THEGAYUK

Tag: Sexual Health

The latest news from the world of sexual health. Everything you needed to know about gay sexual health. If you’ve got a question don’t forget to ask our experts.

  • Update on cluster of Meningitis cases in gay men in Europe

    Public Health England have released advise on the clusters of meningococcal disease in MSM in USA and Europe

    An outbreak of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) (serogroup C) has been reported amongst men who have sex with men (MSM) in New York City, with 22 cases notified between August 2010 and February 2013. There have been seven deaths, five of which were among HIV-positive cases. New York City Health Department has been recommending vaccination for all men who had regular intimate contact with multiple male partners whom they met through a website, smartphone application, bar or party, in New York City since 1 September 2012. This recommendation was initially limited to known HIV-infected men but was later expanded to HIV-uninfected men with the same high risk behaviours.

    Lisa Power, Policy Director at Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “Doctors have recently reported small clusters of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) (serotype C) among gay men in New York, Berlin and Paris. This is a type of meningitis. There have been a small number of deaths in those cities, particularly in men with HIV, and we are aware that news of this is spreading via social media and word of mouth.

    “IMD type C is very rare in the UK, with around 30 cases a year overall. The UK has a vaccination programme which means that most men aged 35 and under will already have been vaccinated, and the vaccine is available free on the NHS to anyone under 25. An outbreak in London, or anywhere else in the UK, is therefore considered much less likely, but gay men who are concerned about the news can download an app about symptoms from the Meningitis Trust. All HIV and sexual health clinicians have had a briefing from Public Health England giving the facts.

    “Realistically, if you’re out there partying this summer, you’re much more at risk of HIV, Hepatitis C, gonorrhoea or sunstroke. Take your suncream, condoms, and HIV treatment if you’re positive, and stay informed.”

    To find out the symptons of Meningitis visit: http://www.meningitis-trust.org

  • HIV Campaign ” It Starts With Me”

    Health Protection Agency has given two years of funding to the Terrence Higgins Trust to deliver the ‘It Starts With Me’ HIV Campaign. This campaign focuses on three aspects: Test, Treat and Protect.

    Did you know that 8 out of 10 gay men get HIV from a man that doesn’t know that he’s got it? Or that 100,000 people in the UK have HIV but don’t know it? If these aren’t good enough reasons to encourage you to get a HIV test here are some more: regular testing gives you piece of mind, it’s free, confidential and convenient.

     

    You can arrange an appointment at your local sexual health clinic or even do a test through a postal kit. Jake, our Editor, recently reviewed the home testing kit. ‘It Starts With Me’ campaign even has a ‘Do I need an HIV test?’ Questionnaire, answer five quick and easy questions to establish if you need a HIV test. Earlier testing helps get quicker access to treatment for those that are HIV positive.

     

    A better understanding of HIV has led to treatment that gives a HIV positive person a feeling of better health and a longer life. According to ‘It Starts With Me,’ earlier treatment can extend your life expectancy by about 10 years; equally delaying testing and starting treatment can cost you 10 years of your life.

     

    The Campaign video (below) says that treatment stop the spread of HIV by reducing amount of HIV in a HIV positive person’s blood stream to an ‘undectable level’ meaning that they are unlikely to pass on HIV. Watch the video here:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqMxrLqHAVo

     

    The Department for Health, Terrence Higgins Trust and all other sexual health organisations recommend the use of condoms when having sex. Condoms are the best way to Protect against HIV, especially when 8 out of 10 gay men get HIV from a man who doesn’t know that he’s got it.

     

    Gay men 25-29 years old are most likely to test HIV positive, but HIV doesn’t discriminate on age, gender, race, sexuality or for any other reason. If you’re worried about HIV you can speak to your GP, local sexual health clinic, or call Terrence Higgins Trust on 0808 802 1221. If you’ve got a sexual health question, visit TheGayUK sexual health section:http://www.mysexhealth.thegayuk.com

     

    If you’ve recently been diagnosed HIV positive, the forums on: http://www.myhiv.org.uk are said to be helpful along with Terrence Higgins Trust Website.

     

    There are also several bloggers who share their experience living with HIV; here are just a few of them:

     

    Alex: HIV & Me

    Website: http://alexsparrowhawk.wordpress.com

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/birdy_tweet

     

    HIVing The Dream

    Website: http://hivingthedream.wordpress.com

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/HIVingTheDream

     

    HIVPozGuy

    Website: http://hivpozguy.com

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/hivpozguy

     

    UKPositiveLad

    Website: http://www.ukpositivelad.com

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/UKPositiveLad

     

    Remember to get tested regularly, if you’re HIV positive to get treatment and always protect yourself using condoms when having sex. Together we can and will stop the spread of HIV.

  • OPINION | Pornography in the classroom

    If you are looking for a pleasant evening of entertainment, you appreciate a traditional, old fashioned musical and if you enjoy the slightly twee nature of the MGM classic musicals, then you will enjoy this very well rounded production.

    Predictably this has caused the usual moral outcry from Christian groups and claims that this is sexualising children. On a recent televised debate, I expressed the views that the discussion with teenagers was appropriate and that we cannot deny the existence of the porn industry and its place in modern society.

    Nobody is suggesting that that porn is shown as part of the sex education lessons but knowledge is indeed power and to allow the discussion in the safe classroom environment is healthy. By talking in an open and honest way we are taking the demonization of porn away and allowing teenagers to see it for what it is, an expression of human sexuality. We are equipping them with the skills to make an informed choice. Lessons on drugs and alcohol are common place; these inform and advise about the dangers of addiction. Of course, this in an important aspect of the discussion and education of pornography. For example a young gay man may only have the opportunity to express themselves through pornography and they may be in particular risk of becoming addicted.

    Beyond that it enables us to open into the discussion about body types and imagery. Indeed in gay porn the types typically represented are classically either slim feminine looking “twinks” or smooth muscular jocks. For the young gay man coming to terms with his sexuality and masculinity, it can be confusing and intimidating to feel that they need to confirm to these sexual types. The message being sent is that only these types have active satisfying sex lives and considered desirable. Not everyone is toned, hairless, beautiful and waxed, that is an image that is represented because it the most commercially viable.

    The other discussion that is prevalent within the porn industry is unsafe sex practices and the rise of bareback porn. Nobody in the porn industry is completely reckless and studios that film in this manner insist that performers are regularly tested and validated before filming scenes. However, this is not represented to the average teenager viewing porn across the internet in the seclusion of their bedroom.

    What bareback porn does is normalise reckless sexual behaviour. The latest figures from Public health England indicates a rise of 5% in STD infections in the past year with chlamydia and gonorrhoea being the highest cause reported cases. The discussion of safe sex is already happening but clearly, the message is being lost.

    Pornography can allow young men and woman to explore their fantasies in a safe manner. It may be the case that they are not entirely comfortable with the concept of same-sex attraction or bisexuality. Through viewing porn or reading erotica, it allows the teenager to define and experiment with their own sexual identity. Pornography allows them the space to express this desire without feeling intimidated and free from judgment.

    Returning to the central argument, I have provided reasons as to why it is important for us to engage with teenagers about pornography as part of sex education. As I said before knowledge is power and it is important that we pass that power onto the most vulnerable members of society. If we choose to ignore the porn industry, then we run risk of being naive at best and ignorant at worst, and ignorance is never a lesson we should be teaching.

     

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, it’s management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • Nearly half a million new sexual infections in 2012

    Worrying statistics from Public Health England reveal that new sexual health infections are up 5%, whilst the Terrence Higgins Trust calls the news a ‘wake up’ call for gay men.

    From a statement on the gov.uk website:

    “New sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnoses rose 5% in 2012 according to Public Health England (PHE) data published today (5 June, 2013), mostly due to improved data collection. However, the continuing high STI rates in England suggest too many people are still putting themselves at risk through unsafe sex, especially young adults and men who have sex with men (MSM).

    “Chlamydia remained the most commonly diagnosed STI (206,912; 46%), but considerable numbers of genital warts (73,893; 16%) and genital herpes (32,021; 7%) cases were also reported last year. New gonorrhoea diagnoses rose 21% overall (from 21,024 in 2011 to 25,525 in 2012), and by 37% in the MSM population (to 10,754).

    “Those aged under 25 experienced the highest STI rates, contributing 64% chlamydia and 54% of genital warts diagnoses in heterosexuals in 2012. Young adults are advised to test for chlamydia annually or on change of sexual partner, as part of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme to control the infection and its complications. In 2012, over 1.7 million chlamydia tests were undertaken and over 136,000 diagnoses made.”

     

    Lisa Power, Policy Director at Terrence Higgins Trust, said,

    “The rising numbers of almost every STI among gay men should act as a wakeup call to us all. Unlike heterosexuals, where most infections are in young people aged 15-24, gay men are most likely to get STIs in their late 20s and 30s and high levels continue into their 50s. This is due to differing patterns of sexual behaviour, and more frequent partner change.

    “We need to remind ourselves that treatment as prevention works to reduce transmission of HIV, but it doesn’t do anything to prevent other STIs – and sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhoea and chlamydia actually increase the risk of HIV transmission, even when someone is on treatment. As such, condoms remain a key ingredient not just in protecting against STIs, but also in controlling the spread of HIV.”

    “Gonorrhoea in particular has increased by a third in the last year in gay men and has tripled since 2009. In the context of new reports of drug-resistant strains of the infection, it is vital that gay and bisexual men use condoms and go for regular sexual health check ups to control the outbreak.

    “On a more positive note, these numbers also highlight the success of improved testing for gonorrhoea, with throat swabs detecting many previously untreated infections. But if we are going to see these figures to begin to drop, we need local authorities to invest properly in prevention measures and testing for STIs. The national campaign from HIV Prevention England is promoting condoms and testing among gay men, but without sustained local investment alongside it cannot be enough.”

  • GMFA Faces Uncertain Future After Funding Cuts

    GMFA Faces Uncertain Future After Funding Cuts

    As Sexual Health becomes the focus of a new programme on Channel 4 tonight, one of UK’s leading gay health charities, GMFA looks set to be losing its funding, leaving it with an uncertain future.

    Pinknews is reporting that GMFA, which was founded in 1992, will no longer receive funding for its London HIV Information Services after being notified that funding had been cut from the Pan-London HIV Prevention Programme, which is funded by the NHS.

    Services affected will be GMFA’s websites and the sex and health magazine, FS – as well as Terrence Higgins Trust press advertising campaigns.

    GMFA’s Head of Programmes, Matthew Hodson, said:

    “I am genuinely shocked and appalled by these decisions. I fail to understand the thinking behind it. There are more gay men living with HIV in London than anywhere else in the UK, and the numbers continue to rise.

    “Considering the size of London’s gay population, there is an urgent need for broad based campaigns and information resources, which are able to reach 1,000s of men. All of the work that is continuing to be funded can at best only reach a fraction of London’s gay population, and these cuts comes at a time when the need to raise awareness is higher than ever.”

    Cary James, Head of Health Improvement Programmes at Terrence Higgins Trust, said:

    “This kind of large-scale cut to HIV prevention is always risky, but in areas of high prevalence it is positively short-sighted. The capital has by far the highest level of HIV in the UK. Cutting prevention services here will lead to an increase in new infections, each of which incurs a lifetime treatment cost to the NHS of anywhere up to £350,000. We are doing everything we can to fill the gaps, but without sustained investment in city-wide prevention work we and our partner organisations will be fighting with one arm tied behind our back.”

    The cuts come at a time where new HIV infections amongst gay men are at an all time high. Higher than the levels recorded in the 1980s.

    56 Dean Street, The Gay UK’s official sexual health partners are the focus of a brand new programme tonight on Channel 4. The documentary follows the team at London’s busiest sexual health clinic.

  • NEWS: Are We Getting Close To Eradicating HIV?

    With new HIV cases on the rise in young gay men it’s great to hear some encouraging news coming from researchers about new drugs which have been helping to part cure HIV infections amongst early detection cases.

    (more…)

  • They Fit Condoms Reviewed

    You know what they say about a man with large hands… He has large gloves. Well what if he has a large c**k? TheyFit condoms guarantee the perfect fit for your sized manhood.

    (more…)

  • Sex And Relationship For Gay And Bisexual Men London

    Terrence Higgins Trust launches sex and relationships groups for gay and bisexual men in London.

    (more…)

  • Pilot HIV Home Test Scheme Launched

    Pilot HIV Home Test Scheme Launched

    HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust and the Health Protection Agency are co-launching a pilot project that will allow gay and bisexual men to access HIV home sampling kits by post.

    (more…)

  • ADVICE | Do condoms protect you from every sexual disease?

    ADVICE | Do condoms protect you from every sexual disease?

    This week our specialists Jake Jenkins and Jenna Thomas from 56 Dean Street talk about condoms.

    do condoms protect you from every STIs
    Bigstock

    Dear TGUK & 56DS
    Everyone says that If you want a safer sex, you have to use condom. But can it prevent all diseases?
    Best Jimmie

    Dear Jimmie

    Having safer sex means having sex which has less risk of catching or passing on an STI.

    Using a condom is the best way to do this, however it doesn’t completely prevent you from catching an STI. Lots of things can affect how likely you are to catch an STI such as a condom slipping or breaking during sex and contact during foreplay such as rubbing, masturbating each other and oral sex. A few things that can help are ensuring a condom is used from start to finish during penetration, using latex condom friendly lubricant (such as water or silicone based) and regular screening for STIs.

    Do not use Vaseline or oil based lubricants. You can walk in for a HIV test and Hepatitis B vaccines any time at 56 Dean Street and can make an appointment for a full screen. However if you are under the age of 20 you can walk in to the clinic at any time for a full screen. There is also a dedicated service for young people which runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening, details of this an be found on the website (http://www.chelwest.nhs.uk/services/hiv-sexual-health/clinics/56-dean-street/young-persons-services).

    Even if you do everything right accidents can happen so it’s good to know about PEP, this is a course of medication you may be able to take if you have been at high risk of HIV. You can also walk in to the clinic to discuss PEP with a member of staff.

     

    OTHER QUESTIONS: HIV | WILLY WONDERS | HOLES | DOING IT | STIs | LUMPS & BUMPS | BACK TO SEX CLINIC HOME PAGE

     

    Got a problem you’d like advice on?

  • ADVICE | I Have Slept With Over 700 Guys Am I Addicted To Unprotected Sex?

    Am I Addicted To Unprotected Sex?

    Dear 56DS and TGUK

    I’m in my mid 20s and I’m a bit of sex lover. I’ve probably been with over 700 guys in the last 2 years, which makes my friends laugh, but I think I’m a bit addicted to it.

    Some of the sex has been whilst drunk or on drugs (never needles) and I can’t be certain that it’s always been protected sex.

    I am around 80% the top in these shags. So I’ve been told that the likelihood is that I’m fine, but just wondering.

    I’ve had a few STDs and had those cleared up but I’m feeling a little bit worried as I always do this time of year with WorldAIDS Day coming up…

    I have been to the clinic, but not this year.

     

    Hi there;
    Thanks for your question.

    Being top may be less risky than being the bottom, but there is still a risk, and guys who only top still get HIV. This is because of HIV can also be found in mucosal secretions inside someone’s bum. Using condoms will protect you against HIV and most STIs regardless of how many partners you have. However, it’s possible that condoms break, or you can get STIs including HIV through oral sex, although getting HIV through oral sex is rare.

    Some people say that taking drugs including alcohol makes them more relaxed and more likely to take risks. Sometimes when people get caught in the moment they may feel invincible and forget to do the things they normally would to protect their health. It’s really important that you keep control by using condoms and getting yourself checked regularly for sexually transmitted infections. This should be for all STIs not just HIV.

    If you do have HIV finding out can save your life (if you have had it for many years) or add years to your life. HIV is now a manageable health condition and life expectancy may be almost the same if diagnosed early and you start treatment at the right time. It’s better to know as you can take control of your own health and protect your partners.

    It sounds like you may want to visit our CODE clinic, a walk-in service between 5-7pm on Tuesdays for gay men who use drugs during sex. The team are super friendly, non-judgemental and there to help you. They can advise you on drug taking, help you to reduce or stop and explain more about risks of STIs. Also, they know a lot about the harder sex scene, if that happens to be your thing.

    In terms of the number of partners, it’s really important that you are having a healthy, enjoyable sex life which is not harmful to your mental or physical health.

    If you’re worried that you may have sex addiction then help is available. There is an online screening tool at www.sexhelp.com which is free. It will give you a score and explain what that means. There are also lots of resources on the www.sexaddictionhelp.co.uk and www.recoverynation.com websites. We provide support at 56 Dean Street and if you visited the clinic with an appointment with a health advisor we could refer you to this service.

    Hope that helps;

    Jenna and Jake.

     

    OTHER QUESTIONS: HIV | WILLY WONDERS | HOLES | DOING IT | STIs | LUMPS & BUMPS | BACK TO SEX CLINIC HOME PAGE

     

    Got a problem you’d like advice on?