Understanding Sexual and Reproductive Health

Basic Concepts of Sexual Health

• Sexual health and reproductive health are abbreviated as SH/RH.
• Presentation plan includes:
  • Definition of sexual health
  • Definition of reproductive health
  • Importance of sexual and reproductive health
  • Different perspectives on sexuality
  • Sexual rights

Definition of Reproductive Health

• Reproductive health is the absence of disease and disability related to the reproductive system.
• It includes the system's functions and mental and social well-being.

Reproductive Health

• Reproductive health includes having a satisfying and safe sex life and the ability to reproduce freely
• Sexual health is important for personal health for all age groups and is discussed within reproductive health.

Sexual Health

• Sexuality is a dimension of human life that encompasses sex, gender, sexual orientation, eroticism, love, and reproduction.
• Sexuality starts before birth and continues throughout life, influenced by ethical, cultural, and moral factors.
• Sexuality is a sensory experience

Sexual Health Elements

• Includes the body and mind
• Values are shaped by attitudes, behaviors, physical appearance, beliefs, emotions, personality, likes/dislikes, and socialization.
• Influenced by social norms, culture, and religion
• Involves giving and receiving sexual pleasure in addition to procreation
• Encompasses all of life

World Health Organization (WHO) Definition

• Sexual health includes physical, emotional, intellectual, and social aspects that enrich personality, communication, and love.
• Everyone has the right to sexual information and intercourse for pleasure or reproduction

More on Sexual Health

• Includes procreation and sexual satisfaction, influenced by ethical, cultural, and moral factors
• Ensuring continuation of positive sexuality and sexual health involves the physiological, psychological, spiritual, and emotional state of the body as a whole.

Sexual Health Problems

• The disease and disability affect reproductive and sexual functions
• Defined as the absence of fear, shame, guilt, and false beliefs, that suppress sexual reactions and negatively affect male-female relations. Capacity to be satisfied with reproductive and sexual behaviors in accordance with social/personal morality and rights.
• Includes caring and counselling limited to reproductive and sexually transmitted diseases, but also strengthening of personal relationships and life.

Emergence of Sexual/Reproductive Health (SH/RH)

• Issues related to reproduction were first brought to the fore for women with fertility problems ages 15-49
• Discussions evolved from maternal and child health with family planning to encompass women's health plus family planning.
• Sexual/reproductive health (SH/RH) emerged, which emphasizes individual needs and combines concepts like reproduction, women's health, and family planning.

Evolution of the Concept

• Starts with maternal and child health and family planning
• Shifts to reproductive health
• "Sexual/reproductive health" (SH/RH) approach handles reproductive health within the framework of the life cycle, from the intrauterine period to old age.
• The concept was first raises concept at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo in 1994

ICPD Goals

• Pointed out that many parts of the world, people live in conditions that prevent them from protecting their reproductive health and exercising their reproductive rights
• Adoption of principles to take necessary measures to increase the accessibility of reproductive health services, including sexual health.
• Concept emphasizes the needs of individuals and gender equality
• Acknowledges women's health needs as a framework of gender equality as a mother, reproductive and sexual health in all life periods/areas.

Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 1995

• The concept re-emphasized, adopted "gender equality and development" to empower/advance women and develop reproductive health.
• Recommendations focused on issues directly/indirectly affecting women's sexual and reproductive health.

Conference Recommendations

• Include women's educational, economic, and social empowerment
• Ensure legal and social equality between the sexes
• Eliminate discrimination
• Ensure reproductive rights
• Provide safe maternity services integrating primary health services
• Prevent unhealthy miscarriages

Other Recommendations

• Inform adolescents about sexual and reproductive health
• Prevent STDs and HIV
• Increase the quality, use, and adequacy of reproductive health services for risky demographic groups
• Mobilize resources for SH/RH development

Main components of CS/ÜS conception

• Normal functioning of reproductive organs
• Healthy and happy of sexual relationships
• Being able to experience sexuality and fertility without coercion
• Ability to decide whether or not has children, when and how many
• Being able to have healthy children as a result of planned pregnancies by implementing this decision as desired
• It is indispensable for the lifelong happiness of women and men to be able to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infection agents and to receive treatment when necessary.

SCOPE OF SEXUAL/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES

• Information-education communication for responsible reproduction and sexual behaviours, responsible parenting
• Non-formal family planning services, information-education-communication, and counseling in family planning
• Effective maternal health services and safe motherhood; prenatal care, healthy birth, postpartum care, breastfeeding
• Effective control of genital tract infections (GYE)
• Prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and fight against AIDS
• Prevention and treatment of infertility
• Putting an end to unsafe abortions and taking necessary actions in the event of consequences
• Prevention and treatment of malignancies of reproductive organs
• Nutrition
• Infant and child health
• Adolescent health and sexuality
• Healthy lifestyle
• Regulation of environmental factors
• Regulation of social, cultural and behavioral factors.

Perspectives on Sexuality

• Sexuality is a complex whole with biological, psychological, social, cultural, traditional, moral, religious, anthropological, political, and economic dimensions.
• Approaching sexual health should include different perspectives.
  • Biological
  • Psychological
  • Sociocultural

Biological Perspective

• Sexuality is a fundamental instinct
• Sexual functions are a process by the interaction of 30 hormones and chemicals produced by the body. Body is involved, especially the CNS, five senses, and genital organs
• Diseases, drugs, substances, factors affecting the body, and periodic situations like pregnancy, menopause, and adolescence affect our sexuality.
• A functioning body is essential for a healthy and happy sex life.

Psychological Perspective

• A healthy functioning, the body provides the infrastructure to live sexuality in a healthy way.
• Human physiology determines how sexuality will be stimulated.
• Sexual functions are governed by the central and peripheral nervous system
• Attitudes, emotions, cognitive functions, past experiences, traumas, and learned behavior determine approach and choices

Sociocultural Perspective

• The family, close environment, subculture, social structure, traditions, religious beliefs, and moral attitudes influence sexual attitudes and behaviors.
• Sociocultural causes can play a major role in sexual dysfunction
• It can be known that vaginismus is caused Traditional judgements i.e. virginity, sexual myths i.e. excessive pain or growing up in conservative family where sextuality is unmentioned.

All Three Perspectives

• perspectives are an important part of the individual's healthy life
• account fundamental factors is treating ssexual/dysfunction
• treatment aims to define human as biopsychosocial entity.

Issues Related to Sexuality

• Deterioration affects general health and/or physical health
• Mental health impact followed by family health and social health is linked
• People tend to be unhappy
• World Health Organization (WHO) defines it as : "state of complete physical, psychosocial and sociocultural well-being and continuity of sexual aspect".
• In order to standardize the definition, the World Health Organization defines sexual health as "the state of complete physical, psychosocial and sociocultural well-being and continuity of sexual aspect".

World Association for Sexual Health’s Declaration of Sexual Rights

• Rights are universal human rights based on freedom, dignity, and equality
• Sexual health is a fundamental human right
• Sexual health to be encouraged in recognised environments
• Sexual rights based on:
  • Freedom to have sexual
  • Sexual autonomy
  • Sexual privacy
  • Sexual equality
  • Sexual pleasure
  • Freedom of sexual relationships
  • The individual has discreet reproductive choices/options.
  • Sex education.

Rights

• The right to sexual freedom allows individuals to express their sexual coercion, abuse and harassment are outside of this freedom in every moment and situation of life.
• Security and autonomy is given
• The right to make autonomous, and ethical decisions based on sexual life
• The body is free from violence of all kinds
• The act of engaging should not affect others to
• Protection from discrimination based on sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, race, social class, religion or physical or mental disability.
• Well-being and individual satisfaction is partaking in sex
• People have to act on their desires. Even if they have impairments.

More Rights

• Engage in relationships with marriage etc
• Free to have discreet children and reproductive choices
• Receive scientific information must to be partaken such ethical research
• Lifelong Sex Education for all age groups

Sexual/Reproductive Health Problems

• Gender discrimination
• Lack of information for all age groups such as yong and adult this affect safety

Negatives affecting Health

• Unplanned relations
• transmission, and neglect
• Early and late stage life when not prepared
• No information on how to care in the event of such issues
• No information on how to care even pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum

SH/RH Services

• Pre-and-post Concepts
• Full blood diagnostic
• Protected program
• Birth in health institutions