Let's talk about Sex Ed

It is a reality in the world of pelvic rehab that too few patients are comfortable discussing their genitalia, anus, or the functions of any pelvic organ when things are going smoothly, much less when something goes amiss.? Often, questions about them are more likely to give blushes than honest answers.

Role/Reboot, a blog that focuses on gender roles and relations, published a blog this July titled ?The Sex Education I Wish I Had.?? In it, author Marianne Cassidy catalogues some of the main problems with sexual education.? While much of the piece is a litany of ?I wishes? for sexual education, Cassidy?s piece reminds me of the wonderful ?Camp Gyno? video Pelvic Rehab Report discussed two weeks ago. ?It?s refreshing to read a blog that is both honest and to the point about perfectly normal things like menstruation and masturbation.

At the end of her litany of ?I wishes,? Cassidy drives home the ultimate point of this blog, ?Most of all, I wish I?d grown up in an environment where my peers and I felt comfortable discussing sex and asking questions, because then maybe none of the above would ever have been scary or mysterious. ?I wish we had classroom discussions about sex and exams on sex and reflective essays on sex and it was all as normal and interesting and important as algebra or poetry.?

Truly, a medical professional?s duty is to treat patients.? Therefore it?s vital for pelvic therapists to be able to speak frankly to their patients.? However, it is equally important to do so without passing judgment about the gender, sex life, or sexuality of a patient.

Herman & Wallace offers a course that focuses on treating sexual concerns for pelvic wellness patients, titled Sexual Health Clinical Toolkit.? This course was last offered in June 2013 in San Diego, California and is currently being planned for 2014.? Keep your eyes peeled for our 2014 calendar (coming this September)!