Why women should be prioritising our sexual health – now and always

By Becky Hardy

Tell us about SHINE.

SHINE provides a tailored and bespoke service specifically for women, by women. All women have sexual health needs, and we’re a fully inclusive service working across cultures, languages and backgrounds, with all sexualities and female gender identities. We have access to interpreters and have translated our leaflets into community languages, too. We empower women by providing quality information in a way that is appropriate and accessible, enabling them to make the right choices for them around their sexual health and wellbeing.

Trust is vital, and we’re a small, friendly and professional team that works hard to provide confidential, non-judgemental information, advice, and support, either as a one-off query or through longer-term one-to-one support.

Are people putting off seeking help from the clinic because of COVID?

It can be hard enough to access sexual health support, never mind during a pandemic! So there may well be people putting off contacting us at the moment. This could be for a number of reasons: they may not know we’re still open, they may be worried about contracting COVID at the clinic, or they may be concerned that they could pass the virus on at the clinic.

We provide a confidential, non-judgemental service and do our upmost to support women through these difficult times. We encourage all women to prioritise their health – now and always.

You dedicate a portion of your services to supporting mental health – why is this particularly important?

We work holistically and understand how different aspects of our health and wellbeing work together. Sexual health and mental health are closely linked; sex isn’t something that happens only in our bodies, but in our minds too. How we’re feeling can really impact how we feel about ourselves, our bodies and the choices we make. Really common mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety for example, can impact desire and arousal.

Women who sleep with women are less likely to mention their sexuality to health staff and are less likely to seek sexual health advice at all. Why do you think that is?

It’s complex, but it boils down to the fact that there has been the inherent assumption within mainstream healthcare services that people are heterosexual and, therefore, that women are having sex with men. Many women who don’t identify as heterosexual and who have sought sexual health advice have reported that they’ve been asked inappropriate or insensitive questions, or have experienced discrimination and stigma. There’s also the assumption that women having sex with other women don’t have sexual health needs or don’t need to access to certain sexual health services – smear tests, for example. Which isn’t true.

How important would you say sexual health is to our overall wellbeing?

It’s vital! It is so important for people to have access to sexual heath information that is relevant to them. Sexual health needs can change over a lifetime, but what is important is that women have an awareness of their sexual health, their rights and how to take care of themselves and their bodies.

And how can we work together to break any stigma around women’s sexual health?

By normalising conversations around sex and sexual health and by continuing to talk about key issues, such as consent, choice and pleasure. Talking, listening and sharing information is key!

Continue the conversation with SHINE by visiting their website, Facebook or Instagram