Understanding Sexual Health: Top 7 Facts You Need to Know

Sexuality plays one of the most important parts – if not the most important of them all – in the human life. Understanding sexual health is crucial for those who want to stay healthy and happy.

You have to exercise regularly to keep reproductive organs healthy

Physical activity may be one of the most significant keys to healthy sexual function. Many studies suggest that those who exercise on a regular basis have a better blood flow throughout their bodies and, of course, throughout the genital area. An increased blood flow increases sexual drive and boosts the immune system to say nothing of the key role of blood in the body – bringing nutrition to cells.

You have to be careful about sexually transmitted infections (STI)

These include HIV, herpes, syphilis and many others. Remember that you can pick a disease not only through an intercourse but also through oral sex. For example, if your partner has herpes and interacts with you orally, you may get herpes on your genitalia. Remember that it is easy to get HIV and other infections that are transmitted through blood when getting a tattoo or body piercing. It can happen if a needle used for tattooing or piercing is not disinfected properly. Ideally the instruments have to be used only once and then thrown away. Make sure the place where you intend to get a tattoo or piercing is well-equipped and follows the procedure.

We strongly recommend to learn in detail about STIs in the following article: http://www.mycanadianpharmacyrx.com/sexually-transmitted-infections

You can’t get herpes from a toilet seat and HIV from an insect bite but you can still get STI by having sex in the pool

The virus that causes herpes infection is spread with the help of direct contact: your skin has to actually touch the skin of an infected person. So, it is impossible to get herpes infection by sitting on a toilet seat that was used by an infected person unless you do it in the same time which, of course, is very unlikely. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be careful about sitting on toilet seats. There are still many diseases that can be transmitted this way. Mosquitos and other insects don’t transmit HIV, the research by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has proved. The rule also applies to countries where there are a lot of insects and HIV rate is high.

Some people think that chlorine that is used to sanitize water in pools protects them from getting sexually transmitted diseases from their partners. That is not true. Chlorine doesn’t kill viruses and bacteria that cause STI. Picking up an infection by having sex in a pool is just as likely as anywhere else.

Sexually transmitted infections can lead to serious problems with the reproductive system

Fallopian tube damage, the reason why women become infertile, is very often caused by STI. In 30-40% of infertility cases in women the real cause is damage of the Fallopian tubes. From 10 to 40% of women get pelvic inflammatory disease because they don’t treat their chlamydia infections in time. Stillbirths and deaths of newborns can be caused by syphilis: untreated disease is the reason of 25% of stillbirths and 14% of neonatal deaths. One of the most dangerous STIs is HPV, which stands for human papilloma virus. It can lead to cervical cancer which is the second common cancer type in women. About 250 thousand women die from cervical cancer every year. There are vaccines against the virus, so make sure to ask your healthcare provider about them.

Menstruating during sex, peeing or douching after sex don’t protect against pregnancy

It is very rare to get pregnant while women have their period but it is still quite likely. Sperm lives for five days, and if your ovaries release another egg after your period, you might get pregnant. Another myth about peeing or douching is also false. Urine is coming from the urethra while men’s sperm goes to cervix through the vagina. Douching does not clear the vagina or urethra from sperm; on the contrary, it can lead to sperm being pushed further inside the body. And, in addition to that, douching can be harmful to the bacterial balance inside the vagina and even cause an infection.

Pap tests don’t have information about most sexually transmitted infections

They are set to find the signs of cell damage in women’s cervix that can be caused by human papilloma virus and might eventually lead to cervical cancer. Other STIs are not included in Pap tests. You have to tell you doctor specifically which of them you have to be tested for. If you have ever had unprotected sex, it is strongly advised you pass a test on all the sexually transmitted diseases.

Unhealthy lifestyle and food can seriously harm men’s sperm

Men’s infertility is mainly caused by low sperm count (not enough sperm in the semen) and low sperm motility (the speed that takes sperm to get to female eggs). There are many factors that have a negative impact on sperm count and motility. Unhealthy and fatty food is one of them. Saturated fats, full-fat dairy, processed meat, non-organic produce, soda drinks and alcohol significantly lower sperm count and make it less motile, many recent studies have confirmed. High temperatures, and even the normal temperature of the human body (98 F), disable testicles to produce sperm and decrease their ability to function properly for several months. Heat can be caused by many things: frequent use of laptops on the lap, fever infections, frequent visits to sauna and hot tubes. The concentration of sperm can be lowered by up to 60% because of the heat. Tight underwear such as briefs or bicycle shorts is another factor that prevents testicles from operating properly and producing enough sperm. It is not as bad as heat but try to restrain from wearing tight underwear for more than three-four hours. Men who want to eliminate risk factors that decrease the quality of their sperm should also watch their weight, quit smoking tobacco and other unhealthy substances, and be careful with their cell phones. All this affects sperm count and motility quite negatively.

Canadian Health&Care Mall Team – www.acanadianhealthcaremall.com