Human Sexuality Assignment: Being Sexually Active

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Part A.
Question one.
The first question I chose from the website goasalice.com is the question about the correlation between masturbation and being sexually active. The question of masturbation has raised a lot of concerns with many people having divergent opinions towards it. Some people even shy away from discussing issues related to masturbation and sexual activity while some studies indicate that many people masturbate. Also, the confusion on whether to answer “yes” or “no” to the question - “are you sexually active?” pulled my interest towards the topic. Physicians, most of the time ask us if we are sexually active, a question that always leaves us not only shy and embarrassed but also, wondering why they ask such a question. In most cases, the doctor asks this question to determine the sexual practices of the individual. Sexual practices of a person help in assessing their level of risk to Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and pregnancy – for women.
Masturbation can be best defined by an individual basing on how he or she views it. However, medically, masturbation is not considered to be sexually active. According to the healthcare provider, a “sexually active” individual is typically one who is involved in the actual sexual intercourse where vaginal, oral and anal sex is involved (excluding masturbation). Therefore, reasoning from medical perspectives, you are not right when you say that masturbating equals being “sexually active.” On the contrary, “sexually active” might mean something entirely different for various people outside their healthcare provider's office. Whether one want to consider himself or herself as sexually active or not, basing on masturbation is solely his or her decision (Darby 2008).
Like the actual sexual intercourse, masturbation has benefits similar befits. It improves the body image and the mood of an individual, relieves stress and enables one to understand better his/her body – that is, what makes him/ her feel good, likes and dislikes. In women, it relieves the menstrual cramp pain and reduces their risk of endometriosis. For men, it notably improves their prostrate health, thus, reducing their chances of getting prostate cancer. Unlike sexual intercourse with another person, masturbation significantly reduces an individual’s chances of getting STIs and pregnant for women.
This health benefit is due to masturbation – the solo sexual romp does not involve the contact of oneself with another’s mucous membrane and sexual fluids – such as from the mouth, anus or even the vagina. However, when masturbation involves the use of sexual toys, objects, and the vibrators, there are chances that an individual can get infected with the STIs if the sexual objects, toys and the vibrators are shared. Therefore, to reduce the risks of infections transmission, it is encouraged to use a condom when sharing the tantalizing tools and also wash them regularly.
Finally, when you masturbate and consider yourself as sexually active or not, masturbation has not been associated with any adverse health effect. Sexual activity is healthy and considered as a regular part of life – whether you are romping solo. But in case it is your health provider asking you if you are sexually active then you must describe your sexual behavior adequately so that they can assess your risk of getting infections. In other contexts, you can choose your definition of being “sexually active” (Regnerus 2017).
Question Two.
My second question was – What is an STD? STD is a term most people do not understand its meaning, amidst the rising unsafe sexual behaviors among our generations. Today, there are higher risks of the transmission of STDs. Most teens are sexually active, and with weak guidance from their parents, teachers, and guardians, they fall most of the victims of STDs infections. Even in the wake of HIV/AIDS risks, adults – both married and unmarried still do not engage in the safe sexual practice.
STDs is an abbreviation for a term that replaced Venereal Disease (VD). Currently, Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) is commonly used for STDs. STI is an infection that is passed on, through sexual activity, from an individual who is already infected with the STI to a person who does not have the infection. The reason for the shift from the term STD to STI seems to be very simple yet important. Infection refers to a germ present in an individual’s body, but the individual may have no signs or symptoms of the infection, whereas, disease refers to an infection that causes obvious its signs or symptoms. The sexually transmitted virus, bacteria, fungi or parasite cause an infection which may result in a disease or not. The distinction is crucial since many STIs do not cause any signs and symptoms, so one can have an STI without knowing. STI is therefore considered more encompassing because it includes infections that cause no symptoms. However, the two terms are used interchangeably by many organizations and websites (Carter Jr, 2014).
All sexually active persons are at risk of STI if their partners are infected. You must practice safe sex guidelines so as to reduce the risks. Safe sex means having sexual intercourse or orgasms without coming into contact with another person’s body fluids or mucous membranes – such as semen, blood, vaginal fluids among others. Unsafe sex puts an individual at risk of HIV/AIDS and STIs (Satterwhite 2013).
Question Three.
The third question was if there is any test for Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs). My interest in this issue stemmed from the STI and HIV/AIDS global incidences. Globally people have not appreciated the efforts of VCT and the need to regularly check with their providers about their sexual health. Also, when sexual and reproductive health is mentioned, we mostly associate it with women. In reality, STIs pose an equal risk to both women and men – and more particularly teens.
There are multiple ways used to diagnose STSIs. Most of these methods include tests which are painless and quick and could be blood or urine tests, fluid samples, and identification of visual symptoms. People consider STI tests for various reasons. For instance, some would get tested because of suspecting to have contracted STIs while others might get tested to just to have sex with a new partner. Others may even get tested just as general sexual health examination (Gottlieb, 2014).
Based o n your potential risk of contractin...