The physical, emotional, and psychological aspects of healthy sexuality

A healthy sex life is a privilege and a right we strive for throughout life. Healthy sexual relationships involve connection, intimacy, and creativity between lovers who consent to share a joint experience.

Human sexuality is a complex web in which a multitude of medical, psychological, physical, emotional, cultural, and social variables interact. It is therefore common that, throughout our sex lives, as in other areas, we go through natural changes. We have periods of increased and decreased sexual activity, and periods of difficulty, obstruction, and hang-ups. As society bombards us with sexual messaging, problems of sexual function may trigger feelings of frustration, shame, anger, and sadness.

Sexual health changes with age, but with a holistic medical approach these changes can be realistically adapted to improve life satisfaction and fulfilment, such that sexual wellbeing becomes a mainstay throughout peoples’lives.

“Sexual health is closely related to general health, particularly cardiovascular health, and is a necessary element in the vital balance that should accompany us throughout our lives”, explains Dr. Rafael Navas, an expert in integrative and hormonal health at SHA Wellness Clinic. With this in mind, the SHA Sexual Health unit starts at the beginning, meaning,  with a physical, emotional, and psychological assessment that serves to evaluate patients and define their subsequent referral to the other specialists. The aim is for the treatment of sexual wellbeing to be integrated comprehensively into the patient’s health objectives.

It is not easy to talk about sex in a doctor’s office. Estimates show that only one in three people suffering from sexual dysfunction seeks professional help. To cite a few examples, it is believed that low libido can affect 34% of women and 16% of men. Erectile dysfunction affects between 36% and 53% of men attending specialised clinics. The incidence of female orgasmic disorder can vary between 5% and 20% of the general population. And finally, premature ejaculation affects between 36% and 38% of the general population.

At the SHA Wellness Clinic’s Sexual Health unit, Dr. Cinthya Molina is in charge of introducing the subject, naming it, and exploring the psychological aspects that may interfere with a patient’s sex life. She offers patients guidance and refers them to specialists who can help them overcome their problems.

As life expectancy increases, so do sexual expectations. “If you reach the age of 80 with a high quality of life, what is the point of giving up sexual activity at 60? Are you going to live 20 years without sex?” asks Dr. Molina, who has found that when offered a solution, people are eager to recover their sex lives.

The services at SHA’s new unit aim to rebalance the body to restore sexual desire, function, and satisfaction. The new unit offers comprehensive services that focus on all aspects that may impede sexual wellbeing, from the physiological and hormonal to the emotional and psychological. It is a holistic view whose ultimate goal is to attain a healthy body with a full and satisfying sex life.

Due to the physiological aspects that affect healthy sexuality, SHA’s Sexual Health unit tackles sexual wellbeing with a multidisciplinary approach that includes, among other disciplines, regenerative medicine, dermo-aesthetics, gynaecology, urology, physiotherapy and psychology.

Healthy sexuality means a full life, cultivating positive and satisfying relationships. Having a healthy sex life means being able to enjoy your body, which involves taking care of yourself and your partner. It also means learning about how the body works, exploring it, and allowing it to express itself through sexuality. Finally, it means having the freedom and confidence to talk about sexual health with your partner as well as with your doctor.