champlain-action-sexual-health

[champlain-action-sexual-health]

The Importance of Sex Education in Schools

Sexual education in public schools aims to provide accessible, accurate, inclusive, and positive information to children and adolescents. The goal is to teach young people how to have healthy sexual relationships and avoid sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancies.

Pregnancy prevention and safe sex education needs to start young, but should be a lifelong process.

Research has consistently shown that abstinence-only sex education does not affect the rates at which teenagers decide to have sex. One problem with abstinence-only education is that it denies teenagers the chance to learn about acceptable options other than abstinence. Over the past 20 years, numerous studies have consistently shown that teaching comprehensive sex education in schools doesn't encourage kids to start having sex sooner or have it more often.

According to the Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance Survey (YRBSS) in 2019, about 38% of high school students had had sex at least once. About 27% said they were currently sexually active.

The report also found that:

About 57% of 12th graders had had intercourse, compared to about 20% of 9th graders 

Only 3% said they started having intercourse before the age of 13

The report also showed that the trends in sexual activity in high school-aged students has actually been going down.

In fact, in 2017, the number of students who had ever had sexual intercourse was the lowest it had ever been since 1991 when researchers first started collecting data.

Any person who has sex is at risk for STIs like chlamydia and gonorrhea. Young people who are just beginning to have sex are at even higher risk—especially if they don’t know about safe sex practices.

The YRBSS report from 2019 also found that:

About 54% of sexually active teens said they used a condom the last time they had intercourse 

About 35% of sexually active female students reported using prescription birth control (such as "the pill" or an IUD) the last time they had intercourse

About 13% said they had not used any pregnancy prevention the last time they had intercourse 

About 9% had ever been tested for HIV

About 8.6% said they had had sexual intercourse with four or more partners

Comprehensive sex education doesn't encourage kids to have sex. Just like abstinence-only programs, comprehensive sex ed programs teach youth that abstinence is the only surefire way to prevent pregnancy and STIs.

The difference is that the programs also give students realistic and factual information about the safety of various sexual practices.

They’re also given accurate information about the odds of pregnancy when using various birth control methods. In addition, they get the chance to understand their feelings about the risks.

Teens also need to learn about how other behaviors can put them at risk if they’re sexually active. For example, about 21% said they had used alcohol or drugs before the last time they had intercourse. These behaviors can increase the risk of STIs, unplanned pregnancies, or sexual violence.6

About one in 10 high school students reported experiencing sexual violence in the last year. LQBTQ+ students were at the highest risk.

[champlain-action-sexual-health]

WASH services

This week’s subject is related to one of the basic things you need to maintain either your sexual health or your health in general which are Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene also known as WASH facilities. They provide access to clean water, clean and safe toilet areas, and good hygiene practices (UNICEF). They also allow healthcare workers to safely perform the right infection prevention practice (IPC).  Access to these facilities is helpful to prevent disease transmission. However, it was recorded in 2018 that for areas with limited resources, 50% of them lacked access to piped water, 33% need improvement in their sanitation facilities, 39% needed handwashing soap, and 39% needed appropriate infectious waste disposal (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

A couple of other facts provided by UNICEF:

Worldwide, 2.2 billion people still lack access to safe drinking water.

More than half of the global population does not have access to safe sanitation.

Three billion people do not have access to handwashing facilities with soap.

Still, 673 million people practice open defecation.

There are multiple levels of healthcare infrastructures with different Wash necessities. A facility in charge of acute care will not have the same needs as a facility that only provides basic care services. The acute care facility will require much more precise needs compared to the basic care unit (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

Climate change:

Unfortunately, climate change has an impact on the main natural resource of WASH, water. The increase in global warming created a scarcity of water in multiple areas resulting in difficulty to access water as the prices increase depriving multiple households of consumable water. However.  Global warming also affected areas in a contrary way, where heavy rain created floods and damaged infrastructures such as sanitation facilities (UNICEF).

Urban areas:

There are not only resource-limited areas and developing countries that need WASH facilities, but urban areas are also not exempt from the problem. The rapid growth of the population is one of the problems. UNICEF estimated that by 2050 2.5 billion people are estimated to join the urban population. Therefore, a scarcity of resources will be created. A second problem that occurs in urban areas is poverty. People living in slums cannot necessarily access drinking water (UNICEF).

Emergencies:

When it comes to emergencies, WASH services need to be prepared to prevent outbreaks as problems like human rights violations, violence, and displacement of children in humanitarian emergencies are more likely to happen in areas in need. Plus, WASH services have the responsibility to be prepared as the water and sanitation systems are usually weak when attacked creating an easy target when there are conflicts.

To be well prepared, UNICEF provides emergency WASH in more than 60 countries. Plus, the team has good knowledge and is always ready to “saves lives in fragile contexts by trucking water, treating piped water, repairing broken water supply and sanitation systems, drilling wells, building temporary latrines, providing essential hygiene items and delivering hygiene messages” (UNICEF). The organism also helps globally to prepare in case of an emergency through a program called the Global WASH Cluster but also helps governments develop policies and remove bottlenecks. To continue, UNICEF usually aids a country to recover and redevelop capacity buildings in the WASH sector by working with governments in developing durable plans.

How to improve WASH systems:

To strengthen WASH, UNICEF is working on the improvement of the maintenance capabilities of governments in WASH sectors. They also work in partnership with “governments, donors, civil society organizations, and other development stakeholders that coordinate on improved accountability and resource allocation” with the help of the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) a global partnership hosted by the organism. UNICEF is part of other projects such as UN Water, WASH4WORK, WASH Working Group, and Grand Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management Collective in improving water and sanitation areas. It is also mentioned by the organism  that they “ offers face-to-face training for governments as well as online courses for partners and staff in strengthening WASH systems.”

If you want to know more about WASH facilities and their management here’s a video:

[champlain-action-sexual-health]

Contraceptions in the U.S

Contraception role is to prevent pregnancy and some sort also protect you from STIs, sexually transmitted infections.

They are many contraceptives methods, but which one best suits you? Let’s deconstruct each of them, the pros and the cons.

The condom: it protects you from most STIs and from getting pregnant as well. There is « male » and « female » condoms, the one you are used to see is the one used on the penis, but there is also one to use on vaginas. They both have the same goal, act as a physical barrier to prevent sexual fluid to reach your partner. Since it is a newer product the « female » condom is less effective than the « male » one. The condom is practical, it is easy to carry, it’s the best protection against STIs and it is hormone free! However, there are disadvantages, If not used properly, you have a chance of the condom tearing or coming off during the act. Also, some people are allergic to latex (majority of condom are latex) but, latex-free condoms do exists!

The oral contraceptive pill: There is currently three different types of oral pills.

1. Combined estrogen-progesterone

2. progesterone-only

3. continuous or extended use pill

The hormone of progesterone is the one preventing pregnancy, as for the estrogen, it controls the aspect of menstrual bleeding. The pill is the most prescribed contraceptive in the U.S, an average of 25% of woman from 15 to 44 years old, report using this as their contraceptive method. Why is it so popular? When taken correctly, it is highly effective. It permits to be spontaneous, no need to interrupt the process of sex to be safe. Pills with estrogen can help decrease period flow and PMS (premenstrual syndrome) symptoms, sometimes it can even reduce acne ! Contrarily, the downside of the pill: You have to be diligent, skipping a day perhaps reduce the effectiveness, it only usable. It is a contraceptive that only woman can use, nevertheless research are taking place trying to come up with an alternative for man also. The main concern of this contraceptive, is that it does not protect you against STIs and has to be prescribed, so it is harder to access.

The intrauterine device (IUD): A IUD is a small T-shaped device, made of plastic, copper and material which contains progesterone hormone. It needs to be installed by a trained healthcare provider, inside the uterus. This method is a great choice because ;

1. It is long-lasting, it can in from 3 to 10 years, depending on the sort.

2. It is reversible, with the help of a healthcare provider it can be taken out, whenever desired.

3. It can be used as an emergency contraceptive, if installed in the lapse of five days following the unprotected sex.

4. It is really effective, IUD only made with copper is 99% effective, and those with hormones also are 99.8% effective, you cannot not be more secure than with this method.

Nonetheless, there is always some inconvenients; you are not protected from STIS, you need the help of a trained healthcare provider for insertion and removal and it may cause symptoms for certain woman, such as irregular bleeding during the first six months of usage.

The contraceptive implant: The implant is a small flexible rod, which is inserted under the skin of the woman’s upper arm. It is installed by a trained healthcare provider and the procedure requires to use a local anesthetic. Once the rod is implanted, it releases progesterone hormone which limits the production of eggs from the ovaries and thickens cervical mucus, making it challenging for sperm to make it into the uterus. This method is also long lasting, it last up to 3 years of usage, and when the time comes it needs to be changed. It is a highly effective methods for those seeking a long lasting option that doesn’t interrupt the act, and which can be taken out whenever desired.

But, once again it does not protect you from STIs, so if you aren’t only with one partner, it is not the safest option. Like the IUD it can cause bleeding following the installation. Lastly, like said previously it requires a healthcare provider to both install and remove it.

The birth control patch: The birth control patch contains both estrogen and progestin (synthetic progesterone) that are released into your bloodstream, stopping ovulation as well as thickening cervical mucus to block sperm from reaching an egg! This method is really effective to prevent pregnancy, it permits sex spontaneity and is easy to install.

But on the other side, it requires organization, you need to change your patch each week for 3 weeks (21 days), then take a break of one week to allow menstruations and then restart the cycle. It also, doesn’t protect you from STIs and requires prescription, so it is less accessible than condom perhaps.

The contraceptive injection: This contraceptive method consists to give an injection containing a synthetic form of progesterone hormone. It can be given either in the upper arm or the buttock area, after the injection the hormone spreads trough your bloodstream for the following 12 weeks (3 months). This method is not as long lasting as a IUD our an implant, but you don’t need to keep track of it every day, like the pill. It permits sexual spontaneity and is very effective to prevent pregnancy.

However, it can cause unpleasant symptoms such as bleeding and undesirable periods and gives no protection against STIs.

The emergency contraception pill (the morning after pill): This method can come in handy for multiple occasions; unprotected sex, condom failure, bad usage of the pill and worst case scenario sexual assault. Even tho it is called the morning after pill, it is effective till 5 days after the act but, the sooner the better. If taken in a interval of 3 days it is considered 85% effective to prevent pregnancy from occurring. The pill contains a high dose of female hormones, which stops the pregnancy. It is a accessible method, you can get it at the counter of the pharmacy, without parent approval or prescription but, it is quite expensive.

Nonetheless, it is called the emergency pill, it is not a contraceptive that you should use regularly as it comes with multiple side effects: nausea, vomiting, delayed or early period, etc. Furthermore, it protects you from pregnancy, but does not from STIs.

The contraceptive ring: the contraceptive ring is a flexible plastic ring that you can install yourself into the vagina, it constantly releases hormones of estrogens and progesterone. You can keep it in for 3 weeks, than take a break of 1 week, and then put in a new one. A major advantage of this method is you do not need a healthcare provider to install or remove it, you can do it yourself! Also, it control your menstrual cycle for you, and once the ring is removed there is no impact on your fertility.

Like the pill, it contains both estrogen and progesterone, which makes it an unsuitable option for woman who can’t take estrogen contraception. Once again, it doesn’t protect you against STIs. Lastly, you must be diligent, to put it in and take it out at the correct time each month.

The diaphragm: the diaphragm is a small dome shaped made of soft silicone, inserted into the vagina to ensure sperm doesn’t reach the uterus. Basically, it creates a physical barrier in the same way a condom do. This device requires preparation and diligence, it needs to stay in at least 6 hours after sex, but cannot exceed a maximum of 24 hours. It also need to be appropriately cleaned between each usage. The difference to a condom is that it’s reusable, you can use the same diaphragm up to 2 years, if you take care of it properly.

Furthermore, the diaphragm is a technique that requires practices, to adequately put in but, if used correctly is pretty effective. It doesn’t not procure security against STIs as well.

Sterilisation: The ultimate contraception, sterilisation take away the ability to reproduce completely. It is a method that either use open or minimal invasion surgery, which needs to be conducted in a hospital since it requires general anesthesia. This option is great for couple who are certain, they do not want to have kids, it is also one of the few contraceptive available to both women and men!

Nevertheless, it is a surgery including more risk than other contraception and it is not reversible, so it is not a decision to take lightly.

[champlain-action-sexual-health]

Menstrual health

Your Menstrual Cycle Is More Than Just Your Period is a video from Seeker's most recent "Body Language" series. The medical community for far too long solely studied the anatomy of men, leaving a void in our understanding of women's bodies. This video in particular, but the entire series, is pretty fascinating. To be as clear as possible, they consult specialists and share pertinent data and photos. I will thus go into further detail regarding their perspective on the female body and how much more we still need to learn about it.

Before starting, we need to acknowledge that the people affected that by the topics that fall into women's health aren’t just women it is people of any genders or identity that possess vaginas and uteruses. Also, let’s précise that your period should not be a taboo subject.

Now, the name: your period is known by several names, including Shark Week, the Crimson Tide, and that time of the month. The period has a negative reputation and receives a lot of attention in health classes, but nowadays, more people are becoming aware of the complete menstrual cycle instead of concentrating on the most obvious part of it. It turns out that there is actually a lot about it to learn and embrace.

Periods are frequently considered a nuisance but, that is shifting. A great example of that shift is the United States women's football squad. They partially credited their menstrual cycle-based training regimens for helping them win the 2019 World Cup. People using cycle monitoring apps are becoming more frequent and the FDA even approved one of them for contraceptive usage in 2018. We are aware that keeping track of your menstrual cycle can help you to : prepare for your period, increase your chances of becoming pregnant or not, or simply give you a better understanding of what your body signals.

So let's define it precisely first. The critical role of the menstrual cycle is to get the body ready for pregnancy. The first day of your period marks the beginning of the period, which lasts up to the beginning of your subsequent period. The usual cycle, which lasts roughly 28 days, may vary from person to person and over the course of a lifetime. Cycles that typically last between 21 and 40 days are common. Menstruating persons can also gain a better understanding of what is typical or abnormal for their bodies by keeping note of the specifics of their cycle.

The ovaries, the uterus, the brain, the circulatory system, and several hormones all play a role in the actual events that take place in between period and the following one. The two hormones that you've likely heard the most about are oestrogen and progesterone, which is generated by the ovaries. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), which are both produced by the pituitary gland, are also present. It takes a lot of effort for all of these hormones to work together to prepare the body for pregnancy once every menstrual cycle.

There are 4 phases to menstruations: the menstruation (the period), the follicular phase, ovulation and the luteal phase.

The follicular phase normally occurs on the first day of menstruation, which is also when it all begins. The uterus is shedding its lining at this time, and oestrogen and progesterone levels are low. This causes bleeding that typically lasts between two and seven days. Yes, and it also has those annoying symptoms, like cramps and back ache. And the follicular phase continues after your period is over. The hypothalamus, which is located directly in the centre of your brain, releases gonadotropin-releasing hormone every 60 to 120 minutes, dependent on where you are in your cycle. This stimulates follicle growth in the ovaries by causing the pituitary gland to produce FSH. An undeveloped egg is encased in a fluid-filled sac called a follicle. FSH levels decrease as the follicular phase progresses, and often just one dominant follicle-wrapped egg is "selected" to continue growing. In the meantime, throughout that phase, there was an oestrogen increase that resulted in a lovely lining of the uterus. When oestrogen levels are at their highest about day 14 of the cycle, more LH is released. And this tells the mature follicle that it's go-time.Some individuals might feel a minor pang or cramp on one side as the follicle bursts, that process is called ovulation! Then, the egg stays in your fallopian tube for between twelve and twenty-four hours after making its grand appearance, poking around to see if any sperm are going to join the celebration. And if an egg and sperm do chance to meet during that little window of time, they will combine and go jointly through the fallopian tube to the uterus, dividing along the way. And that's only the beginning of the procedure. Recall the follicle from which the egg, our show's star, was released? Indeed, as we enter the luteal phase, it still has some job to do. This ruptured follicle triggers the subsequent events by momentarily transforming into a progesterone-producing gland. Everything is coming together.When a sperm fertilises an egg and they attach in the uterus, the progesterone from that follicle expands the lining of the uterus, generating all that good, comfy blood and tissue that would make a foetus happy. However, if conception is unsuccessful, levels of oestrogen and progesterone drop precipitously, causing menstruation. From this point on, the cycle repeats itself, starting with the shedding of the uterine lining. Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, first appears during the luteal phase.

It is easier to see the cycle, and our hormones level through the following graphic:

Initial findings from a research including 10,000 people, 6,141 of whom monitored their period symptoms, were published by Harvard University, the National Institute of Environmental Health Services, and Apple. I taught that the results were clear and interesting to look at:

For more info watch the whole video !

[champlain-action-sexual-health]

STIs in the USA

An important aspect of sexual health includes our fight against Sexually Transmitted Infections, which are on the rise in recent times in part due to an overworked medical system (Impact of COVID-19 on STD’s). We’ll explore some of the data behind this issue and some ways to possibly move forward.

Did you know that in the US in 2018, one in five people had a sexually transmitted infection? This is certainly no small problem, and it costs us around $16 billion in 2018 in medical costs for new infections. What’s worse, a $1.1 billion chunk of the previous estimate comprises infections like Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Syphilis all of which are common and easily preventable when screened for (CDC data source (image)). Of course, this is a nation-wide problem and although everyone can be affected by it, the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association (ASTDA) finds that marginalized populations including people of color, women and gender-diverse people struggle the most.

So, what can we do about it? ASTDA wrote a report outlining how we can reform our sexual health policy framework to better support our communities while taking into account marginalized people whose needs might not have been considered fairly. They believe in non-maleficence, that is, to not stigmatize or have a generally negative view of the subject. By following the committee's advice that: "[...] unbiased and impartial discussions regarding sexuality, sexual health, and STIs need to occur at all levels of society [...]" (Sexually Transmitted Infections: Adopting a Sexual Health Paradigm, p. 27) it will encourage healthy discussion of these infections and help people in need to seek out the resources they require to assess and treat their condition. They also, like us, advocate for sexual rights since "Addressing sexual injustice requires the affirmation of sexual rights as basic human rights that are enjoyed by all." (Sexually Transmitted Infections: Adopting a Sexual Health Paradigm, p. 28).

Furthermore, the organization argues that sexual health policy during the 20th century was mostly focused on individual risk factors and behaviors with little care for social and structural effects on sexual behavior or on broader definitions of sexual well-being that includes intersectional issues such as poverty or discrimination (Sexually Transmitted Infections: Adopting a Sexual Health Paradigm, p. 37).

Ultimately, there is a lot of progress needed to combat STIs in the USA, but we should remain hopeful and remember to follow the latest scientific advice as committees like the ASTDA work hard to analyze and improve our current medical system.

Sources:

[champlain-action-sexual-health]

Abortion in the U.S.

Over the past few years, a lot of debate was made around wether abortions should be legal or not in the United States of America. The following post will explain the changes that were made on the subject, and the consequences of the new laws, especially concerning the overturn of Roe V. Wade.

The case of Roe V. Wade basically stated that abortions are a constitutional right. Overturning it gives each state the power to decide if they want abortions to be legal or not. Sadly, the fact is that the vast majority of the people with this power are men, which means the fate of millions of women are legislated by politicians who are not implicated in the reality of having access to safe abortions.

THE CONSEQUENCES

Following this decision, many states have banned abortions. The consequences are horrifying. The ban of abortions does not exclude terminating pregnancies caused by rape and incest. This alone is devastating for the mental health of women in the U.S. Furthermore, we have seen it before, banning abortions only stop women from having safe abortions, which means many of them will simply seek dangerous ways to terminate their pregnancies. About 68,000 women die of unsafe abortions annually. Even before it was made illegal, many stigmas surrounded abortions and stopped women from choosing freely to have a child or not. Financial situations and social stigmas already pushed women to get unsafe abortions, so we can only imagine how worse it will get now that some states begun legal consequences for women who do seek an abortion.

Researchers estimated that with the ban of abortions, maternal deaths will rise by 24 percent, and by 39 percent for black women. It's simple; the fewer access to safe abortions there is, the more maternal deaths will increase.

It is our body. We deserve the right to choose, for our sake, and for the sake of all those unborn children who risk not being cared for appropriately. The system already fails children and women every day. Overturning Roe V. Wade suddenly made us regress back to 75 years ago.

Educate yourself.

SOURCES

[champlain-action-sexual-health]

Sexual health, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), is a “state of physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being [about] sexuality.” Sexual health touches many areas related to sexuality. Such as:

Positive

Sexual orientation

Gender identity

Sexual expression

Relationships

Pleasure

Negative

infections with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and reproductive tract infections (RTIs) and their adverse outcomes (such as cancer and infertility);

unintended pregnancy and abortion

sexual dysfunction

sexual violence; and

harmful practices (such as female genital mutilation (FGM))

When it comes to discussions about sexual welfare, it is essential to take a positive and respectful approach and to have an open mind (judgment-free). Opting for this approach allows a better understanding of the subject and how they can adequately care for their sexual well-being.

www.who.int/health-topics/sexual-health#tab=tab_1

nl.bridgethegapp.ca/youth/info-booth/sexual-health/

[champlain-action-sexual-health]

Who are we?

Our names are Marine Gallant, Laury Williams, Widna-Stelly Adolphe and Jessica Al Fahad. We are four students at Champlain College, Saint-Lambert, and we are creating an activism campaign for our Humanities course, called Ethics Issues for Professional Programs.

What is our goal?

This campaign has for goal to raise awareness about the lack of access to sexual health in the U.S. Our team will work on different subjects each week concerning sexual health, and we hope to help you learn more about your rights and this issue!

Why we believe it is important?

We often forget the importance of the impact the lack of sexual health knowledge and access can have on people. Plus, many are not aware of the millions of people who are currently affected by these problems. It is why we took it into our own hands to bring awareness about these issues, to bring light to theses people who are not as far as some might think. However, also have the opportunity to help other people to avoid experimenting with those problems.

What we will discuss?

As the weeks progresses, we will discuss multiple topic related to sexual health such as sexual health in general, abortion, STIs, menstruel health, contraception, hygiene (wash) facilities, and sexual education.

Where you can find us?

You can follow our entire campaign by checking out all our platforms: Instagram (@champlain.action.sexual.health), Tumblr (here!)(@champlain-action-sexual-health), and TikTok (@champlain.sex.health). Don’t miss out! Our posts will be unique across these platforms; who knows what you might learn.

How to contact us?

Want to send us an inquiry? We’re also available to chat (within one business day) on any of our social media accounts as well as our email:

mail to: champlainsexhealth@gmail.com