Sexual health is about more than just avoiding infections. It is also about feeling safe, respected, and confident in your body and relationships.

Our article on sex, drugs, and staying safer outlines some common effects we might experience while having sex while using drugs. 

Blood-borne infections like HIV, hepatitis B and C, and syphilis can be transmitted through unprotected sex, shared needles, and tattooing with equipment that hasn’t been sterilised. 

Some symptoms don’t show up straight away and can only be detected by getting tests done. These symptoms may be present for many years and can cause infertility.

Alcohol and other drugs can remain in the body and pass through the placenta into a baby and into breastmilk. There is more information on harm reduction when pregnant or breastfeeding in the National Harm Reduction Coalition and Academy of Perinatal Harm Reduction’s Pregnancy and Substance Use toolkit.

Sexual health includes understanding consent and boundaries. Sadly, sexual assaults can happen. Our article on what to do if your drink has been spiked has information on what you could do if you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted.

Some useful checks are: 

  • Checking for changes. These may be things like: 
    • Unusual discharges from the vagina, penis, or anus. 
    • Pain during urination or sex 
    • Irritation around the genitals or anus, such as itching, burning, rashes, sores, blisters, warts, and ulcers or lesions. 
    • Bleeding from the vagina outside of your regular menstrual cycle or after sex. 
  • Getting a sexual health check regularly (every three months). This can help you identify issues and get treatment early. You can get tested at a sexual health clinic or use home sexually transmitted infection (STI) test kits, which can be purchased from a pharmacy or some sexual health services. 
  • Reflecting on your sexual wellbeing. Pay particular attention to whether you are experiencing challenges experiencing intimacy without using drugs or if you may be using drugs to avoid intimacy with others. 
  • Any changes in the self-check list above that stick around or get worse. 
  • Feeling anxious or disconnected from your body or sexual experiences. 
  • Fever or flu-like symptoms that don’t go away. 
  • Swollen lymph nodes 
  • Yellowing of the skin or eyes 

It can help to take note of these if these symptoms stick around or get worse, as that’s a sign to investigate further. 

Doctors are likely to talk with you about your symptoms and lifestyle. This can include asking about needle sharing, new tattoos, and new sexual partners. If you feel comfortable, sharing what drugs you have used with them and sharing your recent sexual activity can help them provide better care. 

They may: 

  • Do swabs of the vagina, urethra, or rectal area to check for infections. 
  • Ask you to get urine or blood tests to check for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections. 
  • Do a visual exam (looking at your body) to check for signs of infection or irritation. 
  • Do a pregnancy test. 
  • Talk with you about whether you have any intentions to have children in the near future and if you would like contraception. 
  • Offer you DoxyPep, PrEP, or PEP.