The Health Protection Agency has released its most recent figures on Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) (including HIV) today. This is based on data collected from GU clinics across the UK annually. You can read the main report here. Those who’re of the more thorough/geekier persuasion may also want to look at the data summaries of STIs (including breakdown by region, ethnicity and age) available at STI Epidemiology in England 2009 and Trends in STI diagnoses. I would recommend reading and critically appraising the HPA report and datasets if you are interested in this topic – particularly if you’re writing about it for the media, blogs or using it in health education/practice.

What are the main findings and recommendations of the HPA report?
* Numbers of new diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the UK rose by 3% between 2008 and 2009, continuing the trend of the past decade.
* The impact of poor sexual health is greatest in young heterosexual adults and in men who have sex with men.
* There is considerable geographic variation in the distribution of STIs with highest rates seen in urban areas of higher deprivation, reflecting concentrations of the population who are at greatest risk.
* Some antibiotics may become less effective (or even ineffective) in treating STIs in the coming years.
* Increasing sexual behaviour risk may be contributing to the rise in STIs and will have done so in men who have sex with men, but much of the change will have been due to the increasing application of more sensitive tests throughout the past decade and to the more recent expansion of Chlamydia screening of young adults in community settings.
* Prevention efforts, such as greater STI screening coverage and easier access to sexual health services, should be sustained and continue to focus on groups at highest risk.
* Health promotion and education remain the cornerstones of STI and HIV prevention through improving public awareness of STIs and HIV and encouraging safer sexual behaviour such as consistent condom use and reductions in both the numbers and concurrency of sexual partnerships.

Why are UK STI rates rising?
Over the past five years there have been several initiatives to improve testing and treatment for STIs. This has included
- more rapid testing (particularly pee in a pot tests) and screening for STIs such as Chlamydia and Gonorrhea
- greater targeting of the under 25s to have said testing (via GPs, community pharmacies, and GU clinics)
- improved data collection on STI rates via individual services and the Genitourinary Medicine Clinic Activity Dataset
- a shift in focus in public health campaigns from STI prevention and normalising condom messaging towards testing/treatment focus
- attempts to make services more accessible to young people with initiatives such as ‘You’re Welcome’
- sexual health services have been modernising and restructuring, with standards of care established and sexual health networks being created to try and improve sexual and reproductive health services

It would be naïve to claim all of these changes are responsible for the identification of record levels of STIs, nor that all of them have been effective. But it is worth noting (and the HPA report acknowledges) that some of the increased detection of STIs will be down to higher levels of screening. So from that perspective the figures are more positive – it tells us we are identifying and treating people with STIs more than in the past.

Alongside these healthcare initiatives there are other, less positive reasons why STI rates are rising in the under 25s. These include:

Our lack of comprehensive, quality sex education
Sex education remains patchily delivered across the UK with some places doing excellently, others not so well or even teaching negative messages (more information here and here). Young people generally are afraid of unplanned pregnancy (and overestimate rates of unplanned pregnancy), but less aware of STIs. This is particularly the case if education focuses on teaching the names of STIs and showing gory symptoms, but doesn’t explain how you get and prevent STIs or talk about how many are symptomless.

Public Health Campaigns
While we have had government led public health campaigns aimed at the under 25s for the past twenty years these have been patchy, underfunded, and subject to numerous changes in messaging resulting in confusing ideas shared (my insider view of the problems with UK government backed sexual health campaigning can be found here). Despite the limitations of sexual health campaigns from the previous government it is worth noting the current coalition appears to be doing little in the way of public health campaigning for sexual health services.

Access to and funding of services
GU clinics have traditionally been referred to as the ‘Cinderella service’ – not as well funded nor respected as other areas of healthcare. Getting appointments also remains a problem with some services struggling to give appointments in 48 hours or less. In many places waiting times can be weeks rather than days. While demands on services continue to increase, along with the workload of staff rising massively, funding to match these demands is not forthcoming. Perhaps unsurprisingly some staff aren’t always sympathetic which can be off putting. Meanwhile despite underfunding, over expectation and cuts, it is generally staff who are blamed if services don’t hit targets.

Aside from getting seen within services is the wider problem of people knowing how to find them. Many clinics still struggle with promoting their services to the public, or being open at accessible times.

To see how it works in practice, try this experiment. Imagine you’re 16 (or thereabouts). You still live at home. You need to find where a sexual or reproductive health clinic is in your area. Your school hasn’t provided you with any advice, you can’t ask your parents and your friends aren’t much help. Without using the internet, how do you find a clinic locally? Look around your neighbourhood. Can you spot any posters or leaflets? Is there information at your pharmacy or GP practice or library? Are there any youth centres or clinics offering support – and if so when are they open? If you find services are there any that are open at times you could get to? (To make it more challenging imagine you were under confident, struggled with literacy or language, or perhaps had very strict parents who needed to know your whereabouts – this may further limit what you would be able to access).

Silo working
While there is plenty of research on sexual health services and initiatives to improve waiting times, accessibility, youth friendliness and treatment/testing options, alongside evaluations of what works within sex education, we sadly do not see much in the way of collaborative working. This is often referred to as ‘silo working’ where individual practices, organisations or individuals may well have great ideas but do not share them together. Alternatively work may be replicated (including mistakes) or opportunities for collaborative practice are missed. While services are overstretched, underfunded and pressurised it is difficult to find the time or enthusiasm to network.

Culture, attitudes and sexual climates
Norms and values relating to sexual behaviour have undoubtedly shifted over the past few decades. Pre and extra marital sex is no longer viewed as taboo by the majority of the UK population. Contraception to prevent pregnancy has enabled people to have sex for pleasure. Discussions about sex within popular culture have become more prevalent and some may argue more explicit, although this has not been matched with education to enable people to negotiate a culture that may well feel more sexualised to some. New technologies, the internet and shifts within publishing have allowed easier access to sexual imagery. These are not in themselves a problem but may become one if people do not have the life skills to interpret what they see and enjoy respectful relationships.

Our media undoubtedly plays a role here by covering sexual health stories with a mix of salacious scandal mongering and moral judgement. Every time sexual health data is released the media’s approach is to hysterically report a crisis and speculate on the reasons for it, but at no point to campaign for any initiatives to improve sexual health. The media COULD help by being supportive about sex education, campaigning for more funds to GU services, highlighting how to access services (for local news) or providing accurate sex advice to help people negotiate pleasurable safer sex.

Confusing/mixed messages on safer sex
STI rates can be reduced by condom use. Many young people do use condoms, but they may not consistently use condoms with partners over time. And they may also not get screened for STIs before using a non barrier method of contraception. The focus on testing and treatment without including prevention messages means some young people assume regular testing is sufficient to cope with STIs. Clinicians and sex educators often give mixed messages with some suggesting regular testing is mandatory, others advocating self management and using barrier methods of contraception is better. So people can be confused about what the right approach to managing their sexual health should be.

Confidence and communication
Evidence suggests young women in heterosexual relationships find it difficult to negotiate condom use, while young men will use condoms but won’t necessarily mention them unless a girl does (for more on condom negotiating styles and gender see, for example here). Varying sexual health initiatives have attempted to encourage girls to carry condoms and insist on their use or enable young men to do the same. Some have also focused on clearer communication and negotiation skills both about safer sex but also around discussing other intimate and pleasurable topics together. Studies on men who have sex with men indicate older men tend to be more aware of condom use but there is still variable use within relationships and condoms tend to be used more for anal sex than during other activities like oral sex or masturbation. Both straight and gay couples can assume condoms only need to go on just before a man is going to ejaculate so have penetrative vaginal or anal sex without a condom, putting one on before a guy comes.

‘Risk’ and ‘responsibility’
Negotiating safer sex is more difficult when alcohol is involved, and most people do not assume their partner is likely to have an STI. When you’re thinking about how much you fancy someone you’re not necessarily considering their sexual history. There can also be the view that STIs are things that happen to dirty, bad or promiscuous people – other people, not you. Sexual health messaging – particularly through education and public health campaigns often overemphasise morality discourses of ‘risk’ or ‘responsibility’. These tend to be ineffective as many young people do not consider being intimate as inherently risky or irresponsible. Such an approach also assumes older adults act in different (and more ‘appropriate’) ways than younger people, which is neither fair nor true. Within much sex education and healthcare lies the subtext that ‘good’ sexual behaviour is always being prepared, always having condoms to hand and always effectively negotiating their correct use, while sober. What may be great in theory often simply does not happen in real life.

How did the media (and public) respond to this story?
The media response to this story was interesting. Most coverage I saw repeated the HPA’s press release pretty much, some adding additional comment about why STI rates were so bad (most of them missing key areas as outlined above). While the coverage was perhaps not as hysterical as recent discussions on young people and contraception or abortion, there was still very much a subtext of blame and judgement among much coverage. Accompanied by a lot of handwringing about the state of our nation’s sexual health with relatively little discussion of what we might do to improve our wellbeing.

The overwhelming majority of coverage did not clarify that much of the increased prevalence in STIs was down to testing initiatives and treatment programmes. The focus suggested the STI rates were solely down to young people having multiple partners.

It seemed most journalists did not consult the HPA report nor particularly interrogate the data. Those called upon to comment were not generally selected from GU services or sexual health research. Instead it seemed anyone who’d ever written something about sex, sex therapists or generalists on the topic were asked to give their opinion about young people and their behaviour rather than appraise or expand upon the HPA data. Some of the comments made by sex experts on twitter, broadcast and print media clearly showed they had also not consulted the HPA report but still commented on its findings. It is very worrying when both a journalist and the person they ask to explain a report have not actually looked at said data.

Additional input from experts and the public shifted the debate towards a more blame-focused narrative generally blaming young people, or repeating memes such as:
- young women are all victims, they cannot make decisions for themselves
- young men are all predators, who are at the mercy of their overactive sex drives
- feminism has caused young women to act like men
- Sex and the City has taught young women to be promiscuous
- Young men are being blamed for STI rates
- Young women are being blamed for STI rates
- Young men’s needs are being ignored
- Young women’s needs are being ignored
- Young people are feckless, irresponsible and simply don’t care about STIs
- ALL young people undoubtedly know ALL about STIs and cannot claim otherwise
- Sex education/pornography/rap music etc is to blame for rising STI rates
- STIs were not a problem for previous generations
- Scaring young people about STIs will put them off having sex and combat this trend
- Young people who get STIs (particularly repeatedly) should be punished/refused access to healthcare
- STI rates are just as bad in the over 40s, if not worse than in the under 25s

While some of these are more extreme than others it does show how often this debate is further hampered by moral and opinion based discussions that have very little to do with the realities of why young people get STIs. Rather than exploring reasons and finding solutions we are encouraged instead to blame, shame and generally judge people who have STIs – not focus on wider causes or feasible solutions.

What can we do about our STI problem?
This is not a case of us having a problem but not knowing what to do about it. Our epidemiological data for STI rates is improving every year, sexual health services are modernising and new initiatives for testing/treatment are available, alongside prevention messages and strategies to promote safer sex. We know quality sex education increases safer sex and the likelihood of people being able to communicate their sexual needs assertively while reducing coercive behaviour. We know that training up teachers and health professionals to talk about sexual health issues with confidence – and to see these issues as important is necessary. We know young people are interested in such information. We know services would work better with more funds and resources, and if collaborative working was encouraged – and if the media supported rather than scuppered sexual health initiatives.

There is no mystery here. We have ample evidence to fix this. We are failing to do so because our debates on this issue focus on blaming young people and those with STIs and not focusing on the systemic problems that need to be fixed. This is not to say people are not responsible for their own sexual health, but with our current haphazard approach we also do not enable people to take control over their sexual wellbeing.

Data like this always tells a story – about people affected by STIs. But it perhaps masks the discomfort, anxiety, nuisance, distress or fear having an STI may cause. It misses what can happen to relationships, people’s self esteem, or future fertility.

It’s very easy to sit in judgement on those who have STIs. Assuming you don’t have one (are you sure?) or you would never have unprotected sex. It is very easy to believe we’re facing rising STIs purely because of feckless youth. But it completely misses the point. This is a major health crisis – and it affects us all.

Sources of help, advice and further resources
Sexual Health Helpline call 0800 567 123
NHS Choices on Sexual Health includes resources, advice materials and the facility to find your nearest sexual health/genito urinary clinic by postcode
Manchester Sexual Health Network has created the most comprehensive list of related links on GU/SRH I’ve found
NHS Evidence – Sexual Health Services links to resources, data and research on sexual health in the UK

The latest UK Durex Sex Survey was launched this weekend, and it’s clearly pinned around topical media favourites of cheating, sexting and promiscuity. Among other things the study claims British people have sex four to five times a week, and paints a picture of UK residents where 1/3 would have sex with anyone for £1 million and 1/5 of us fantasise about our exes during sex.

Examples of the media treatment of this story include:
Third of us would have sex with anyone for £1m (and 5% just for World Cup tickets) – The Sun
Sex survey: third of Britons ‘would sleep with a stranger for £1 million’ – The Telegraph

The trouble is these findings don’t fit with the approaches or outcomes of reliable academic studies. The figure of sexual activity happening four or five times a week is massively higher than reliable studies show (around 6 times a month). While this may be an indicator of bias in the survey (and respondents trying to give impressive answers), it is problematic as it continues to equate ‘good’ sex with quantity and imply that ‘normal’ sexual behaviour is several times per week. This is a staple part of contemporary self help and media coverage on sex and makes people who’re not doing this feel inadequate.

Sex surveys conducted in independent academic research build on existing data and do not present sex in judgemental ways – so a focus on ‘promiscuity’ or ‘cheating’ as appears in the current Durex survey is a big no-no in accurate survey design. Not least because it discourages many people from answering honestly and potentially could distress participants.

The claim that 1/3 of us might sleep with a stranger for £1 million is also misleading as it asks people to say what they might do, not what they have done. The subtext of sex with a stranger in exchange for cash also taps into media prudery, so allows for coverage with a judgemental subtext. The mainstream media don’t tend to look favourably on either sex with strangers or sex for cash – and particularly despise both together.

All of which begs ethical questions about a sex survey that is designed to promote a product to encourage safer sex, but actually is suggesting sex for money or sex with strangers or thinking about someone other than your partner during intercourse is problematic.

There are limitations with the questions asked, design of the survey questions, participants included, and promotion of the survey’s outcomes; which makes it an unreliable indicator of our sexual behaviour and attitudes.

Some of the questions have been made available online (see Sun link above). Here are some of the more problematic ones:

Question 1 asks ‘How many sexual partners have you had?’ but it doesn’t give any parameters so it’s unclear if participants are being asked ever, or during past year or some other timescale. It also doesn’t define what ‘sexual’ means so some people may only include encounters that included penetrative sex, others might include experiences where oral sex was enjoyed but no penetration. From this you can’t really be sure what people are talking about. This question is used in news coverage to identify ‘promiscuous’ sexual behaviour, which does not happen in reliable sex research.

Question 3 asks the double question of ‘Where and when are you most likely to cheat on a partner?’ and gives the following breakdown:
On holiday 9.7%
Night out 12.9%
Office party 1.9%
Business trip 2.5%
If I met a hot stranger 6.2%
Do it all the time 1.7%

It says 65% would never cheat but it does not make clear how this question was phrased (so it may have been very leading and make people feel they had to answer in a socially desirable way). Strangely although this is reported as ‘where and when’ someone would cheat it actually only asks where they’re most likely to cheat, and doesn’t really capture whether this is based on people speculating where temptation might arise, or where they’ve actually cheated on a partner.

Question 4 asks ‘Could you be bought for sex and if so, for how much?’ It then lists the different price options for people to select:
No way 43.5%
A drink 3.4%
Dinner 3.1%
A pair of designer shoes 3.3%
£100 5.5%
£1000 10.8%
£25000 14.1%
£100000 14.9%
£1 million 29.7%
My mortgage paid off 13.1%
A year’s rent on my house/flat 9.1%
World cup tickets 5.4%
I’d do it for free 13.2%

You can see from the phrasing of the question that participants may well not take this seriously, but it is obviously being prepared for the media market as whatever the main choices selected this could tap into the judgemental approach the media takes towards paid for sex. PR companies often write their press releases at the same time they design their surveys, so here you can already see the ‘shocking’ finding taking shape that will slip into the press release once the data comes back.

Question 8 asks ‘Do you own or have you tried any of the following?’
Vibrator 53.2%
Pleasure-enhancing condoms 46.2%
Lubricants 67.2%
Handcuffs 38%
Sex doll 1.4%
Nipple clamps 5.3%
Whips/spanking paddles 11.7%
Visited a strip club 22.2%
Visited a sex club 7.2%
Paid for sex 5.3%
Had a sex buddy 29.6%
None of the above 7.1%
None of the above but would like to try 7.2%

Aside from being a badly worded question that is asking two questions in one, there is no breakdown of gender, age or sexuality here which might illuminate this data further. There’s no clue with the last question which of the above they want to try, and many of the positive answers regarding use of lubricant may be more indicative of respondents replying to a survey by a condom manufacturer than might be found in the general public. There’s no indication whether people responding to this question include these items as part of their sexual practices, or tried them once and won’t be bothering again. ‘Sex’ is defined here as a range of activities which many do enjoy but which do not encompass the range of sexual experiences people might share. Most of these are paid for products or activities which again favour the media’s treatment of sex, basing it around things you can buy to enhance your sex life.

Question 10 asks ‘What do you count as cheating on a partner?’
Bottom pinching 20.4%
Texting 22.6%
Snogging 75.6%
Going out for a drink 23.4%
Oral sex 71%
Penetrative sex 78.1%
We have an open relationship 4.8%

This suggests those responding had very clear views that anything other than kissing someone else is cheating. This contrasts with some of the answers given in question 8, and particularly with the response to question 4. Making the survey is a curious mix of liberal and conservative views on sex, which will influence participant responses.

In a reliable sex survey questions should not lead participants but should form a comprehensive narrative so each answer compliments the next one and the survey does not contradict itself. Each question should be clear and researchers should have an awareness of how different questions will be used individually and together in analysis.

In this current survey it seems like a range of unrelated questions with potentially sensationalist outcomes are put together in no particular order and with no real sense of what is being measured or what portrait of UK sexual behaviour is being captured.

Sadly this is a standard approach to poor survey design and is a further indicator of why such findings should not inform our sexual lives.

You can read my previous criticisms of past Durex surveys here
Concerns about the Durex Global Sex Survey
Durex Global Sex Survey – back once again with the international sex contest
Salami Slicing Sex Survey Data
Buy our sex products. Oops, sorry, I mean check out our International Sex Survey

Since this is a commercial venture and clearly not designed to truly represent our sex lives, is there any reason to get upset about it? Yes, because the Durex surveys are pretty much the main port of call to any journalist writing a sex feature. They use the data to underpin surveys with those obligatory sex statistics required by editors. This in turn influences how the public understand sex and relationships.

Durex is currently asking sex educators/researchers like me to share their ideas about sex/relationships. The company is paying £150 for an hour of a professional’s time as part of their internal product development programme. Given the potential barriers to our sex lives and our profession as educators/researchers posed by misleading promotional surveys I’d advise sexual health professionals to refuse to work with the company. That is until Durex decides to either drop their survey in its current promotional format, or agrees to revising survey so it is ethical, accurate and actually tells us something about our sex lives.

* With thanks to Ed Yong from Not Exactly Rocket Science for this clever caption for today’s blog, (in case you don’t get the joke it’s based on a previous marketing slogan for condoms ‘ribbed for her pleasure’).

This week’s national condom week, and in case you hadn’t been thinking about male or female condoms it’s a good time to reflect about what they can bring to your sex lives.

Long gone are the days where condoms are thick, smelly and come with the spermicidal pessary that bleaches your boyfriends carpet (yes I’m talking personal experience here).

Nowadays condom manufacturers have caught on to the opportunities offered by making condoms sexy so not only do we have a huge range of size/shape combos, we also get ones with different textures, colours, flavours and lubes to go with them that can increase sensitivity or prolong sex. In short, condoms are the new sex toys. Even adverts for condoms and lube have got good

So hopefully you’ll join in the celebrations this week and think about using condoms and what that can do to enhance your sexual health – and pleasure. Even if you don’t usually use them for contraception, give a flavoured or textured one a go – it all adds to the fun.

And to keep us in the mood Logan Levkoff’s written an Ode to Condoms. While here’s my guide for busting those ‘condoms don’t fit me’ type excuses. Seriously, don’t make me come over and spank you for not gloving up.

You could send someone you fancy a naughty condom e card. Or check out this podcast from the BMJ on the importance of condoms fitting.

Finally Scarleteen asks us to celebrate your ‘condomversary’ – the number of years you’ve been using condoms.

What’s your number?

What’s the difference between sexual, reproductive, psychosexual and relationship health?

Sexual health refers to dealing with either sexually transmitted infections, or physical or psychological sexual problems (also called sexual dysfunctions).

Reproductive health refers to your fertility – either advice on getting pregnant, information on contraception, supplying contraception (to prevent pregnancy), or helping you deal with an unplanned pregnancy.

Some clinics specialise in sexual health, sexual problems or reproductive health, other services will offer treatment or advice for any of these issues.

Psychosexual health services tackle deep-seated sexual problems that could be caused by psychological and/or physical factors.

Relationship counselling services help with problems ranging from sexual communication difficulties, to jealousy and coping with arguments or life after infidelity or divorce.

These services are dependent on your location – there may be more services available in certain countries/states. The politics or religion of different countries/states may affect service delivery or approach. Many clinics offer free support and advice, some private clinics do charge a fee, as do some doctors in certain countries – if you live outside the UK check your health care policies for more information.

Many sexual health services particularly those for sexually transmitted infections are often overwhelmed by patient demand. Part of the reason for this is that people pick the wrong service for their needs – so consult the list below to ensure you get the right help at the right time. And tell your friends so they get it right too!

Your Doctor (GP/Family Practitioner)
What can they offer?
• Advice about contraception and prescribe (and sometimes provide) contraceptives for you
• Advice on sexual problems (dysfunctions)
• Health checks relating to sexual problems (e.g. pain during/after sex, loss of erections)
• Information about menstruation, menopause, fertility (getting pregnant), pregnancy and abortion (termination), pregnancy testing
• Physical examinations of your genitals (including smear tests for women or testicular exams for men)
• Referrals to counsellors or other specialists in the case of sexually transmitted infections, sexual dysfunctions, previous or current sexual abuse, genital cancers
• Assessment and testing/treatment for STIs
• Advice about pregnancy/fertility, antenatal and postnatal support
• Advice and referrals for termination of pregnancy (in countries where abortion is legal)

Your doctor or practice nurse can perform external and internal genital checks, swabs and blood tests. They can test and treat you for STIs, or related infections. Depending on your location they may be able to provide you with condoms or refer you to a condom clinic. In many countries, GPs are the main providers of contraceptive services, so they’re not shy about talking about sex. Some people do feel embarrassed discussing sexual health with their doctor, particularly if they’ve known their doctor for a long while – or in cases where they may have an STI through an extra-marital affair or unprotected sex. If you would prefer to see someone you don’t know as well, you can either speak to a different doctor at the practice or go to a Genito Urinary Clinic for STIs or Family Planning/Reproductive Health Clinic for contraception/fertility advice (see below).

Useful links
NHS Choices has a dedicated section on sexual health
Patient.co.uk (links, resources and helpsheets on a variety of health issues)

Genito Urinary Clinic/Sexually Transmitted Infections Clinic
What can they offer?
• Tests and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.
• Advice about contraception (some clinics also prescribe contraceptives and provide condoms – at some clinics these are free).
• Information about safer sex.
• Advice on how to tell a partner you have an STI – some clinics will notify your partner(s) for you.

These clinics (also sometimes known as ‘sexual health clinics or centres’) will test and treat you for STIs, and provide safer sex advice and information. Some clinics work on an appointment basis, others on a ‘drop-in’ system, or a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Some have set times for teenagers, women or men to attend. You may want to telephone first to check appointment times and whether there’s a waiting list for treatment. You shouldn’t have to wait long to get an appointment, but in many countries where there is high demand for services the wait could be longer. You can get condoms from Genito Urinary Clinics.

Useful links
NHS Choices: Sex, worth talking about includes guides to sexually transmitted infections, including locate your nearest clinic and symptoms and signs of STIs
Planned parenthood’s guide to STIs (also available in Spanish)
Go ask alice! (your sexual health questions answered)
STIQ answers common questions about STIs, testing and treatment

Family Planning/Reproductive Health Clinic
What can they offer?
• They can advise you about contraception and give you contraceptives
• Information about how to get pregnant, or options if you have an unplanned pregnancy
• Pregnancy testing and referrals for termination of pregnancy (abortion) if you require it
• Smear tests for women

These clinics can perform smear tests (internal exams for women), and offer contraception and pregnancy advice. They can provide contraception such as birth control pills or injections, or condoms. If you want contraception only, then make an appointment at one of these clinics. If you think you have an STI, it’s better to see your GP or Genito Urinary Clinic.

Useful links
Family Planning Association guide to contraception, pregnancy and STIs
Brook sex advice for under 25s
Planned Parenthood advice on contraception, STIs and sexual and reproductive health – in English and Spanish
Marie Stopes global reproductive health advice source

Your Pharmacist
What can they offer?
• Home pregnancy testing kits (some pharmacies will do the tests for you)
• Over the counter treatments for cystitis, thrush, period pains (menstrual pains), folic acid (for those planning to get pregnant or during pregnancy and breastfeeding)
• Condoms and lubricant
• Give you contraceptives as prescribed by your doctor

In some countries, community pharmacists are taking a more active role in health care. For problems such as thrush or cystitis you can get confidential advice from your pharmacist. You can also get condoms, the morning after pill (emergency oral contraception), and lubricant from many pharmacies. In parts of the UK, US and Europe, you may also be able to be tested and treated for certain STIs by your pharmacist. If you think you have Chlamydia or Gonorrhoea, the pharmacist can provide you with a urine kit, which you return to them or post to a local laboratory. Results are returned in a few days and you’ll be given the all clear, provided with antibiotics by the pharmacist, or referred on to a Genito Urinary Clinic or your doctor if further tests or treatment are required. Not every pharmacy can offer this service, those that do will usually advertise testing with posters or leaflets. All pharmacies should be able to signpost you to your local Genito Urinary Clinic who will be able to help.

Psychosexual Therapy (Also known as sex therapy)
What can they offer?
• Identification and treatment of psychosexual problems (e.g. erectile dysfunction, loss of desire)
• Overcoming sexual problems due to past or present sexual abuse
• Dealing with sexual problems due to worries about sexuality
• Sexually compulsive behaviour
• Referrals to other healthcare services (e.g. urology, gyneacology) if needed

Many countries offer psychosexual advice and services. In some cases, they are free to patients with severe sexual problems, although have to be referred through a medical doctor, and can have a long waiting list. In countries where psychosexual services are free, patients can also book to see therapists privately. This cuts down the waiting time, and will cost money, but allows the client choices who they get therapy from (e.g. a religious person may prefer to have sex therapy from someone who understand and respects their religion; a lesbian or gay client may prefer a ‘pink shrink’). In other countries, psychosexual services are entirely private, and have to be paid for. These services may not be covered by medical insurance, check your policy. Some countries do not offer any services, or a limited number of therapists.

Useful resources
Overcoming sexual problems by Vicki Ford (Constable and Robinson)
Women who love sex: an inquiry into the expanding spirit of women’s erotic experiences by Gina Ogden (Womanspirit Press)
Our bodies ourselves: a new edition for a new era by Boston Women’s Health Book Collective (Touchstone Books)
Sexual health for men by Phillip Kell and Vanessa Griffiths (Class Publishing)
The new male sexuality by Bernie Zilbergeld (Bantam Doubleday)

Basrt (British Association for Sex and Relationship Therapy)
Sexual Dysfunction Association includes advice and support on male and female sexual problems
Women’s Health gynaecological and other women’s health advice
Male health information from the men’s health forum

The above organisations cater to gay or straight couples – however if you’d prefer to see a gay or lesbian-friendly counsellor you can contact:
Pink Therapy
Pace

Relationship Therapy/Counselling (also known as couples counselling)
What can they offer?
Counselling for individuals and couples for issues like…
• Communication skills
• Increasing sexual confidence
• Overcoming common sexual problems
• Dealing with jealousy
• Coping with infidelity
• Reducing arguments
• Planning for parenthood

Relationship therapy is offered in different forms in different countries. In most cases the service is paid for by the client – but is often means-tested, meaning those on a low income may pay less. Medical and psychosexual services can refer clients to relationship therapists, and clients can refer themselves. Many religious groups or other support networks offer relationship therapy – again this may be free or paid for and evidence underpinning advice may be patchy. Medical insurance may not cover costs for relationship therapy – check your policy. Some therapists will tackle domestic violence and reputable therapists will not see a couple together while one party is being violent. If domestic violence is a problem within your relationship you need to alert your therapist to this as soon as you can.

Useful resources
Overcoming relationship problems: a self-help guide using cognitive behavioural techniques by Michael Crowe (Constable and Robinson)
Loving yourself, loving another: the importance of self esteem for successful relationships by Julia Cole (Relate Guides)
Gay relationships: how to find them, how to improve them, how to make them last by Tina Tessina (Jeremy P Tarcher)
Relate
British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy
Couple counselling Scotland
Relationships Australia
American association of sexuality educators, counsellors and therapists (AASECT)
BBC Relationships has a collection of resources and referrals addressing domestic violence

The above organisations cater to gay or straight couples – however if you’d prefer to see a gay or lesbian-friendly counsellor you can contact:
Pink Therapy
Pace

Hopefully you can work out from the list above what service suits your needs best. If in doubt call the service/clinic and ask if they can help you. If they can’t they should be able to explain a source of support.

Where to get advice about your sexual, reproductive or relationship health by Dr Petra Boynton is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License

1. Get educated – then share the knowledge
There are many ways to learn about sexual health and wellbeing. You can bring yourself up to speed with information about HIV/AIDS here (contains links to quizzes, resources, forums and advice sheets). Or you can test your knowledge with Avert’s Quizzes (on sex, pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, contraception). Teen site Scarleteen includes loads of frank and helpful information, as does Go Ask Alice!, Kinsey Confidential and Cory Silverberg at About.com’s Sexuality section.
You can also make use of Planned Parenthood’s toolkits and resources, while All About My Vagina explains how anyone can become a sex educator (with links to resource materials).

2. Bust those myths!
Despite education and advice, many people are still confused about HIV and AIDS. You might want to check out some mythbusting courtesy of About.com; questions, answers and papers about areas of confusion about AIDS from The Body while New Scientist lists the top 5 myths about HIV.

3. Don’t just focus on sex
HIV can be transmitted through sexual contact, but it is also passed on from mother to baby through breast milk, through blood transfusion (if infected blood is transfused – this is less common nowadays), by sharing needles, needlestick injury, or unsterilized/unhygienic needles or other sharps used routinely in healthcare. Further information on transmission can be found here. The problem with messaging around sex is we tend to focus on confusing or mixed messages, or advice that’s difficult to put into practice (for example asking people to be faithful in countries with massive gender inequalities). Telling people to abstain only, or even instructing against condom use is very dangerous. Discussing sex only in the context of intercourse (vaginal or anal) leaves out wider contexts around relationships, desire, and coercion. We need to focus on clear messaging around sexual transmission of HIV (with actionable solutions and life skills offered), but not forget there are other means of getting the virus. This is of particular concern given a recent study from Swaziland that suggests 1:5 babies are infected with HIV through dirty needles or other clinical equipment.

4. Challenge and tackle inequalities
HIV is more prevalent in countries or communities where there are high levels of gender inequality, restricted access to healthcare, poverty, discrimination over sexuality (including transsexuality), and high levels of illiteracy. Challenging homophobia, gender inequality, and discrimination against sex workers can help – for example in the views you hear from other people, biased media coverage, or discriminatory practices expressed by organisations. You can also support campaigns that address poverty and literacy along with wider access to healthcare. You might even decide to become an activist – and if you do Global AIDS Alliance has created a free toolkit for just this purpose.

5. Volunteer and/or fundraise
There are many ways of getting involved in tackling HIV, inequalities and poverty. You might want to volunteer on a sexual health helpline, or help out at an HIV/reproductive health clinic – on reception, as a health advisor/advocate, or interpreter (either signing or different languages). Or you could always donate toys or magazines to clinics.

Unwanted clothing, shoes, blankets, toys can be donated to charities supporting those affected by HIV (particularly orphanages worldwide and clinics supporting the homeless, refugees or those fleeing domestic abuse).

You could give of your time locally – for example seeing if your local health or educational authority needs any support (which may include administrative duties that free up healthcare providers to see patients). You might want to prepare nutritious meals for people living with HIV, or if you’re currently breastfeeding you may want to donate some of your milk to feed babies whose mothers are HIV positive.

Spare cash? Well, the recession’s still on, but as the saying goes ‘every little helps’. Financial donations can be made nationally and internationally. If you do wish to donate I’m always happy to recommend trustworthy charities and healthcare providers working to treat and prevent HIV (and other health issues). The Terrence Higgins Trust are always worth supporting, or you might want to help the Jabulani Foundation whose innovative approach to healthcare was recently reported in The Lancet (sadly not open access).

You can save your pennies in a jar, or raise money through car boot or jumble sales, or even sell stuff on ebay and put your profits to a good cause.

Donating materials can also help – old computers, digital cameras, access to educational materials are always welcome in resource poor communities. Offering to help with fundraising (including creating advertising, designing and maintaining websites) is also welcome. Here’s an example of what one charity needs. Search on the web to find more you could contribute to.

Maybe you’re not able to contribute cash but have other skills you might share? Gardening, cooking, sewing/needlework, knitting or craft can be applied to help those affected by HIV/AIDS, raise funds, teach new skills, or generally raise awareness. Knitted items (hats, booties and baby clothing) are always welcomed by orphanages – although don’t forget clothing for toddlers and older kids (particularly shoes, kids do get through a lot of shoes!). You can donate your children’s unwanted items, with the added opportunity of raising their awareness about HIV.

Maybe you’re a drama buff, artist, musician or film maker – in which case those talents can be used to help people find new ways to share messages around HIV/AIDS, safer sex, communication skills, and desire.

If you’re good with words or numbers then why not volunteer to help people who might be struggling with HIV alongside other disadvantages related to literacy/numeracy. Help may well be appreciated with filling in forms, applying for benefits, balancing budgets, or following medical advice.

6. Target problematic practices
There are well meaning campaigns that promote abstinence only as a response to HIV. While it is appropriate to recommend delaying sex until someone is ready (and has sorted contraception/condom use), many abstinence campaigns focus on simply telling people not to have sex – with no additional information about relationships, pleasure, confidence, or negotiating skills. In particular suggesting adults abstain from sex until marriage without any additional sex education, and recommending this approach in countries/communities with major gender inequalities, does little to reduce the spread of HIV. For a balanced view about abstinence based educational approaches see Avert’s review, plus this systematic review from the Cochrane Collaboration indicating abstinence only approaches are not effective. Speak out against those who promote HIV programmes that are only focused on abstinence because it doesn’t reduce the prevalence of HIV.

Linked to some abstinence campaigns is anti-condom propaganda, promoted by some faith based organisations, governments and NGOs. This includes misinformation such as ‘condoms don’t work’, which is untrue. Of course no barrier method is 100% effective, if used correctly then condoms are 80-97% effective in preventing HIV transmission. Other claims include condoms usually break – again untrue if used correctly (in such cases condoms are 98% effective). Or that there are minute holes in condoms that the HIV virus is small enough to pass through. This is false. Condoms are a barrier method and the HIV virus cannot pass through latex or polyurethane condoms. More information about condoms and how to use them can be found courtesy of Planned Parenthood.

Here’s how to use the male condom


And the female condom

Use this awareness of what condoms do and how they are an effective method of preventing HIV transmission, and support educational campaigns that not only distribute condoms but also give people the life skills to know how to use them correctly and negotiate using them with a partner.

Unfortunately sexual health – particularly around HIV/AIDS – is often based on good ideas from well intentioned people, but not necessarily practices based on the latest evidence. To find out what’s going on you can use PubMed and Google Scholar to search for research papers, or organisations like MedFash or BASSH. If you work in education or healthcare ensure your staff are supported to learn about effective ways of promoting clear messages around HIV prevention or how to manage if you are HIV positive. Ask for additional training if you are a staff member or volunteer in this field and ensure you’re obtaining (and attending) continued professional development (and not just for the per diems or certificates – you need to show clear outcomes in your practice and benefits for your clients).

Added to this is the problem of staff who are working in the field of HIV/AIDS but may lack basic training, be unsupported or require more intensive supervision – particularly around reflecting on current evidence and how that might underpin their practice. Without this we see staff giving advice that goes outside their area, not referring to medical specialists when they should, or being highly negative/judgemental.

In many cultures there’s a mix of a lack of sex education, often a negative cultural attitude to sex, alongside sexual messages within the mainstream media – often with different messages for women and men (so men are expected to be hypersexual, women less so). So often people are not sure about HIV, what it is, how to prevent transmission, or what to do if you’re positive. Creating educational and awareness campaigns that aim at diverse audiences (teens, parents, LGBT, sex workers) and allow people to discuss any areas of confusion can really help. If you want to assess the effectiveness of an HIV intervention, this free toolkit by eminent researcher Doug Kirby is invaluable.

It’s no surprise that HIV is rising in countries where governments have not taken enough appropriate action against HIV or poverty, or to promote balanced sex education. Where politicians are opposed to/negative about pre-marital sex, homosexuality, drug users, or sex workers and do not invest in healthcare and education, then it’s not surprising their electorate suffer. Lobbying, protesting and drawing attention to how government’s do not tackle HIV effectively is one way forward – as is making the treatment and prevention of HIV an election issue. Make politicians accountable – and expose those who are not willing to tackle HIV.

Many people struggle with accessing services that provide education, prevention advice or treatment for HIV due to access to or availability of services. This may be simply because they cannot afford medications, or the cost of travel to get to clinics. Or it may be that services are available but clinic opening times and directions are unclear – or are not available at the time when you need to go (for example early afternoon or weekend for teenagers, evenings for adults). Alert clinics that aren’t making their availability clear. Offer to distribute leaflets or display adverts showing opening times. And campaign for low cost or free access to healthcare, drugs, education, baby milk (for infants who can’t have breast milk) and condoms.

We’re all fighting to prevent HIV/AIDS but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t question fundraisers that claim to make a difference. There are those who exploit this area, and even where there are well meaning campaigns they may be more about fashion than fundraising/awareness/empowerment. If you want to make a difference then the Buy Less campaign may be more appropriate

7. Healthcare practitioners and teachers – speak out!
As well as promoting more evidence based practices (see above), tackling colleagues who are judgemental about HIV/AIDS (or related areas – for example prejudiced towards homosexuals, transsexuals, prostitutes or drug users), then work towards better training and support for them – and if this fails then complain to management and ensure they are not harming others with their views.

Challenge NGOs and funding bodies promoting that only promote abstinence only/anti condom messaging (see above), or who will only fund HIV programmes that don’t mention safer sex or other sex positive/educational messages. Where possible ensure your services do not take this approach and link with colleagues to ensure you offer a balanced service based on the latest evidence. If you are working in a resource poor country you may find making links with established academics/practitioners in other countries can help you access materials you need for your work (please email me if you’d like me to put you in touch with some).

If you are struggling to access drugs, medical supplies, sterile clinical products and syringes, or basic supplies like bedding or clothing, then again you may find making links with colleagues in other countries can help. Western medical students, for example, are often keen to fundraise, volunteer and access/share sterile items.

We’ve already heard about the political barriers to sorting HIV, but if you are experiencing this as a healthcare provider, educator, parent or volunteer then expose it – to local papers, through a blog (which can be anonymous if necessary), or through the HIV research/practitioner community. That might be discussing a school or health authority promoting negative or mixed messages, or denying access to condoms. Or national blocks on sex education, or politicians openly supporting AIDS denialism, being homophobic, or harassing those with HIV.

If you don’t feel able to speak out yourself, then alert people like me and we can try and help you find ways to share your story anonymously.

8. Empower people to protect themselves
As well as becoming a sex educator (see point 1 above), encouraging peer to peer education initiatives can make a real difference to young people, although adult to adult peer support schemes work well too (for example to raise awareness among sex workers, or gay men). The 15 and Counting Campaign provides a wide range of resources for setting up sex education activities – and to help people campaign within their communities for better access to HIV/sex education.

Alternatively, you may want to support existing HIV initiatives aimed at teaching skills and raising money for people who are affected by HIV. For example the Positive Beadwork Project.

You could encourage clubs and pubs to provide condoms, or work with HIV charities or health authorities to hand out condoms in social spaces. (Remember it’s not just about dishing out the condoms, it’s also about giving people the chance to ask about safer sex and relationships, pleasure and communication).

Supporting open access organisations like the (wonderful) Hesperian Foundation http://www.hesperian.org helps people learn more about their health and HIV – including how to prevent, treat, and live with the virus. Their books are free to those in resource poor communities (the rest of us quite rightly pay). Titles worth sharing are listed below (and many come in languages including Bengali, Chinese, Indonesian, Urdu, French and Spanish).

HIV, Health and Your Community
Helping Health Workers Learn
Where there is no doctor: a village care handbook
Where women have no doctor
Where there is no dentist

9. Question bad science
Sadly there’s a lot of misinformation in the name of HIV/AIDS, and often this comes from science – or people pretending to be scientists. The worst offenders are the AIDS denialists, who not only promote their views across the internet, they’re also active within the media (see this recent report on the inclusion of an AIDS denialist movie at a cultural festival).

It is important to tackle AIDS denialists, and there’s a particularly useful list of resources here about spotting pseudoscience relating to this issue.

Added to this are those who (usually well meaningly) offer alternative treatments to those affected by HIV. There is no evidence that homeopathic remedies ‘cure’ or ‘prevent’ HIV, and those who promote such treatments – particularly when encouraging standard medical treatments for HIV (antiretrovirals) are discontinued – are extremely dangerous. Unfortunately there are some who are not averse to maliciously exploiting this virus and will offer a variety of cures, spells, amulets, or other products with the promise of curing or preventing HIV – but in fact simply a means of parting people with their money. We need to do more to stamp out quackery in this area and educate people to use established treatments and methods of prevention.

One of the major criticisms raised at the HIV/AIDS research community is about ensuring studies are focused, relate to/develop existing findings (rather than replicate them), and have measurable benefits to communities. Critics have argued that research in HIV may build academics careers but do little to enable people in ‘real life’ settings, or the focus on HIV detracts from other equally important issues within healthcare. While some of these accusations are often unfounded, there are questions to be asked about the quality of some studies on HIV/AIDS, and the ethical conduct of researchers. We should question any research on HIV/AIDS that doesn’t appear to have ethical approval, or does have approval but still seems to be putting participants at risk. Two examples of this come from sex workers in Cambodia and a Canadian study taking part on prostitutes in Nairobi. If you have concerns about ethical and governance issues in research then you should speak to the ethics committee overseeing the work. Established scientists can help if you need support with this (I can refer you to some if this is an issue for you).

We also need to be wary of research that doesn’t fit with the wider body of evidence (or contradicts it). Particularly in the case of studies that seem to be detracting from general HIV messages, or appear to promote anti-condom messages.

Those of us working within research in sexual health/HIV need to do more to explain our methods, make evidence more accessible and directly applicable, and link carefully with communities where we’ll be working. It is important to work ethically and transparently, but also nurture community relationships as it is unfortunate that some studies are scuppered not because researchers were unprofessional, but the negative reputation of science resulted in opposition to research.

10. Don’t forget, there are 365 World AIDS Days a year
It’s easy to think about HIV/AIDS on World AIDS Day, but not always so easy to remember it all year round. Hopefully the list of ideas above may give you some pointers for things you can do throughout the year that will make a difference. Setting aside time to regularly engage in an activity (like fundraising, volunteering or community education) means you don’t forget about HIV and you help those affected by it.

If you’ve found these tips helpful then please feel free to circulate widely.

I’ll leave you with a link to the official World AIDS Day site, and this short film that reminds us why we cannot stop fighting HIV and supporting those affected