Tips on How to Talk to Your Doctor about Your Sexual Health

The prospect of having to sit down and talk about your sex life with your doctor may seem uncomfortable, but it is fairly necessary. If you keep your doctor informed about your sexual health, he/she will be better able to help you manage your overall health. On top of that, doctors are usually a great information source for sex and birth-related topics. Below, we discuss ways in which you can go about broaching this subject to your doctor without making yourself or them uncomfortable in the process –

· Remember that whatever you share with your doctor is confidential. Any medical practitioner is under oath to keep doctor-patient communication protected and secret between the two. Involving a third party is not an option unless the patient has consented themselves. However, there are certain cases where the doctor may have to reach out to a spouse/parents if there is suicidal ideation or unreported abuse involved. Moreso, if the patient happens to be a minor unable to act for themselves.

·Ensure that you get along with your doctor. If you will be sharing some of the more intimate details of your life, it is best you have a friendly relationship with the person on the other end. If this person is judgemental, making you uncomfortable or making assumptions about you – reconsider going forward with the step. Maybe find a doctor you can openly communicate with instead.

·Practice honesty. If you are going to have this conversation with your doctor, don't hold anything back. Dish out every possible detail you can think of, be completely open about every sexual relation/experience you've had in life, so the person can obtain a transparent idea of your sexual history. If you have any questions for the doctor, ask him/her these. Jot them down on a notepad beforehand, so you don't forget them during the appointment.

·Listen intently. Doctors are a trusted and verified database of information. Talk to them and have the myths you believed in dispelled. It is otherwise quite difficult to get accurate information about sex, so when you meet your healthcare provider don’t hesitate in making any sex-related query. Better the doctor, than the Internet.

·Check if the interaction will be kept private. As already discussed, a doctor-patient relationship is meant to be confidential. But if someone else is paying for your check-ups, it could get difficult to hide your medical interactions from the sponsor. So, if you don’t want to visit a gynecologist or sex expert because it will show up on the bill, make do with a general physician.

Conclusion

A lot of misinformation abounds regarding sex in our society. In such a climate, medical representatives make for an accurate information source. You can approach a doctor or nurse to clear out any doubts that you may have about your fertility, sexual/reproductive health. Sex is undeniably an important part of life, and it is best that one is clear on the subject for their own good.

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