Sex ed: Sexual health…

After discussing chlamydia, HIV, gonorrhea, hepatitis, warts, syphilis, trichomoniasis and scabies, it should be clear that the consequences of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) range from an annoying itch to certain death.

STD prevention is all about understanding risks and knowing how to minimize them.

If you choose to be sexually active, use condoms and limit the number of partners you are with. We can all do the math — fewer bodies coming together means less risk of infection. Condoms alone may not be sufficient to prevent pregnancy.

While sex is natural and should be fun — it comes with responsibility. The mechanics of sex are simple, but the consequences, both physical (pregnancy and infection) and emotional, can be enormous and complex.

The most difficult lessons both to teach and to learn about sexuality are not about how the pill works or how to know you get an STD. They are about how to have healthy relationships. The soft skills — communication in an atmosphere of trust, desire and goodwill between partners — are a lifetime challenge.

Believe it or not, most of what sex is about happens above the shoulders. Our brains are there to receive and process all the physical messages we get from touch, the words we hear and the “chemistry” between partners in intimate relationships.

Canadian youth in the North and all over the country are exploring sex when they are still very young. Health Canada says the average age when kids start to be sexually active is now below age 13.

In any sexual encounter, consent is essential – both people need to be involved willingly. Early sexual experiences — good or bad – shape a young person’s ability to have healthy relationships for years to come.

Children learn how to relate to one another by observing the behaviour around them. Commodification of sex by the mainstream media does little to help kids figure out the ways of the world.

We can all work to let youth exercise their rights: control over their own bodies and access to information, birth control and health care. Parents, educators and health-care workers can teach that sexuality is a part of all of humanity — something to be embraced, enjoyed and respected, rather than feel guilty or uninformed about.

I’ve been told that it is not the Inuit way to speak or write openly about sex — the truth is, it’s not the qallunaat way either.

I have written as a physician concerned about the health of young Nunavummiut. Young people in the South have also been failed by a system that does not provide good education about healthy sexuality. I hope these columns have got people talking.

Thanks for the e-mails and to the young folks who have begun to take better care of their bodies. I am particularly appreciative of the feedback from older Inuit women — thank you for your teachings. Indeed, we need to know more about Inuit-specific beliefs about sexuality.

Soon we hope to have the birth of a new biweekly column written by different health-care professionals covering a range of health-related topics. But it’s always fun to think about sexuality — so I will slip in a contribution now and again.

While there is much to know about healthy sexuality, understanding birth control options and how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases is an essential start. Thanks for reading.

We hope to put together a booklet based on the columns written over the past six months.

If there are other sex ed topics you think should be included, please send an

e-mail with your suggestions to nunatsiaqsexed@hotmail.com.

Want to read past Sex Ed columns? Go to www.nunatsiaq.com and click on columns.

Madeleine Cole is a physician at Baffin Reginal Hospital.