Sexuality is a big part of being human. Love, affection and sexual intimacy all play a role in healthy relationships. They also contribute to your sense of well-being. A number of disorders can affect the ability to have or enjoy sex, including erectile dysfunction and female sexual problems. Concerns about infertility or fear of unplanned pregnancy can also come into play.
In addition, a number of diseases and disorders affect sexual health. These include sexually transmitted diseases and cancer. In men, treatment of prostate cancer can cause erectile dysfunction. In women, cervical, uterine, vaginal, vulvar or ovarian cancer may have sexual effects.
- Importance of Sexual Health(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/healthy_living/sexual_health/hic_the_importance_of_sexual_health.aspx
- Topical Spray Helped Men with Premature Ejaculation(04/06/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_82571.html
- Men's Sex Lives May Suffer as Waistlines Expand(03/03/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_81255.html
- Estrogen Tests(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/estrogen/test.html
- Testosterone Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/testosterone/test.html
- Chronic Pain Can Interfere with Sexuality(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/chronic-pain/PN00009/METHOD=print
- Compulsive Sexual Behavior(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/compulsive-sexual-behavior/DS00144/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Infidelity: Mending Your Marriage After an Affair(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/infidelity/MH00110/METHOD=print
- Paraphilias(Merck & Co., Inc.) - http://www.merck.com/mmhe/print/sec07/ch104/ch104c.html
- Sexual Dysfunction(Merck & Co., Inc.) - http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec22/ch250/ch250a.html
- Sexuality(Merck & Co., Inc.) - http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec07/ch104/ch104a.html
- Transgender Individuals and Gender Identity(American Psychological Association) - http://www.apa.org/topics/transgender.html
- Women's Sexual Health Quiz: How Does Menopause Affect Sex?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/womens-health/QZ00052/METHOD=print
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Female Reproductive System(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body_basics/female_reproductive_system.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/general/female_reproductive_system_esp.html
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Male Reproductive System(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body_basics/male_reproductive.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/general/male_reproductive_esp.html
- Sexual Response Cycle(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/healthy_living/sexual_health/hic_the_sexual_response_cycle.aspx
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: A brief history of: abstinence. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19288873&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Sexual function in postpartum women treated for depression: results from... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19284932&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Racial differences in HIV/AIDS discussion strategies and sexual risk behaviors... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19283952&tool=MedlinePlus
- Sexual Health -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=sexual+behavior[majr]+OR+sexuality[majr]+NOT+(infertility,male[majr]+OR+infertility,female[majr]+OR+sexual+dysfunctions,psychological[majr]+OR+bisexuality[majr]+OR+homosexuality[majr])+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy - http://www.aamft.org/
- Sex Education: Talking to Toddlers and Preschoolers about Sex(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/sex-education/HQ00547/METHOD=print
- Understanding Early Sexual Development(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/sexual_health/development.html
- When Gender Identities Become Confused(American Academy of Pediatrics) - http://www.medem.com/MedLB/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZZK946W7C&sub_cat=269
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Sexual Attraction and Orientation(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/sexual_health/guys/sexual_orientation.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/teen/en_espanol/sexual/sexual_orientation_esp.html
- Aging Male Syndrome(National Women's Health Information Center) - http://womenshealth.gov/mens/sexual/ams.cfm
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JAMA Patient Page: Male Sexual Dysfunction(American Medical Association) - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/291/24/3076.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/data/291/24/3076/DC1/1
- Male Sexual Problems(American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy) - http://www.aamft.org/families/consumer_updates/malesexualproblems.asp
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Men on the Down Low(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/aa/resources/qa/downlow.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/spanish/resources/qa/downlow_qa.htm
- Testosterone Therapy: Can It Help Older Men Feel Young Again?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/testosterone-therapy/MC00030/METHOD=print
- Am I Sexually Normal?(InteliHealth) - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/35320/35321/366222.html?d=dmtHMSContent
- Female Sexual Dysfunction(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/female-sexual-dysfunction/DS00701/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
- Women and Sexuality: The Myth of the First Time(InteliHealth) - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/35320/35321/413738.html?d=dmtHMSContent
- Sex After 50: How to Hold onto the Passion(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/sexual-health/HA00035/METHOD=print
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Sexuality in Later Life
(National Institute on Aging) - http://www.niapublications.org/agepages/sexuality.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.niapublications.org/agepages/sexuality-sp.asp
- Erectile Dysfunction - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/erectiledysfunction.html
- Female Sexual Dysfunction - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/femalesexualdysfunction.html
- Infertility - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infertility.html
- Penis Disorders - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/penisdisorders.html
- Reproductive Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/reproductivehealth.html
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sexuallytransmitteddiseases.html
- Teen Sexual Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/teensexualhealth.html
- Female Reproductive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/femalereproductivesystem.html
- Male Reproductive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/malereproductivesystem.html
- Men - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/men.html
- Sexual Health Issues - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sexualhealthissues.html
- Wellness and Lifestyle - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/wellnessandlifestyle.html
- Women - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/women.html