What is healthy sexual behaviour?

Healthy sexual behaviour is defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the following:

• The enjoyment of sexual relations without exploitation, oppression or abuse.
• Safe pregnancy and childbirth, and if possible, avoidance of unintended pregnancies.
• Absence and avoidance of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV.

Unhealthy sexual behaviour is a deviance from any of these three points. Consequences of poor sexual health are many, and can have harmful effects on an individual as well as on a relationship. Over the past ten years, research has shown that there have been dramatic increases in many STIs, as much as up to 300% in infections such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and HIV — all serious issues. Studies have also shown that people are having sex at a younger age, and people tend to have more multiple sex partners than ten years ago, putting themselves at risk of STIs.

How poor sexual health can affect your health

Here are some factors in how your general health can be affected by sexually transmitted infections:

• HIV attacks the body's immune system, which makes you prone to infections, and makes your risk of developing AIDS extremely high.
• The human papilloma virus (HPV) is a serious infection which is transmitted sexually during unprotected sex. It is a major cause of cervical cancer, which takes the lives of many women, mainly because it is difficult to detect. It also does not always show up in an ordinary pap smear test.
• Chlamydia is a bacterial infection also transmitted sexually, which often has no symptoms and is not diagnosed or treated very early. This may lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, which poses a high risk to fertility.
• Herpes simplex is the most prolific, and easiest STI to contract from unprotected sex. It is mainly characterised by vaginal sores in women, and also by sores in the genital area of men, including the anus and the penis. There are actually many strains of the herpes virus, and unless treated, can lead to serious infections in the genital areas. In addition to the immediate effects of STIs, there seems to be a stigma of embarrassment attached, which prevents some people from going for tests, or informing their partners.

Examples of high-risk sexual behaviour

• Unprotected sex without a condom.
• Starting sex at a young age, without knowledge of the dangers of genital herpes.
• Having multiple sex partners without knowing any of their history, or other issues.
• Unprotected oral sex.
• Not being aware of STI symptoms.

Some young people are under the impression that if they are on the pill to prevent pregnancy, the pill will also prevent STIs. This idea is completely a myth — while the pill may prevent pregnancy, it does nothing to prevent the transmission of infections.

The best way to prevent an STI is to use a condom, and not partake in any unprotected sex. Once a herpes virus gets into your system, it never leaves, and whenever your immune system is a bit low, it has the potential to flare up in one form or another, such as a genital infection, or a viral skin rash.

We can help

If you have had to lay off sex for a while due to a health issue and your libido has taken a knock, we can help. Herbal Remedies International has taken some of the most potent natural herbal ingredients, and developed excellent formulas to combat low libido issues.

Our products are safe to take and you do not need a doctor's script.

Visit us at www.herbalremedies.co.za to view our range of products and the number of issues we cover.

We are here to help you.