Sexual Health
Sexual health is the integration of the somatic, emotional,intellectual, and social aspects of sexual being, in ways thatare positively enriching and that enhance personality,communication, and love.The document went on to cite Mace, Banner...
...man, and Burton (1974)who described sexual health as containing three basic elements:(a) capacity to enjoy and control sexual and reproductivebehavior in accordance with a social and personal ethic; (b)freedom from fear, shame, guilt, false beliefs, and otherpsychological factors inhibiting sexual response and impairingsexual relationship; and (c) freedom from organic disorders,diseases, and deficiencies that interfere with sexual andreproductive function. In spite of difficulties at arriving atthis definition, this definition has endured and has been usedthroughout this last quarter century.Sexuality is an integral part of the personality of everyone:man, womanand child. It is a basic need and an aspect of beinghuman that cannot beseparated from other aspects of human life.Sexuality is not synonymouswith sexual intercourse, it is notabout whether we have orgasms or not, and it is not the sumtotal of our erotic lives These may be part of oursexuality, butequally they may not. Sexuality is so much more: it is in theenergy that motivates us to find love, contact, feel warmth, andintimacy it is expressed in the way we feel, move, touch and aretouched; it is about being sensual as well as sexual Sexualityinfluences thoughts, feelings, actions and interactions andthereby our mental and physical health.Teenage sexual activity has significant consequences: sexuallytransmitted diseases (STDs), pregnancy, social and economicdisruption, and legal implications. Of the 15 million new casesof STDs that occur each year in the United States, 10 millionoccur in people aged 15 to 24. (1) Each year, over 400,000infants are born to teenagers; more than 146,000 are born tothose 17 years of age or younger. (2) In 2000, 18% of reportedabortions in the United States were performed on teenagers.The majority of studies on sex and aging confirm that mostindividuals in later life retain sexual interest and ability.Results of earlier studies indicate that many men and womenremain sexually active well into their 70s.Although sexual activity is potentially life-long, oftenmedications, illnesses, partner availability, and relationshipproblems, more than age-related changes in sexualresponsiveness, can be responsible for discontinuation of sexualactivity. Clinicians can help older patients adapt to thesechanges and maintain maximal sexual health. With intact health,aging patients' sexual functioning can be preserved until theend of life.
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