Sexual health is as valuable as any other type of health. How important it is will be different for each person.
Sometimes, depending on where you are in the world and your upbringing, sexual health may not be as recognized as other types of health and there may even be shame, embarrassment, fear, and confusion with sexual health. This is very common as there, unfortunately, can be a lot of shame attached to things associated with “sex”.
Read also: 5 Ways To Talk About Your Sexual Fantasies With Your Partner
What influences Sexual Health?
Sexual health is influenced by many personal and social factors such as:
- Our values and beliefs
- Upbringing
- Culture
- Religion
- Indigenous Status
- Spirituality
- The people around us
- Our personal experiences
- Societal expectations
- Legal and/or sexual rights
How we experience our sexual health is also part of how we experience the world. For example, there are many factors that health researchers have identified that can impact our health including sexual health. These are known as the ‘social determinants of health’ and include how health is affected by income, education, employment, childhood development, food, housing, health services, gender, race, disability, indigenous status, social marginalization, and social services.
If someone’s gender identity/identities are not recognized this can impact their sexual health and experiences of social marginalization.
Sexual health is personal, psychological, relational, cultural, spiritual, physical, and emotional.
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