This is not leading up to a joke.

If people do not know how to report what sexual activity they are having or have had to physicians, the doctors may skip tests patients actually need, for instance. They may not know to advise them correctly when giving them contraceptive advice or prescriptions. For older males, the list of medical conditions which may be “concerns” if they want a prescription for Viagra or Cialis crosses a number of specialties and includes conditions patients may not realize could be a problem.  Men need to be sure that all of their medical diagnoses are considered as their doctors consider what can work for them. Those are powerful drugs, obviously.

As if there were not enough confusion measured in this study—more than one could imagine given the sexual explicitness which surrounds us in the media— many doctors don’t have time or, frankly, the skill, to get patients to speak openly about their sex lives.

When you are in for a doctor’s visit, if the doctor asks you a question about sexual activity, you should say, “Let me tell you how I define that.” Then you can report what you have done or anticipate doing.

Most doctors don’t care what you do. Bodies are parts to them. Does this part work right or not? If not, what can we do about it?

They do care that you tell them what the facts are so that they can take care of you.

Sexual activity can affect your health in more ways that you might think.

Don’t hold back in the exam room when this is the topic, please. Do be clear in the exam room what activities you mean.

This item is from the newspaper’s blog, Booster Shots.

The Los Angeles Times

“Had sex. Those two little words can sure elicit a reaction depending on when and where they’re uttered. But what does “had sex” mean, anyway? It seems that no one knows. In a new study from the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University, researchers found no consensus on what “had sex” means. They conducted a random, telephone survey of 204 men and 282 women living in Indiana.”

Source: Los Angeles Times,

Citation: Sexual Health Sexual Health,  7(1) 31–34   doi:10.1071/SH09068