How My Condition Can Impact My Sexual Health
Asking Your Physician or Specialist About Your Sexual Health
Sexual development can be affected by health conditions, medicines, or treatments. School lessons and the internet might not explain what this means for your body, so it’s important to ask trusted adults or health care professionals and use reliable resources to help you understand what’s right for you.
- Make a list of questions before your appointment so you are prepared.
- Ask how your health condition, medications, or treatments might affect your puberty, sexual development, or body changes.
- Ask about your periods (menstruation), changes in body hair, skin, and hormones. Can your development be delayed or different from others?
- Ask about contraception options especially if you are at risk for side effects because of your condition or medications.
- Check if there are symptoms you should know or watch for because of your health condition.
- Ask about safe sex, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and ways to protect yourself.
- If you are sexually active, start learning about your ability to have children, any possible limits, and whether genetic counselling might be helpful for you.
- Ask about condition-specific websites, clinics, specialists or workshops that have sexual health info for your specific needs.
- Record what you learn in your Health Profile.
Learning So You Can Make Informed Choices
- Track your body changes and notice patterns, like periods or moods. Record them on your phone calendar app.
- Talk to a parent, guardian, or another adult you trust about questions you have.
- Ask for guidance from a school nurse, counsellor, or youth health clinic staff on general sexual health issues.
- Use youth-focused and that are connected to well-researched information.
- Attend workshops, webinars, or school programs about sexual health and safe practices.
- Keep a personal journal or Notes app on your phone to track your questions, answers, and decisions.
- Think about what feels right for your body and your comfort level.
- Understand the risks and benefits of choices like contraception or sexual activity.
“Learning about your sexual health is an important part of understanding your body and taking care of yourself. It might be similar or different from your friends if you have a chronic health condition or a disability. Regular school sexual education might not answer the questions you have. Everyone’s experience is unique, so it’s okay to have questions and take your time to learn.”
Tip
Remember: it’s okay to ask questions more than once and take your time making decisions.
Youth Toolbox
Using Your Phone
Notes app to record any symptoms that are new or worrying you, questions and choices.
Calendar app – note date of any changes or concerns.
Contacts app – make a list of sexual health clinics and services in your area.
Safe Relationships & Setting Boundaries
Understanding Your Feelings & Boundaries
- Start by thinking about your family, cultural, personal beliefs, and values.
- Be honest with your partner about your health needs, feelings, and concerns long before your become physically involved.
- Talk about how chronic pain, fatigue, or other symptoms that might affect your energy and desires.
- Talk to your physician or a trusted knowledgeable adult about any new feelings around your sexuality.
- Be open to talk about your physical and emotional feelings as they can change.
- Remember that you always have the right to say what you want and need in a relationship.
- With your partner, talk about how you are going to communicate when you are ready, what you want, and when to say no or stop.
- Use your skills in advocating for yourself to ensure your voice is heard in your sexual relationships.
Focusing on Being Safe in Your Relationships
- Be real with your partner about your health condition, needs, and personal boundaries so you both understand and respect each other.
- Speak up if your comfort with closeness or intimacy has changed because of your body or health. Surgeries, scars, weight changes, or medical devices can impact how you feel in your body and so it can change how you feel when you are vulnerable and intimate with someone.
- Use protection! Practice safe sex by using protection like condoms and dental dams, especially if there are concerns about transmission of infections or pregnancy.
- Know that some medicines or treatments can change how your body responds to acts of intimacy. It is important to talk about it with your partner.
- Be open to talking to a therapist our councillor (solo or with your partner – its up to you). They can help guide you with suggestions on how to cope with your physical changes and emotional needs.
Making Consent a Priority
- Make consent a priority. Consent is everything in a relationship. Make sure its mutual, ongoing, and clear. And remember, you can pause or say “no” and withdraw your consent at ANY time.
- Know about the law and safety issues around sexting. There are risks with anything you send online or on your phone.
- Learn about sex and consent from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada in Sex and U.
- Have your own safety plan. Learn about a safety plan in the resource kit and/or create your own with the template from Kids Help Phone.
“If you’re living with a health condition, disability, or chronic symptoms, your feelings and relationships – especially intimate ones – might look a little different. And that’s totally ok! The key is to stay safe, feel respected, and know your boundaries. Being open about your needs and checking in with your partner can help build a stronger, more supportive connection.”
Tip
Check your information carefully. Use well-researched and established websites to learn about your sexuality.
Youth Toolkit
UsIng Your Phone
Notes app to record any symptoms that are new or worrying you.
Calendar app to note date of changes or symptoms.
Contacts app – Sexual health clinics and services in your area.
Call or text Sex Sense (Options for Sexual Health) to ask your questions.
1-800-739-7367
Learning about Screening, Birth Control & Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
Learning About Health Screening
Some health conditions, medications, treatments and even your family history can increase your risk for cancers and other conditions. This is why regular screening and self-checks matter.
- Know that self-checks and screening tests are important to do because they help you notice changes in your body early and get help before small problems become big ones.
- Regular check-ins with your body also help you learn what’s normal for you and when things change – like lumps, bumps, pain or discharge.
- Talk to your physicianor health care professionals about which annual screening tests are right for you based on your age, sex, gender identity, medications, treatments, and health history.
Tracking Your Sexual Health History & Screening
Keeping track of your sexual health is an important part of your overall wellbeing.
- Learn about screening testslike breast, mammograms, testicular, prostate, and cervical exams, including what they are and who does them. Check out Healthlink BC for more information.
- Ask what screening tests you should have done and how often. Record your screening dates on your calendar and review your test results.
- Keep track of any sexually-transmitted infections (STI) history in your health profile (include the name of the infection, symptoms, treatment, and when it started).
- Know how often you should be tested for STIs based on your sexual activity, partners, and protection methods.
- Use your health calendaror phone to record when you had tests, treatments, or checkups, and to set reminders for follow- ups and other recommended health screening tests.
Understanding Birth Control & Protection
- Learn about the different birth control options – like the pill, patch, IUD, implant, condoms, or emergency contraception. Each has pros, cons, and side effects.
- Talk to your physician or a sexual health clinic to figure out what method is best for YOU based on your values, body, health condition, treatments, and medications.
- Don’t forget protection against STIs – condoms and dental dams help reduce the risk of infections during sex.
- If you’re sexually active, getting tested regularly for STIs is just part of taking care of yourself and your partners. It’s normal, responsible, and nothing to be ashamed of – ever.
Using Sexual Health Services
- Use all the skills you have learned in preparing for a health visit, self-advocating for yourself, and having your list of questions.
- Understand that the staff in youth health clinics are there to help you – not judge you.
- Take the opportunity to ask questions about anything sex and or your emotional health.
- Learn about how to keep yourself safe, ask about boundaries, protection and where to get help, if needed.
- Check out Youth Clinics in your area for free, youth-friendly confidential sexual health services.
- Search for STI Screening and Testing – BC Centre for Disease control.
- Check the Clinic Finder for Options for Sexual Health Clinics across BC.
- Know that you can get Checked for an STI Online – run by the BC Centre for Disease Control.
“Self-checks and screening tests are important to do because they can help you notice changes in your body early and get help before small problems become big ones. Pay attention to your body and take action if something doesn’t feel right. If you are sexually active, be responsible and have yourself and your partner tested for STI’s. Taking care of your sexual health is part of taking care of your overall health and well-being.”
Tip
Ask your physician or specialist if your health conditions, medications, or treatments put you at a greater risk of being diagnosed with a secondary health condition or cancer. If so, what screening tests are recommended?
Youth Toolkit
Use Your Phone
Calendar app for recording your screening dates and birth control updates.
Set Alarms or Reminders for appointments and screening dates.
Icloud to access your Health Profile with sexual health updates.
Navigating My Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation
Coming Soon!
Exploring Family Planning & Genetic Counselling
“Being sexually active can come with big decisions, including the possibility of having a baby. If you have a health condition, talking with your doctor, nurse practitioner, specialist, or a genetic counsellor can help you understand your options and/or any risks to your baby.”
Tip
Request a referral to a specialist for up-to-date information on how your health condition may impact your reproductive choices.
Understanding Your Reproductive Health Options
If you are sexually active or thinking about becoming sexually active – you may want to explore information about your reproductive health. Like – can I cause a pregnancy, can I carry a pregnancy, what are my options and my choices. Your body, your future, your choices.
- Ask your doctor for a referral to a specialist who knows about sexual and reproductive health related to your condition.
- Ask how your health condition, treatments, or medications might affect your ability to get pregnant and have a baby.
- Find out if your condition is genetic (runs in your family) and whether genetic counselling could help you understand your options.
- Learn the basics about ovulation, sperm production, egg implantation, and pregnancy—no question is too small or awkward.
Planning Ahead & Protecting Your Future
- Ask if your medications are safe during pregnancy and what changes might be needed before, during, or after
- Talk about your prognosis (how your condition might change over time) and how that could affect your health or ability to raise a child.
- Explore fertility preservation options like egg freezing or sperm banking before starting certain treatments.
- Ask about birth control options that work well with your condition and medications.
Keep track of what you learn—take notes, save test results, and update your information in your Mywell Health digital or paper files
