Takeaway lessons on sexual health

Having travelled this journey with you from the first day of January to date, I have a lot to say but since I have limited time and space, I will only make a summary of the lessons learnt.  PHOTO | FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Another common finding was that people on long-term medication for diseases such as high blood pressure, migraine and depression suddenly developed sexual problems.
  • Because most medical practitioners do not pay attention to sexual needs of their patients, they failed to counsel them on the side effects of the treatments.
  • A number of people came to the clinic distraught and facing serious crises in their relationships.

This is the end of year bulletin on sex from the Sexology Clinic. It is the summary of the clinic’s interaction with a number of our readers on matters sexual. Having travelled this journey with you from the first day of January to date, I have a lot to say but since I have limited time and space, I will only make a summary of the lessons learnt.

First, we realised that sexual problems are fairly common.  You are actually lucky if you survived the year without a hitch in your intimacy. It is estimated that up to half of all sexually active people faced a problem at one time or another in the year.

The unfortunate thing, however, is that many never sought medical help and thus ended up with serious anxiety, stress and depression.

Others ended up with relationship problems, sometimes leading to separation and divorce. To avoid these catastrophic consequences, seek help the next time you find yourself dogged with sexual problems.

Worse still, sex problems were found to be a symptom of other diseases in the body. Loss of libido, failure to get aroused sexually including erectile dysfunction in men and failure to lubricate in women are examples of problems that may signal a serious disease in the body. Other symptoms include pain during sex, premature ejaculation in men and inability to get orgasm in women.

Hormal imbalance, high cholesterol, thyroid disease, diabetes and even cancer were found in people with these symptoms.

This fact underpins the importance of seeking medical help when you notice change in your sexual function.

We discovered that a number of people rush into taking herbal medicine as well as other medicines such as viagra without medical examination. Improper use of such medicines leads to complications.

Another common finding was that people on long-term medication for diseases such as high blood pressure, migraine and depression suddenly developed sexual problems.

Because most medical practitioners do not pay attention to sexual needs of their patients, they failed to counsel them on the side effects of the treatments.

A number of people came to the clinic distraught and facing serious crises in their relationships. All we needed to do was to stop or change the offending medicines and they got back on their feet with their intimacy.

If you have to use medicine, always ask your doctor if it will affect your sexual function and if so, ask for a change before problems catch up with you in the bedroom.

Good sexual function was found to be a source of happiness and those who enjoyed their sexual lives found life to be fulfilling.

This was irrespective of whether they were young or old, married, single or widowed.

In fact, science has shown that the fulfilment that comes when people are at peace with their sexuality leads to a long life. It is therefore important to enjoy sex within the comfort of your personal values. Avoid practices that will torture you psychologically.

A number of people, especially ladies, sometimes felt uneasy with their bodies. There are those who felt ugly for one reason or another.

These feelings had an impact on their self esteem. Lose of self-esteem is synonymous with loss of faith in life.

If you faced such a scenario this year, just know that your beauty is not judged by the size of your breasts or bum; it is not judged by the weight you have gained recently; neither is it judged by the pimple on your face or the size of your legs.

It is the way all parts of your body have been fitted together by the Creator to a unique form in addition to your personality, intellect, wit, demeanour and ability to navigate through social circles to manage your relationships that defines your beauty.

You are definitely more important than the scar on your skin or the length of your nails and you should not allow such to deny you happiness.

Finally, remember that diseases of the genital area can cause havoc in your life. Abnormal menstrual bleeding can be caused by many diseases including hormone problems and growths in the uterus and cervix.

Pain during sex can be due to infections, some of which can destroy your fertility. Prostate problems that require surgery may be the cause of your erectile dysfunction.

Some people drip urine which stops them from having sex while others have sagging pelvic organs presenting as abnormal protrusions in the vagina.

If you suffered abnormal symptoms in the pelvis and the genital areas, you needed to seek medical help to avoid progression and severe consequences. It was nice to have you in 2017. Take care as we look into 2018 and do not ignore your sexuality for a fulfilling long life.