THE SEXUAL SELF

Objectives:
Part 1
• Identify the difference between Sex and Gender
• Run through the female and male reproductive systems
• Understanding the Science of Love
BIOLOGICAL
ASPECTS OF
THE SEXUAL
SELF
Male Reproductive System
Female Reproductive
System: External
INTERSEX
• a.k.a. Hermaphroditism
• abnormal chromosomal make-up,
characterized by mixed or
indeterminate male & female sex
characteristics
• about 1 babies in 1,000 are born
intersexed, or hermaphroditic
• This is a function of biological sex.
 CAVE
AT!
The next slides are graphic images of
intersex genitalia
What is the difference between Sex and Gender?
 SEX GENDER
▪ a person’s biological ▪ Attitudes, feelings,
status & behaviors that a
▪ categorized as male, given culture
female or intersex associates with a
▪ Indicators: sex person’s biological
chromosomes, sex.
gonads, internal
reproductive organs, ▪ The way a person
external genitalia behaves based on
their biological sex.
GENDER
⮚can be divided into a number of different components
relating to ideas of masculinity and femininity: gender
identity, gender presentation and gender role.

1. Gender Identity – sense of

ourselves as men, women or
other gendered beings

2. Gender Expression -
behaviors associated with
masculinity and femininity:
speech, dress, movement…
etc.
3. Gender Roles – the
social roles expected of
men and women in a
particular society.
SEXUAL ORIENTATION
❑ a term used to refer to a person's pattern of emotional,
romantic, and sexual attraction to people of a particular
gender (male or female)
❑ Types of sexual orientations:
1. Heterosexual – sexually attracted to people with opposite
sex
2. Homosexual – sexually attracted to same sex
3. Bisexual – sexually attracted to both men and women
4. Pansexual – attracted to people of any gender identity
5. Asexual – not sexually attracted to other people
 THE
SCIENCE OF
LOVE
CHEMISTRY OF LUST,
ATTRACTION AND
ATTACHMENT
Erogenous Zones
• Areas of the body which are highly sensitive
and produces sexual responses when
stimulated.
PHASES OF
SEXUAL
RESPONSE
Phase 1: Desire
▪ also called libido
▪ In this stage, a man or a woman begins to want or “desire”
sexual intimacy or gratification.
▪ It may last anywhere from a moment to many years.

Phase 2: Excitement
▪ also called arousal
▪ In this stage, it is characterized by but the body’s initial
response to feelings of sexual desire.
▪ May last from minutes to several hours.
Phase 3: Plateau
▪ The highest point of sexual excitement, generally lasts
between 30 seconds and three minutes.

Phase 4: Orgasm
▪ the peak of the plateau stage and the point at which
sexual tension is released, generally lasts for less than a
minute.
Phase 5: Resolution (Female)
▪ Body returns to normal physiological state.
▪ Desire for sleep
▪ Multiple orgasms are possible for some women, often it
depends on the type of stimulation.

Phase 5: Resolution (Male)

▪ Immediately following orgasm, nearly 50% of the male
erection is lost.
▪ Body returns to normal state. Muscles relax, scrotum
returns to resting state.
▪ May take 20 minutes to 2 hrs. in men.
 SEXUALLY
TRANSMITTED
INFECTIONS
and DISEASES
(STIs & STDs)
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED
DISEASES (STDS)

▪ STDs are diseases and infections which

are capable of being spread from person
to person through:
►sexual intercourse
►oral-genital contact or in non-sexual
ways.
►IV drug
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED
INFECTIONS

▪ Infections that are most commonly

passed through sexual contact:
►vaginal
►oral
►anal
►skin-to-skin
TRANSMISSION

▪ In order for transmission to occur, it is

necessary to have:
►a body fluid with the germ in it.
►a way of spreading the germ from one
person to another.
METHODS OF TRANSMISSION:
Low Risk or No Risk

►Abstaining ►Sharing lip

balm
►Hugging
►Mutual
►Kissing monogamy
►Holding hands ►Massage
►Dancing ►Sharing
►Sitting on toilets forks, knives,
etc.
METHODS OF TRANSMISSION:
High Risk

▪ Sexual Intercourse
►vaginal
►anal
►oral

▪ Blood-to-blood contact
▪ Sharing needles or other drug-use
equipment
▪ Tattoo or body piercing
▪ Infected mother to her baby
Bacterial STI
vs.
Viral STI
▪Bacterial
BacterialSTI’s Viral STI’s
include
Chlamydia, ▪Viral STI’s
LGV, gonorrhea include HPV,
& syphilis HIV, Herpes, &
Hepatitis B
▪ Can be treated
and cured with ▪ There is NO cure
antibiotics ▪ Medication
▪ Untreated available to treat
infection can symptoms only
cause PID, ▪ Can pass onto
infertility, & others for the rest
epididymitis of your life
1
Chlamydia
▪ The most common bacterial
STI
▪ Greatest number of infections
found in people 15 to 24 years
old
▪ Untreated, it can affect the
cervix and urethra, and
occasionally the rectum, throat
and eye
▪ 50% have NO symptoms -
men and women
▪ Can be treated with antibiotics
Symptoms of Chlamydia
2
Gonorrhea
▪ The 2nd most common
bacterial STI
▪ Most common in people
aged 15 to 29
▪ Can affect the cervix,
urethra, rectum, throat,
and occasionally the
eyes
▪ Can be treated with
antibiotics
▪ Often NO symptoms,
especially in females
 Symptoms of Gonorrhea

FEMALE MALE
▪ Increased vaginal ▪ Thick, yellowish-
discharge green discharge
▪ Painful urination from penis
▪ Lower abdominal ▪ Painful urination
pain
▪ Bleeding after sex ▪ Testicular pain or
and between periods swelling
▪ Pain during sex ▪ Rectal pain,
discharge or itching
3
SYPHILIS
4
GENITAL HERPES
▪ Two types: HSV-1, causing cold
(HERPES
sores, and HSV-2, SIMPLEX
causing genital VIRUS-HSV)
herpes
▪ It is a viral infection causing
outbreaks of painful sores and
blisters
▪ Spread through direct vaginal,
oral or anal sexual contact with an
infected partner
▪ Also transmitted by receiving oral
sex from a partner with a history
of cold sores
▪ Symptoms can be treated with
antiviral medications, but NO
CURE
Signs and Symptoms of HSV
▪ Prior to an outbreak, the person may
feel a tingling or burning sensation
where the virus first entered the skin
▪ Painful sores (external or internal)
▪ Inflammation and redness
▪ Fever
▪ Muscular pain
▪ Tender lymph nodes
5
HEPATITIS B (HBV)
▪ Virus that attacks the liver
▪ Most infected people (90%)
naturally produce
antibodies to fight the
disease, but some develop
chronic HBV and will carry
the virus for the rest of their
life
▪ Chronic infection can lead
to liver damage, cirrhosis,
and cancer
▪ There is NO CURE, but
vaccination can prevent
6 HUMAN PAPILLOMA
VIRUS/HPV (Genital Warts)
▪ One of the most common STIs
▪ About 75% of people will have at least one HPV infection during
their lifetime
▪ There are over 100 types of
HPV
▪ Low-risk HPV types cause
genital warts
▪ High-risk HPV types may
cause cancer of the cervix
▪ There is NO CURE, but
vaccination is available to
prevent certain types of HPV
Signs and Symptoms of HPV
▪ Many people with low-risk types
have no symptoms
▪ Other HPV types may cause:
✔ Warts on vulva, cervix, penis, scrotum,
anus or in the urethra
✔ Itchiness
✔ Discomfort and bleeding during sex
7
Human Immunodeficiency Virus
(HIV)
▪ HIV is a virus that destroys the immune system over time, robbing the
body of its ability to fight other infections and illnesses
▪ Once the immune system is weakened, other infections occur and AIDS
develops (the fatal stage of HIV infection)
▪ The virus is present in blood, semen, vaginal secretions & breast milk
▪ SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
✔ 2 to 4 weeks after exposure, some people experience mild flu-like
symptoms that last a few weeks, then disappear
✔ Many people have NO symptoms until years after exposure
✔ The only way to know is to get TESTED!
8
PUBIC LICE & SCABIES
▪ Infections caused by parasitic
infestations
▪ Pubic lice: tiny crab-like
insects that nest in pubic hair &
bite their host to feed on blood
▪ Scabies: mites that burrow
below the surface of the skin to
lay their eggs
▪ Can live for 1–3 days on
bedding, towels and clothing
▪ Treated with medicated creams
& lotions
STI PREVENTION
▪ Abstain from sexual intercourse (only
method that is 100% effective)
▪ Don’t share needles or other drug-use
equipment
▪ Have only 1 mutually faithful,
uninfected sexual partner
▪ Get tested for STI’s before having sex
▪ Use a latex condom & spermicide
▪ Avoid alcohol & other drugs
When should I get tested?
▪ Once you become sexually active, you
need a check-up & STI testing once a
year
▪ You also need an STI test if:
✔ You didn’t use a condom or the condom
broke
✔ Your partner has an STI
✔ Your partner is having sex with someone
else
✔ You have ever injected drugs
✔ You or your partner have any STI
Where to go for help?
▪ Parents
▪ Health Teacher
▪ Health Unit Clinic
▪ Family Doctor or Nurse Practitioner
▪ Walk-in-clinic
▪ Hospital Emergency Department
REMEMBER!
▪ People who engage in premarital
sex are nearly 50 percent more
likely to divorce.

▪ 3 million teens contract an STD

each year – some of which have
no cure, are a leading cause of
cervical cancer or can even lead
to infertility.
SOCIO-CULTURAL
ASPECTS OF THE
SEXUAL SELF
 • Boys & girls of the
Sambian tribe have
NEW to drink semen
GUINEA • The Sambian Tribe of New
Guinea have a tradition of
separating their boys from
the girls at the age of 7 for
10 years.
• During this period, they
undergo piercings, nose
bleeds and have to drink
the semen of the tribes
mightiest warriors
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
• Girls of the Trobriander
Tribe engage in sexual
acts from age 6
• The Trobriander Tribe
from Papua, New Guinea
embrace sexuality from
an astonishingly young
age. Boys start engaging
in sexual activity from
the age of 10-12, while
the girls start from 6
years!
 • The Kreung Tribe
CAMBODIA builds love huts where
teenaged girls can have
sex with different men
till they find the one
• With the Kreung Tribe
in Cambodia, the elders
build a love-hut for their
teenage daughters.
• Different boys spend the
night here day after day,
until she finds a suitable
partner, who is then with
her for life.
 • Adolescents of
CHATTISGARH, the Muria Tribe,
INDIA Chattisgarh, can
'practise' sex without
emotional attachment
• They have mixed-sex
dormitories where
adolescents are sent to
practice premarital sex,
sometimes with a single
partner and sometimes
serially.
• They are discouraged
from becoming
emotionally attached to
their partners.