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Sexuality has a major
influence on what it means to be “reproductively healthy” and
thus should be an integral aspect of reproductive health care.
While the connections between sexuality and reproduction or family
planning may seem obvious, reproductive health services have
historically disassociated sexuality from reproduction. In recent
years, there has been increasing recognition of the importance of
paying attention to the context in which people make decisions about
their health, including sexuality and gender influences.
The importance of addressing sexuality has been brought to attention
partly because of the HIV epidemic. Through addressing HIV/AIDS,
providers have been confronted with the need to address clients’
sexuality, since it is clear that sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
such as HIV cannot be effectively addressed without addressing
sexuality in a frank and direct way. Yet sexuality influences
reproductive health in many ways beyond HIV. |
