Sexual health includes physical, emotional, and social well-being related to sexuality, contraception, healthy sexual relationships, consent, sexual pleasure, and sexual rights. Different conditions, treatments, life stages, and symptoms can affect your sex life. You can support your sexual health by understanding and following safe sexual practices, nurturing open communication, considering sex therapy if necessary, and prioritizing regular sexual health checkups.
Common Questions & Answers
What are important aspects of sexual health?
Good sexual health involves preventing STIs and unwanted pregnancies, maintaining healthy sexual function, prioritizing consent, nurturing relationships, treating problems that affect sexual function, and understanding your relationship with sexual pleasure.
How can I practice safe sex?
Using condoms and regularly testing for STIs are both crucial. Also, avoid substance use before sex, limit your number of sexual partners, and don’t share sex toys. Be open with partners about sexual health, current or previous STI diagnoses, and boundaries.
What are common sexual health concerns?
Erectile dysfunction, vaginal dryness, premature ejaculation, low libido, a lack of arousal or ability to orgasm, and painful intercourse commonly affect sex. These can occur for many reasons, such as STIs, hormonal changes, or underlying physical or mental health conditions.
How does communication affect sexual health?
Communication is a pillar of sexual health and can support mutual consent, improve safety, prevent STIs, drive understanding of a partner’s sexual desires and preferences, and keep sex enjoyable and intimate for everyone involved.
What resources support sexual health?
Sexual health resources include healthcare providers, educational programs, global organizations, local community services, advocacy groups, and testing and treatment clinics. No matter your background, age, sexuality, or income, a service is available to support your sexual health needs.
Everyday Health’s team of board-certified physicians and health professionals contribute to the creation and review of content, ensuring that the information is useful, up to date, and accurate.
John Paul McHugh, MD, is an obstetrician-gynecologist and lifestyle medicine specialist in southern California. He has always placed wellness at the center of his work, in both delivering babies and improving practice standards. Dr. McHugh believes that bringing lifestyle medicine to the center of health and wellness empowers patients to make the change they seek and enjoy the benefits of true wellness.
He is a graduate of Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. He served as a department chair at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego and is now the chair-elect for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for California.
He has published several articles in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine and served as a peer reviewer for many articles. He contributed to the first textbook of lifestyle medicine in women's health: Improving Women's Health Across the Lifespan.
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
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