Women and sex have not been uttered in a single sentence for as long as human civilization can remember. As a result, sexual health has always been a hush-hush subject. The truth is women are too embarrassed to discuss their discomfort and ailments, let alone their sexual wants. But, it’s 2020; hasn’t the time finally arrived to start discussing women’s sexual health.
What is "sexual health"?
It is important to understand what is meant by sexual health first. It is about reproduction and sexual function. So, a discussion about sexual health can cover any factor that may affect them. These factors may be physical, psychological, emotional, or hormonal. It can depend on a person’s relationships, self-image, traumas, medical history, lifestyle, age, and more.
What are the issues that affect sexual health?
As we said, a number of factors can affect the sexual health of a woman. And, you can develop various physical disorders that can harm your sexual health. These include:
- Reproductive system ailments, including cancer
- Gynecologic issues like PCOS, endometriosis, premenstrual syndrome, etc.
- Infertility
- Urinary system conditions, like UTIs or incontinence
- Sexually transmitted diseases
- Sexual dysfunction, like painful intercourse, or low libido
Why it is important to talk?
It is important for us to step out of the regressive idea of keeping all thing associated with the female anatomy under wraps. The new generation’s approach needs to be holistic, objective, and open. It is time to treat the intimate health and wellness of women with the clarity they deserve.
There are plenty of conditions that women overlook, considering then as a part of their everyday lives. But, these conditions could be the symptoms of much bigger health problems. And by ignoring them, you’re leaving the condition untreated.
Some common health problems that you must not ignore are -
- Abdominal cramps and painful periods
- Vaginal odour
- Bumps or growths in vaginal or labial regions
- Painful intercourse
- Vaginal dryness
- Urinary leakage or incontinence
- Low sex drive
Only when women are allowed to talk to professionals about their health conditions that they will know the importance of proper treatment. It is through open discussions that women will be able to learn which issues they need to pay attention to, and how to solve them.
a) Talk to a doctor - When you talk to the doctor about your discomforts, it might help to learn about major health problems like PCOS, endometriosis, or even cervical cancer.
b) Talk to your partner - When you talk to your partner about certain discomforts like painful sex, vaginal dryness, mood swings during periods, etc., they’ll be able to know you better and offer help.
c) Talk to other women - Whether it’s your bestie or mother, or the women in a Facebook group, it is important to talk freely about these issues. This will help them, as well as you, to know more.
Conclusion:
A young woman who has just stepped into adolescence is probably dealing with her physical changes all by herself. A married woman is probably too embarrassed to tell her husband that the moments of intimacy are painful for her. An elderly woman is perhaps fighting with the thought that her femininity, beauty, and youth have passed. It is essential to discuss women’s intimate health issues and encourage them to know about their body so that they can live a healthy and happy life.
