The World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) instituted September 4 as the "World Sexual Health Day" in 2010. Since then, September 4 has been celebrated as “World Sexual Health Day”. The first year's theme was "Let's talk about sex comfortably". Last year's theme was "Sexual pleasure in times of COVID-19". The reason we published this article before September was the developments in sexual therapies last week. But before that, let's look at some definitions.
What is “Sexual Health”?
Sexual health is the ability of a person to continue their sexual life free of coercion, happily, and without harm. In a sense, it is the state of experiencing sexuality independent of the risk of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), unintended pregnancies, the use of force, violence, and discrimination. Individuals take responsibilities for the health of their sexual life. These responsibilities should be divided equally between spouses/lovers. In a healthy sexual life, spouses/lovers should consider the following points to fulfill these responsibilities in their sexual life:
- Getting each other's approval for their sexual behaviors,
- Never exerting pressure for approval
- Taking care of the pleasure of their spouse/lover,
- Protecting their spouse/lover from physical and mental harm,
- Protecting each other against sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies,
- Being open about what they want to do and what they do not want to do,
- Respecting each other's boundaries
- Taking responsibility for their behaviors.
What are Sexual Dysfunction & Disorders and How Are They Treated?
Human behavior and sexuality are affected by physical, psychological, and social conditions. Sexuality is not limited to the genitals. There are feelings, thoughts, and deeply rooted beliefs about sexuality that can often be incorrect. The physical and psychological characteristics of the individual or the dynamics of bilateral relations may be effective in the emergence of sexual problems and disorders. Naturally, the treatment of sexual problems may also vary depending on the associated factor. An interview is held with the individual to reveal the problem and examine the reasons for it simultaneously. The most common sexual dysfunction in men in Turkey is premature ejaculation and the most common reason for admission to the outpatient clinic is erectile dysfunction, while the most common sexual dysfunction in women is sexual reluctance and the most common reason for admission is vaginismus.
What is vaginismus?
Vaginismus is the presence of recurrent or persistent involuntary spasms of the musculature surrounding the outer third of the vagina when vaginal penetration is attempted, which is accompanied by fear of pain and anxiety about penetration. In addition, spasms of various parts of the body, even the whole body, closure of the legs, tremor, palpitation, sweating, nausea, vomiting, feeling faint, and crying may also coexist.
How Is It Treated?
Today, the only scientifically proven treatment method for vaginismus is sexual therapy. So who should perform the treatment? There has been a development on this issue in the past week. As a result of the review by the Ministry of Health after some applications, it has been stated that "it is not possible to carry out vaginismus and sexual therapy practices within the scope of the core curriculum of gynecology and obstetrics, but it may involve an intervention within the scope of emergency treatment in case of an emergency, and a psychiatrist can perform these practices alone in accordance with their core curriculum". Based on this statement, it has been approved by the Ministry of Health that psychiatrists are entitled to perform the treatment of this disorder since vaginismus is not a condition that may require emergency treatment due to its nature. The fact that individuals cannot access the right treatment in vaginismus and other sexual dysfunctions is a public health problem, therefore, providing accurate information on these issues is very important in terms of sexual health.
References
-CETAD Information File -4
-www.cetad.org.tr
-www.psikiyatri.org.tr
