Sexual Health

URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sexualhealth.html

Sexuality is a big part of being human. Love, affection and sexual intimacy all play a role in healthy relationships. They also contribute to your sense of well-being. A number of disorders can affect the ability to have or enjoy sex, including erectile dysfunction and female sexual problems. Concerns about infertility or fear of unplanned pregnancy can also come into play.

In addition, a number of diseases and disorders affect sexual health. These include sexually transmitted diseases and cancer. In men, treatment of prostate cancer can cause erectile dysfunction. In women, cervical, uterine, vaginal, vulvar or ovarian cancer may have sexual effects.
Overviews

    * Importance of Sexual Health(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/healthy_living/sexual_health/hic_the_importance_of_sexual_health.aspx
    * Sexual Health: How to Achieve a Fulfilling Sexual Relationship(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/sexual-health/HQ01363/METHOD=print

Latest News

    * Seniors Having More Sex Than Ever(07/09/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_66761.html

Diagnosis/Symptoms

    * Estrogen Tests(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/estrogen/test.html
    * Testosterone Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/testosterone/test.html

Specific Conditions

    * Compulsive Sexual Behavior(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/compulsive-sexual-behavior/DS00144/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
    * Infidelity: Mending Your Marriage After an Affair(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/infidelity/MH00110/METHOD=print
    * Sexuality and Chronic Pain(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/chronic-pain/PN00009/METHOD=print

Related Issues

    * Transgender Individuals and Gender Identity(American Psychological Association) - http://www.apa.org/topics/transgender.html

Anatomy/Physiology

    * Female Reproductive System(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body_basics/female_reproductive_system.html
      Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/general/female_reproductive_system_esp.html
    * Male Reproductive System(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body_basics/male_reproductive.html
      Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/general/male_reproductive_esp.html
    * Sexual Response Cycle(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/healthy_living/sexual_health/hic_the_sexual_response_cycle.aspx

Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

    * Article: Secular trends in self reported sexual activity and satisfaction in... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18614505&tool=MedlinePlus
    * Article: Assessment of sexual health in older adults. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18580129&tool=MedlinePlus
    * Article: Effect of aciclovir on HIV-1 acquisition in herpes simplex virus... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18572080&tool=MedlinePlus
    * Sexual Health -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=sexual+behavior[majr]+OR+sexuality[majr]+NOT+(infertility,male[majr]+OR+infertility,female[majr]+OR+sexual+dysfunctions,psychological[majr]+OR+bisexuality[majr]+OR+homosexuality[majr])+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Organizations

    * American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy - http://www.aamft.org/

Children

    * On the Tube: Talking with Kids About What They See on TV(Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States) - Links to PDF - http://www.familiesaretalking.org/resources/media.pdf
    * Sex Class: Talking with Your Tween About Sexuality Can Help, Not Hurt(Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States) - http://www.familiesaretalking.org/resources/class.pdf
    * Sex Education: Talking to Toddlers and Preschoolers about Sex(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/sex-education/HQ00547/METHOD=print
    * Understanding Early Sexual Development(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/sexual_health/development.html

Teenagers

    * Sexual Attraction and Orientation(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/sexual_health/guys/sexual_orientation.html

Men

    * Aging Male Syndrome(National Women's Health Information Center) - http://womenshealth.gov/mens/sexual/ams.cfm
    * JAMA Patient Page: Male Sexual Dysfunction(American Medical Association) - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/291/24/3076.pdf
      Also available in Spanish http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/data/291/24/3076/DC1/1
    * Men on the Down Low(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/aa/resources/qa/downlow.htm
      Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/spanish/resources/qa/downlow_qa.htm
    * Testosterone Therapy: Can It Help Older Men Feel Young Again?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/testosterone-therapy/MC00030/METHOD=print

Women

    * Am I Sexually Normal?(InteliHealth) - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/35320/35321/366222.html?d=dmtHMSContent
    * Female Sexual Dysfunction(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/female-sexual-dysfunction/DS00701/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
    * Women and Sexuality: The Myth of the First Time(InteliHealth) - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/35320/35321/413738.html?d=dmtHMSContent

Seniors

    * Sex After 50: How to Hold onto the Passion(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/sexual-health/HA00035/METHOD=print
    * Sexuality in Later LifeFrom the National Institutes of Health(National Institute on Aging) - http://www.niapublications.org/agepages/sexuality.asp
      Also available in Spanish http://www.niapublications.org/agepages/sexuality-sp.asp

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

    * Erectile Dysfunction - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/erectiledysfunction.html
    * Female Sexual Dysfunction - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/femalesexualdysfunction.html
    * Infertility - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infertility.html
    * Penis Disorders - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/penisdisorders.html
    * Reproductive Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/reproductivehealth.html
    * Sexually Transmitted Diseases - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sexuallytransmitteddiseases.html
    * Teen Sexual Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/teensexualhealth.html
    * Female Reproductive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/femalereproductivesystem.html
    * Male Reproductive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/malereproductivesystem.html
    * Men - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/men.html
    * Sexual Health Issues - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sexualhealthissues.html
    * Wellness and Lifestyle - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/wellnessandlifestyle.html
    * Women - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/women.html

Date last updated: July 21 2008
Topic last reviewed: July 21 2008

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