Sexual Health Advice

A state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being with regards to sexuality is what is commonly referred to as sexual health. It not only requires that one’s approach to sexuality and sexual relationships is positive and respectful but that one can have safe and pleasurable sexual experiences that are not violent and are free from coercion.

In order to enjoy a healthy sexual life that will fulfill one’s needs for many years, there are some precautions that should be followed. For example, not engaging in sex for a period of time due to lack of a partner or other reasons can be good and help to make the next sexual experience more pleasurable.

If one has a partner, it is important to talk with one’s partner so each is aware of the other’s needs on many issues, such as physical desires and emotional needs. Partners should also talk about sexually transmitted infections and whether either party has had one in the past or been tested for one. Birth control is another issue that should be addressed and what methods will be used if pregnancy is not a desired outcome of the sexual relationship. The use of condoms should also be discussed as they can not only prevent pregnancy but guard against sexually transmitted infections. Rarely discussed but equally important as the other issues is the act itself; what are the boundaries for exploration of each other’s bodies.

If two people are engaged in sexual relations, it is important that the relationship between the two people is a healthy one. This means that each person treats the other with kindness and respect, is honest with each other at all times, likes to spend time with each other, can speak honestly about their feelings and is interested in things that are important to the other person.

Filed Under: Sexual Health, Sexual Life Tagged With: , ,

Getting Yourself Insurance to Cover Birth Control

Having a family is a joyous thing. It’s the goal of people all over the world to have a family. For many, though, they might find that having a family when they aren’t ready can turn a beautiful dream into a stressful nightmare. Kids are best cared for when they are planned for and are brought into a loving home that has the resources and the mindset to provide and love. Without those things, it could make for a rough road.

For married couples who are putting off having children, it’s important to invest in birth control. Birth control can range from condoms, to pills, to vaginal devices. No matter the preferred method of contraception, it’s important to get protection. Having protection allows you to save money and plan properly to have kids in the future. For those that believe birth control is expensive, the reality is that most insurance covers a variety of birth control methods. In most cases, birth control will be covered except for a reasonable co-payment. If you are not insured, then now is the time to do it.

Before you purchase insurance, you need to compare insurance quote prices from three or four different companies. Make sure that you set your policy limits and deductibles the same so that the quote is an accurate figure. Once you do that, then you should be able to determine which monthly premium works out the best for you and your spouse.

Insurance is a necessary step in providing not only good health care, but financial protection against soaring health care costs. For yourself and your spouse, it’s important to save the money you can and hold off having kids till you are both comfortable. You want the best for your future children, so be at your best.

Filed Under: Planning, Pregnancy, Prenatal Care Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

What To Expect During Your First Visit To Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood often serves as the only health resource for teens and women without access to gynecological care or birth contraceptives. For those seeking birth control for the first time, talking to someone about private information can be a scary experience.

First, remember that Planned Parenthood staff are passionate about what they do and the services they provide. They are skilled at putting the patient at ease and know that many women have never talked to anyone about sexual matters before. There is no need to be nervous in that regard.

A counselor will explain the clinic’s policies and payment options, which are usually based on sliding scale. They will then take your basic medical information and history. If you are seeking contraceptives, the practitioner will discuss your needs and lifestyle to help you decide on the most appropriate method.

Most initial visits include a video or presentation about Planned Parenthood, women’s health, and a demonstration pelvic exam. You may also need to provide a urine sample. The medical exam will consist of checking your blood pressure and heart rate, listening to your chest and lungs, feeling your neck to check your thyroid, a breast exam, pelvic exam and pap smear. If you will be getting a diaphragm, cervical cap or ring, she will check internally for the proper fit.

After the exam, the practitioner will give you instructions on your birth control method and schedule your follow up. The clinic will provide you with your pills or contraceptive devices; there is no need to go to a drugstore to have a prescription filled.

It is important to be honest during your visit. Drinking, smoking, drug use and your lifestyle can impact the effectiveness of certain birth control methods. Planned Parenthood is committed to privacy and confidentiality, so be sure you give accurate information in order to maintain your sexual health.

Filed Under: Parenthood, Planning, Sexual Health Tagged With: , ,

Is Planned Parenthood Just For Sexually Active Teens?

There is a common misperception that Planned Parenthood is simply a place where teenage girls can get free birth control. While it is often the only resource for women to obtain, Planned Parenthood is more than a dispensary for pills and condoms.

Although it was founded on the premise that women should have control over their reproductive health, Planned Parenthood provides many more valuable services to a wide range of people.

This century-old organization is one of the leaders in providing sexual health education and resources. Although many women first begin going there when they become sexually active, teens are only a percentage of their client base. Patients do not need to be sexually active to make use of their services, and do not even need to be in a relationship. Many women continue to use their health services throughout their lives.

Women of all ages use Planned Parenthood when they do not have access to a primary care physician or gynecologist. In addition to contraceptives, women may need pregnancy testing, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, cancer screenings or simply an annual pelvic exam. These women may be old or young, married or single, and even in long periods of abstinence. Some clinics provide prenatal care as well.

While Planned Parenthood is an important resource for sexually active teens, most of their patients are in their twenties and thirties. Not everyone is sexually active in their teenage years. Many women choose to wit until they are older. They may seek contraceptive advice before beginning sexual activity. Others may have had little or no sexual health education in their younger years

Women of all ages, sexually active or not, choose Planned Parenthood because it is easily accessible and affordable. The organization is committed to providing these services to everyone regardless of age, and provides many services beyond birth control education.

Filed Under: Parenthood, Planning, Sexual Life Tagged With: , ,

Is Planned Parenthood All About Birth Control?

Planned Parenthood clinics provide a wide range of sexual health services in addition to birth control. The health care providers respect your beliefs, and if you are committed to abstinence or natural methods they will provide you with the most accurate and helpful information so that you can practice your choice safely.

Also, if you are not or do not intend to be sexually active, you will still find a supportive atmosphere. Women in lesbian relationships may not need contraceptive services, but many choose to utilize Planned Parenthood for their gynecological exams and health care.

They also offer educational resources and have a vast of educational material relating to sexual health, sexual orientation, reproductive rights and many other women’s issues.

Planned Parenthood teaches that women should be in charge of their bodies, and they are committed to making health services available to all women. It can even provide resources and referrals to rehabilitation services, counseling, nutritional advice and assistance in obtaining other social services. For the services that they do not provide, they are a trustworthy source of information on getting the help you need. They can also serve as a liaison for people who are too scared or confused to pursue these services on their own.

Planned Parenthood does believe in responsible sex and will provide birth control for sexually active people who need it. They also provide education and counseling on the risks of sexual activity and ways to prevent sexually transmitted diseases.

In addition to providing contraceptives and health screenings for women of all age, Planned Parenthood is a leader in the fight for preserving reproductive rights, and for the promotion of accurate and relevant sex education information. Through lobbying activities and public information campaigns, Planned Parenthood seeks to maintain the rights that women have achieved and to keep birth control easily available for everyone.

Filed Under: Parenthood, Planning, Sexual Life Tagged With: , ,

Taking Care of Yourself and Being Mindful of Your Sexual Health

Taking care of yourself takes on a lot of guises and is not just about your fitness and nutrition. Being mindful of your sexual health is an important way to take care of yourself and to take care of your community as a whole. Taking care to plan your family and to prevent disease when possible is part of being a responsible member of the community. There are numerous other ways to take care of yourself as well, and whether it’s taking the time to find discount car insurance or making sure that your level of debt isn’t too high, it’s important for everyone to remember that they are important and they are a part of the world as whole.

There are many ways that people can help others to remember how important they are as well, Advocating safe sexual practices is a useful way to keep these issues in the public consciousness, in addition to making an impact in a much more personal way. Talk to the people you know about safe sex and about protecting their own health, safety and well being. If you find that someone around you is in suffering from a high load of stress, take the time to talk to that person about self care. Turning to risky sexual practices is one cry for attention that can have long term consequences for more than just the person in pain. It can be devastating for entire families.

Family planning is another way to get involved on a local and personal level. Taking the time to plan your reproductive future is one of the best things you can do for your family and for your community. To truly take care of yourself, you need to have the confidence and self love to have a plan and to stay with it.

Filed Under: Advice, Contraception, Parenthood Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Using Sexual Health Clinics vs. Doctors

In order to have a healthy, satisfying and issue-free sex life, you must stay continuously educated on sexual health issues. You must also control the number of partners that you are sexually involved with in order to decrease any chances of exposure to diseases or infections. But perhaps the most important thing that you must do in your sexual life is to make sure that you get regularly scheduled checkups with your medical doctor.

Some people who do not have access to a medical doctor may find that they have to go to a clinic or an alternative health provider for their needs. Is one better than the other or does one provide services that the other does not? In many cases, the answer may be yes, but overall it depends on the person’s own personal needs and preferences, rather than what is always accessible.

Using a sexual health clinics for any sex issues may not provide the person the level of privacy or anonymity that they may feel they need in some cases. Clinics by nature are quite “public”, and an individual may feel that they are exposed when they walk in, or that all eyes are on them. In a doctor’s office however, the person may feel more comfortable since they know what doctor will be seeing and treating them.

Sex health clinics are also more experienced with sexual issues and may be able to more speedily treat any problems right away that a patient has whereas a doctor’s office may have to send samples to a lab or have the patient come back for a 2nd or 3rd visit to treat any condition. This can vary widely, making the decision more of personal choice on what route to go for treatment. Carefully choosing what is best for a situation will be better in the long run for all persons involved.

Filed Under: Advice, Sexual Health Tagged With: , ,

Tax Funding for Planned Parenthood in NJ Decided Soon

Governor Christ Christie of Trenton, New Jersey, is not a fan of Planned Parenthood tax funding. Indeed, he vetoed a bill that would have provided a necessary $7.5 million in state funding from taxpayers to support the facilities in the New Jersey area. What will teens in New Jersey do without this necessary option for sexual health and education? Christ doesn’t care.

The state legislature will be able to vote in order to possibly override Christie’s decision, in order to keep Planned Parenthood operational in the “Jersey Shore” state. Governor Christie referred to Planned Parenthood as an abortion business, and said that during this recession in finances, nationally and locally, it is not pragmatic to give $7.5 million to Planned Parenthood because the state currently has a deficit exceeding $11 billion!

Though Christie claims his motives were purely driven by the economic woes of New Jersey, he did win support of pro-life advocates back in July when he vetoed the bill, leaving family planning in the dust. The funding that is being debated would support 58 family planning clinics across the state, only 29 of which are actually Planned Parenthood branches. Steven Ertelt of LifeNews.com wrote that Planned Parenthood is “the nation’s largest abortion chain” in his article that supports Christie, though portentously un-biased.

After Christie’s cut, the legislature of New Jersey immediately went to work to approve a bill to restore the vetoed one, winning in a 30 to 10 vote. Though, Republicans seem uncomfortable falling out of line with their own party’s Governor. Assemblyman Lampitt, a female Democrat and supporter of Planned Parenthood funding, is working overtime trying to save this initiative to support the youth of New Jersey. Lampitt has remarked that Christie is leaving women “out in the cold” with bad influences like “Jersey Shore” and no where to turn for sexual health advice and contraceptives.

Filed Under: Sexual Health, Sexual Orientation Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Anti-Choice Wingnuts or Educated Haters: How Planned Parenthood is Being Reviewed

According to 2008 data, said Jill Stanek with the support of the infamous American Life League, Planned Parenthood offers little more to communities than abortion services. Though the American Life League, for their part, remarked that their findings are based solely on data about pregnant patients of Planned Parenthood, Jill Stanek has openly reported these findings in a way meant to imply that they are general. Her recent article, “Planned Parenthood: Abortion Virtually Only Service,” is not at all accurate or the writing of an educated person. From a bland title, to a grossly inaccurate conclusion, Stanek writes every word with colorful bias and pretense.

The graphs presented in her article are misleading, and meant to rally the support of Pro-Life readers and to make Pro-Choicers waver, too. As though her misleading information is not enough to add gray cloud coverage to anyone’s perspective, she peppers it with remarks like “You may need a magnifying glass to spot the adoption and prenatal care bars” (on her graphs, in contrast to the ‘abortion bar’).

Neither do Planned Parenthood centers pretend to be or want to be adoption centers. Though they do offer those services to community members who are distraught and seeking help and information, it is not a primary service that they provide. What concerns some readers, as is apparent from the comments on Stanek’s article, before they are periodically deleted, is that the “anti-choicers” don’t believe that women, or female patients rather, have a brain. Supposedly, the people who enter Planned Parenthood are being coerced into having abortions, where they would otherwise keep the child, or give it away to an agency. The reports of the American Life League and Jill Stanek on Planned Parenthood’s services fail to remark at all on the other findings from the document where they gathered their data from 2008, such as the rate of guests to Planned Parenthood who merely sought contraceptives (35%).

Filed Under: Sexual Health, Sexual Orientation Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Birth Control Options

Image of vaginal birth control device NuvaRing
Image via Wikipedia

Many people today have decided to head to Planned Parenthood for their birth control options. For many, going to Planned Parenthood can help you save some money on your prescription birth control, over just going to your regular doctor. If you are trying to save up for something like designer jewelry, this could be an option for you.

You may be wondering what types of birth control options you can find at Planned Parenthood. Almost any type of birth control you may want is available. In fact, they may even have options that your doctor may not offer. Even if they have a smaller selection than your doctor, they still have more than enough options for many women.

If you are looking to go on the pill, there are different varieties that are offered. If you’re looking for a particular brand birth control pill, you’ll want to check and make sure that it is offered. If the specific type of pill that you want is not offered, you can discuss your other options with the nurse.

Another option for birth control, especially if you have had children before, is an IUD, or inter-uterine device. This is a small device that is put into your uterus that gives off a low dose of hormone that keeps you from getting pregnant. Generally, these IUDs will last for up to five years. If you decide before the five years are up that you want to get pregnant, you can just head to your doctor, or back to Planned Parenthood, and get the device removed.

No matter what form of birth control you’re interested in, you’ll want to talk to a nurse at Planned Parenthood or your normal doctor about the pros and cons of your choice. There are side effects with all drugs, and this includes birth control.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Advice, General, Parenthood, Pregnancy, Prenatal Care Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts