Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Keep calm and contracept!
T2 - addressing young women’s pleasure in sexual health and contraception consultations
AU - Hanbury, Ali
AU - Eastham, Rachael Kay
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - Clinical sexual health consultations with young women often focus on avoiding ‘risks;’ namely pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection transmission. They also typically fail to explore how contraception use can impact on the capacity to enjoy sexual relationships. In contrast, this paper argues that sexual pleasure should be a starting point for all sexual health consultations and education work with young people. Drawing on our experiences of working for a UK sexual health charity for young people we suggest that excluding pleasure from sexual health consultations creates its own risks. A pleasure deficit model not only detracts from a full and frank exploration of sexuality, which is bound up with notions of sexual subjectivity and agential practices, but can also limit concerns regarding the adverse effects of contraception such as loss of libido. Using the example of long acting reversible contraception we note there is a tendency to privilege adult/‘expert’ advice over young women’s bodily knowledge. We also indicate how silence and discomfort regarding sexual pleasure may confound contraceptive consultations, for example in the case of emergency hormonal contraception provision. Establishing sexual pleasure as a starting point will provide a broader, positive and less risky focus on sexuality and sexual health.
AB - Clinical sexual health consultations with young women often focus on avoiding ‘risks;’ namely pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection transmission. They also typically fail to explore how contraception use can impact on the capacity to enjoy sexual relationships. In contrast, this paper argues that sexual pleasure should be a starting point for all sexual health consultations and education work with young people. Drawing on our experiences of working for a UK sexual health charity for young people we suggest that excluding pleasure from sexual health consultations creates its own risks. A pleasure deficit model not only detracts from a full and frank exploration of sexuality, which is bound up with notions of sexual subjectivity and agential practices, but can also limit concerns regarding the adverse effects of contraception such as loss of libido. Using the example of long acting reversible contraception we note there is a tendency to privilege adult/‘expert’ advice over young women’s bodily knowledge. We also indicate how silence and discomfort regarding sexual pleasure may confound contraceptive consultations, for example in the case of emergency hormonal contraception provision. Establishing sexual pleasure as a starting point will provide a broader, positive and less risky focus on sexuality and sexual health.
KW - Sexual pleasure
KW - sexual health
KW - young women
KW - contraception
KW - long-acting reversible contraception (LARC)
U2 - 10.1080/14681811.2015.1093925
DO - 10.1080/14681811.2015.1093925
M3 - Journal article
VL - 16
SP - 255
EP - 265
JO - Sex Education
JF - Sex Education
SN - 1468-1811
IS - 3
ER -