Women Need More Sexual Health Services

Women in Ireland are struggling to find information on sexual health issues and find it difficult to get access to the right services, according to the latest report by the Well Woman Centre.

The problem is not just confined to younger women; the Centre says that the gap in sexual health information is evident in women of all ages. Consequently, it is calling for a cradle-to-grave approach to deal with sexual education; a programme of sexual health screening and testing which is age-appropriate; contraception, and comprehensive treatment programmes to deal with sexual health problems.

“From Well Woman’s experience, despite access to the web, when it comes to finding appropriate information on issues such as menopause, PMS and infertility, women struggle to source it. They also struggle to find a route to the appropriate services,” said Well Woman’s Chief Executive, Alison Begas.

Launching its 2007 Annual Report, Well Woman said that Ireland’s sexual health needs have changed dramatically in the last number of years and called on the Government to deliver a National Sexual Heath Strategy to address the gaps in the system.

“From our experience, it is clear that Ireland’s sexual health needs are changing. Most people now have multiple sexual partners in their life time; they are delaying child birth and living longer, with the consequence that most remain sexually active for longer. The population’s needs have moved beyond basic contraception to encompass a whole range of sexual and reproductive healthcare services,” said Alison Begas.

The report showed that the number of people attending for full Sexually Transmitting Infection (STI) screening increased five-fold since 2002, while the numbers being tested for Chlamydia increased three-fold. Meanwhile, within the five-year period to 2007, the number of couples attending for fertility visits more than doubled.

Posted Monday 28th July 2008