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The Sexual Body in Health and Illness

13. The Sexual Body in Health and Illness. Living in Our Bodies. Society is preoccupied with physical perfection Can result in unhealthy as well as healthy behaviors. Sexual Health.

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The Sexual Body in Health and Illness

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  1. 13 The Sexual Body in Health and Illness

  2. Living in Our Bodies • Society is preoccupied with physical perfection • Can result in unhealthy as well as healthy behaviors

  3. Sexual Health • Sexual health is the state of physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being related to sexuality (WHO, 2002) • Not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction, or infirmity • Requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships • Requires possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination, and violence

  4. Eating Disorders • Anorexia nervosa • Bulimia • Binge eating disorder • Retreating from sexuality • Eating-disordered patients have a higher than average history of abuse • May have been raised to be fearful of sex and view the body as sinful or dirty

  5. Anorexia nervosa • Characterized by an all-controlling desire for thinness • Convinced that body is too large • Diet (and sometimes exercise) obsessively • Sexual dysfunction often accompanies anorexia • Lower interest in sex • Amenorrhea • May not achieve secondary sex characteristics

  6. Bulimia & Binge Eating Disorder • Both are characterized by uncontrolled overeating • People with bulimia purge by vomiting, dieting, exercising excessively, or taking laxatives • People with binge eating disorder overeat without the purging • Many people with eating disorders are ambivalent toward their bodies and their sexual natures in general

  7. Steroids • Anabolic steroids • Used to enhance body image and athletic performance • Can cause serious and permanent body damage

  8. Alcohol, Drugs, and Sexuality • Drugs and alcohol are commonly perceived as enhancers of sexuality • They rarely enhance sexual performance • Alcohol decreases the ability of men and women to become physically aroused • Effect of disinhibition, activating behaviors that would otherwise be suppressed

  9. Alcohol, Drugs, and Sexuality • Used by some to give themselves permission to be sexual • Increases exposure to risky sexual situations • Alcohol sometimes used to justify sexual violence by men against women • Alcohol use is a significant factor in sexual violence of all types • Plays a role in 90% of rapes and sexual assaults

  10. Sexuality and Aging • Women • Perimenopause: menstrual periods become irregular prior to menopause • Menopause: complete cessation of menstruation • Hot flash: period of intense warmth, flushing and perspiration • Osteoporosis: loss of bone mass • Postmenopausal Hormone Therapy (PHT)

  11. Sexuality and Aging • Men • Refractory period is extended • Decrease in testosterone production • Benign prostatic hypertrophy • enlargement of prostate gland • Retrograde ejaculation • backward expulsion of semen into bladder • Testosterone replacement therapy

  12. Sexuality and Disability • A wide range of disabilities and physical limitations can affect sexuality • People with these disabilities need support and education so they can enjoy their full sexual potential • Society needs to be aware of the concerns of disabled people and respect their sexual rights

  13. Sexuality and Disability • Chronic Illness • Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and arthritis affect sexuality • Developmental Disabilities

  14. Sexuality and Cancer • Women • Breast cancer: second most prevalent form of cancer among women, following lung cancer • Mammogram: low-dose X-ray of the breast to detect cancer • Mastectomy: surgical removal of the breast • Lumpectomy: surgical removal of the tumor and lymph nodes • Cervical cancer • Cervical dysplasia: condition that may lead to cancer • Pap test: test for detection of cervical cancer

  15. Sexuality and Cancer • Women (continued) • Ovarian cancer • Uterine cancer • Hysterectomy - surgical removal of uterus • Oophorectomy - removal of one or both ovaries • Androgen replacement therapy - testosterone administered to increase sex drive • Vaginal cancer

  16. Sexuality and Cancer • Men • Prostate cancer • most common form of cancer among men • Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test • Testicular cancer • Primarily affects young men (18-35) • testicular self-examinations are recommended • Penile cancer • Male breast cancer

  17. Other Sexual Health Issues • Toxic shock syndrome • Tampons or diaphragms left in vagina too long increase risk • Endometriosis • The growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterus • Lesbian women’s health issues • Fear of discrimination leads to fewer health care visits • Prostatitis • Inflammation of the prostate gland

  18. Other Sexual Health Issues • Diethylstilbestrol (DES) daughters and sons • Women who took the drug DES, as well as their children are subject to genital tract abnormalities

  19. Summary • We’ve explored: • Issues of self-image & body image • Effects of alcohol & drugs • Aging, physical limitations and disabilities • Cancer and other health issues • To give you information to assist you • To stimulate thinking about how society deals with sexual health

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