmitted infections chlamydia or gonorrhea vaginal dryness or trauma/injury or uterine fibroids If you’re having sex using only the pill, the STIs would be…

Advice
  • Sarah Riley

The short answer is that yes, you should always use a condom in order to be as safe as possible. The longer answer is that while being a “virgin” (and remember, since that’s a social construction rather than a medical one, it is defined differently by different people) may reduce your risk, it does…

Advice
  • Sarah Riley

Your pills should be fully effective beginning at the start of your new pack. Typically, problems with pills only affect that particular cycle (unless the problem itself carries over into the next pack). So as long as you don’t have any problems during your next cycle, you should be well protected…

Advice
  • Sarah Riley

It is important to understand that the each pill in your packet has basically enough hormones for 24 hours. When you’re late or miss one, your hormone levels can drop. So then what ends up happening is that when you take the late (or missed) pill and then take your next one at what is supposed to be…