How to Talk With Your Healthcare Provider About Your Sexual Health
For many people, talking about sex or sexual health can be an uncomfortable topic.
Consider, when was the last time you had a conversation with your doctor, nurse, or therapist about your sexual health? When was the last time they asked you about your sexual health? If you’re like many, it’s possible that you’ve never had this conversation with your provider and/or that they’ve never tried having this conversation with you either.
So the question remains, why is nobody talking about sexual health when it is a crucial component of our overall wellness? And, what are the steps we can take to change that? Let’s first take a look at what a few studies have to say about the reasons physicians and patients are not talking about sexual health.
Why Physicians & Patients Don’t Talk About Sexual Health
According to one study, some healthcare professionals don’t ask about sexual health because they worry about: opening an uncomfortable conversation, offending someone, not knowing how to sensitively and directly ask, not knowing what to do with the responses, feeling ashamed or embarrassed, not understanding the symptoms/concerns, and lack of time.
At the same time, another study found that: 71% of patients believe their sexual concern will be dismissed by their physician. 68% believe they will make their provider uncomfortable if they bring up sexual health. 76% believe there is no effective treatment for their concern, and more than 90% believe it is the physicians’ responsibility to address sexual issues. As you can see, both patients and healthcare providers alike can find it difficult to open the conversation about sexual health.
Talking With Your Provider About Sexual Health
Sex and sexual health continue to be uncomfortable topics of conversation, and many healthcare providers have received little to no training in this area.
Here are a few steps you can take if you want to have a conversation with your healthcare provider about your sexual health:
Ask about your healthcare provider’s training in sexual health, and let them know that you would like to ask some questions and/or talk about some concerns you’re having.
Be prepared to share about the problem you’re having, when it started, your understanding of the problem, and your hope for addressing the situation.
Ask your provider for a referral if your provider is not the best person to help you. There are a variety of healthcare professionals with different kinds of training to address sexual health concerns. Sex therapists, pelvic floor specialists, and urologists are just a few examples of the kinds of providers who help address sexual health concerns.
Highly trained healthcare providers will ask for your permission before they begin asking you highly personal questions about your sexual health. They will also make an effort to have the conversation in a respectful way (when you are fully clothed, for example, and not feeling as vulnerable). They might also provide you with some educational information and provide you with referrals to health care providers who specialize in specific areas of sexual health.
If you’ve been wanting to talk with your healthcare provider about your sexual health questions or concerns, we hope you’ve found this helpful. At Lifespring, we want our clients to feel comfortable asking their questions and/or raising concerns about their sexual health. After all, it’s an important part of overall wellness!
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Take a Look at Our Featured Educational Courses!
When we talk about our health, people often think about their physical or mental health. Sexual health, however, is one component of wellness that often gets overlooked. This workshop will help you understand what sexual health is, and it will describe the different dimensions that make up our overall sexual health.
Video Duration: 34 minutes
Your sexual health is important, so we want to make sure that you have the tools needed to talk with your healthcare provider about your sexual health questions and concerns. In this workshop, we'll talk with you about the reasons people do not talk with their providers about sexual health and a format that you can use to bring up your concerns.
Video Duration: 33 minutes
Interested in Counseling for Communication Skills and Boundary Setting?
If you’re a Marylander who knows that counseling is the direction you need to take, the therapists at LifeSpring Counseling Services are here to help. We offer online counseling services for mindfulness, depression, anxiety, trauma, and grief and loss. We also offer Brainspotting as a specialized service, and Brainspotting can be done online, too!
Here’s how you can get started! Online counseling for communication skills and boundary setting aren’t the only services offered at our Maryland office
The counselors and social workers at our Maryland office also offer counseling services for trauma, grief and loss, boundary setting, communication skills, and difficult life transitions. We also offer specialized counseling services including Brainspotting and spiritually-integrated counseling. Because we are located next to several local universities, we also work with college students and international students.
Written by: Melissa Wesner, LCPC
Melissa is the Founder of LifeSpring Counseling Services in Maryland, and she is a Certified Brainspotter and Brainspotting Consultant who specializes in treating depression, anxiety, trauma, and sex therapy.
Photo Credit: Karolina Grabowska, Alex Green, and Sora Shimazaki
Date of download: 8/18/2022
