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This Sexual Health Week we want to amplify the voices of those who face barriers as well as those who are working tirelessly to break barriers. In this blog, Laura Scott, Research Officer at Terrence Higgins Trust, explains what THT is doing to tackle the UK’s unmet sexual health need, and what more needs to be done.
We live in challenging and changing times, with all us having competing priorities — but maintaining good sexual health is vital for everyone and we shouldn’t shy away from it. Every single person without exception deserves access to open, acceptable and appropriate sexual health information and services.
Sexual health needs can change over a lifetime and will vary, such as being taught about sexual consent, pleasurable sex and protecting against unwanted pregnancy and STIs. It’s crucial that these needs are communicated in a language or format that is accessible and inclusive.
Not everyone has their sexual health needs met. Some of us leave school without inclusive relationship and sex education, others may not be able to get an appointment at a sexual health clinic, or physically access the building to attend it. Many trans and non-binary people feel uncomfortable attending sexual health clinics due to misgendering, prejudice and being given incorrect information for their bodies.
These are all forms of unmet need and represent a failing in society – and the consequences can be life-changing.
Good quality relationship and sex education is fundamental to everyone’s health and wellbeing. Lack of awareness of how chlamydia can initially cause few or no symptoms mean that people don’t recognise the need for an STI screen. Not having the opportunity to learn about healthy relationships may make it more difficult for someone to recognise when their partner is demonstrating harmful behaviours.
Recent data from the Sex Education Forum suggests that one third of young people are still finishing school without being taught how to access a sexual health service. In addition, 46% were not taught about sexual pleasure and 28% did not learn how to recognise healthy relationships.
We also know that STIs do not affect everyone equally.
Half of all diagnoses are in people aged 15 – 24 years. Rates of gonorrhoea and chlamydia are four times higher in people of Black ethnicity compared to people of white ethnicity. In addition, marginalised groups such as people living with disabilities and those who aren’t fluent in English may struggle to access complete and appropriate care for their sexual health.
The monkeypox outbreak has put extreme pressure on sexual health services, particularly in London. Overwhelmed sexual health services have had to make difficult decisions on what to prioritise with their limited resources, which has in turn increased unmet need in wider sexual health, including contraception, STI testing and PrEP access.
Since 1982, Terrence Higgins Trust has supported people impacted by HIV and poor sexual health. Thanks to the incredible progress we’ve made, our work today is very different – but still life-changing.
Since 2012, we’ve ran National HIV Testing Week in collaboration with the Department for Health and Social Care, aiming to increase HIV testing, particularly among those from groups most affected by HIV, including gay and bisexual men and heterosexual Black people of African heritage.
Our charity also campaigned for years to make PrEP, a pill taken by HIV negative people to protect themselves against the virus, available for free from sexual health clinics. The fight for PrEP access continues today to increase the awareness of the benefits of taking the HIV prevention pill for all communities and ensure no-one is left behind.
Terrence Higgins Trust were also the first third-sector organisation in the world to publicly endorse the U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) message, meaning people living with HIV and on effective treatment can’t pass it on to their partners. This is a vital message that has the power to transform perceptions of HIV and the lives of people living with the virus.
Everyone deserves access to sexual health information that is relevant to their bodies and experience.
That’s why in 2020 we worked with over 200 trans, non-binary, and gender diverse people to create a resource that meets their sexual health needs to tackle the unmet need in this community.
While we’re doing all we can to reduce the unmet sexual health needs of people across the UK, it’s clear that more research needs to be done to understand why people continue to face barriers to sexual health. That’s why Terrence Higgins Trust are conducting a research project to find out more about it. It will look at the ways in which factors like poverty and insecure housing can affect the unmet need and how information and services can be made inclusive and accessible for everyone.
Please complete our online survey to be entered into a prize draw and have a chance of winning one three £100 love to shop vouchers!
Sharing your experiences and views in this survey is the first step in helping us make change happen. To push for improvements in services so that everyone can have the happy and healthy sex lives that they choose.
If you would like to find out more about this research or become a participant please contact laura.scott@tht.org.uk.
It’s time to break the barriers and tackle major inequalities we see in sexual health across the UK.
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