Recent research finds doctors frequently do not discuss sexual health issues with patients.

Talking to our health care provider about sexual health issues at times can be a frustrating experience. Health care professionals are very busy people, frequently they have only 15-30 minutes per appointment to evaluate and treat their patients. Often times they are double booked in appointment slots, have surgical or clinical procedures scheduled, and administrative tasks they must attend to. For the health care professional time is a premium commodity, they never seem to have enough of it.

Sexual health information is far too often relegated to a pamphlet handed to you by a doctor or nurse. We need more than a simple piece of paper with a website highlighted, we need frank, open and informative feedback from our health care providers regarding our sexual health. Below is an excerpt from a recent article from the website health day.com. About findings from recent research from the University of Chicago Medical Center that speaks to this very issue.

{"We found that these women valued sexuality and participated in sexual relationships and activities at a rate similar to women who had not been through cancer treatment, but they were not adequately prepared for the sexual issues that their cancer or its treatment introduced," study author Dr. Stacy Lindau said in a prepared statement. The sexual problems included pain and limited lubrication.

Two out of three women whose reproductive and sexual organs were severely compromised by the treatment also reported that their doctors never brought up sex, according to the study.
Writing in the August issue of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Chicago Medical Center researchers expressed concern that if doctors are not discussing the impact of medical treatment on sexuality under these circumstances, sexual health was even less likely to be discussed in other situations, particularly with older women. Previous studies have shown that patients are themselves reluctant to bring up sexual issues. (1)}

It is unfortunate that these finding do not surprise me. The patient to health care provider conversation is typically driven by the health care provider. They ask the questions you provide answers. In regards to sexual health, and general health as well, patients can do a few things that might change this conversation dynamic.

1) Prepare for your appointment: If you are visiting your health care provider for a particular issue take a few moments to research the issue your self. There are several resources you might consult including: http://webmd.com/ , http://medlineplus.gov/ , and for sexually transmitted diseases http://cdc.gov/ .
2) Based upon your research develop a list of questions that you can take to your appointment.
3) Make a list of your symptoms to take with you .

We often remember important questions we should have asked or information we should have notified our provider about as we are walking to our car. Doing these three things will help prepare you for your appointment, using the information you have researched will allow you to provide your provider with important information regarding your visit, and will allow you to initiate conversation specific to your concerns. Most providers are willing to answer any questions you might have.

In upcoming blog entries I will address information related to important questions about common sexually transmitted diseases. Please feel free to comment on this and other blog entries. Your feedback will help me make this blog a worthwhile resource. Thank you.
Linden.

(1). http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=606676

theHPVtest.com web site primer

I was recently asked if I would be interested in adding a logo from Digene Corp to this blog site, Digene Corp developed and manufacture a DNA based Human Papilloma (HPV) test. In 2003, Digene® HPV Test was approved for routine use along with a Pap in women age 30 years and older, the group considered most at risk for cervical cancer (1).

I am quite familiar with this test and decided that I would review their website. The site provides clear and concise information regarding HPV and the HPV test. I would encourage women of all ages to review the site. Of particular interest to me are the HPV myth vs. Fact quizzes the site offers. I took the quiz and once I completed the quiz and received my score I was presented with the percentile of respondents who answered the quiz questions correctly. Not surprisingly the first question asked: The cause for Cervical Cancer is unknown - Myth or Fact was incorrectly answered by 31% of the respondents. It looks as if I have more work to do!
OK, OK, I'll give you my score, I answered 11 out of 11 questions correctly.

After reviewing the remaining portions of their site I found myself truly impressed. The people at Digene have developed an outstanding resource for HPV information. It is written without much of the medically mystifying terminology that I so abhor, the interface is easily navigated, and the site informative. I will post more regarding this outstanding resource and the HPV test in upcoming additions. If you have a moment utilize the link I have provided above the prominently displayed Digene logo on the top right of my blog, or just use the link below to take you to their site.

(1) http://www.thehpvtest.com/under-30/HPV-test-the-pap-HPV-faq.html#whatis

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Living with HSV: Factors that can instigate outbreaks

In my earlier article "Understanding the dynamics of a herpes outbreak", I explained that individuals who have Herpes Simplex Virus type 2 (HSV2) have different outbreak timelines (if you have not read the above article I would encourage you do to so it might make understanding the following information a bit easier). Some people with HSV2 will have outbreaks about 4-5 times per year, some will have them as if their body were on a schedule say every 6 weeks the outbreak occurs, others will have maybe just a one single episode, while some will have them seemingly monthly, and still others may never have an outbreak.

For most people being diagnosed with Herpes is an alarming, life changing event. The social stigma related to this viral disease process is ever present in the minds of those who have Herpes. Trying understand how this virus affects us while attempting to comprehend the medical terminology related to this virus can be frustrating. My mission is to present information related to sexual health and sexually transmitted diseases in a easy to understand language. Basically, I'm here to rid you of the burden of the confusing and for some intimidating medical information related to your sexual health. Let's move on.

In much of the medical information available regarding Herpes you will find that there are some "Predisposing Factors" that can instigate a Herpes outbreaks. The most common "predisposing factors" are typically identified as 1) Stress 2)Prolonged exposure to sunlight 3) Being Immunocompromised. Some of these factors may be fairly easy to understand, but for many they are perplexing to say the least . Don't let that deter you, some of these factors are not even well understood by the medical community.

Lets look at how these factors might instigate a herpes outbreak.

Stress: Once herpes enters the body it attaches to a nerve and travels up that nerve to nerve branches near the spine called the "Spinal Ganglia". Once it reaches the Spinal Ganglia it becomes dormant or goes into a sleep mode. As you might imagine as we encounter stressful events our nervous system is activated or agitated. The Spinal Ganglia are an essential part of our nervous system, as we come under stress the Herpes virus which has now in essence attached itself to our nervous system can be awakened from it's dormant state by this stress event that affects the Spinal Ganglia. Once awakened the virus travels back down the same nerve path through which it initially traveled to our spinal area. Finally, as the virus travels down the nerve it irritates the nerve and skin causing the lesions that are typically associated with Herpes.

Exposure to sunlight: How intense or prolonged exposure to sunlight can lead to an outbreak of Herpes is not well understood. This catalyst for Herpes outbreaks is more often associated with Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (HSV1). HSV1 is the viral strain of Herpes associated with Oral Herpes or cold sores.

Being Immunocompromised: I know this sounds scary, quite often we here this term associated with disease processes such as Cancer and HIV. To be "immunocompromised" in relationship to Herpes simply means that our immune system is being utilized to fight off some other form of illness, or it is not able to function at it's normal capacity. If you have a cold your immune system is activated to defend you against the particular virus causing the cold. If you have pneumonia the immune system jumps into the fight against the bacteria or virus that is causing your pneumonia. There are times when our immune system can be affected by things other than illness. If you are participating in prolonged activities that require a high level of physical exertion with poor recovery periods your immune system can be adversely affected. We see this type of immunocompromise in men and women attending military basic training, or in service members who live in austere environments for prolonged periods, and in those who are live in hostile environments or are in combat. When your immune system is otherwise engaged with these other processes, or is unable to function properly, Herpes has an opportunity to rear it's ugly head manifest in a Herpes outbreak.

These "predisposing factors" can be interrelated. If you have the flu and are missing work because of your illness you may well be temporarily immunocompromised due to the illness, and you may be under stress because of missed work assignments or projects left unattended due to your illness. The presence of these factors may be enough to instigate a Herpes outbreak.

If you have Herpes it is important to understand how this viral disease process interacts with your body, how it might effect your sexual health, and certainly the effects it may have regarding sexual relationships. It is my hope that through enhancing your understanding of Herpes you might lighten the emotional burden so often prevalent in those effected by this virus.