Sexual health – articles and advice
Birth control
Features on sexual health, relationships and safe practices. For detailed medical reference, see our Patient Information Leaflets on sexual health.
Birth control
Birth control gives you choices about when to have children. Learn about the different methods, how they work, and which might suit you best.
- Does hormonal contraception affect fertility after you stop taking it?
- Which medications can affect your contraception?
- The pros and cons of female condoms
- Does the contraceptive pill increase your risk of blood clots?
- Secret shoppers: Are women given the best contraception advice?
- What's the future of contraception?
- Will we ever have a male contraceptive pill?
- How long to wait before your second baby
- Is it safe to skip your period on the pill?
- Should you consider the copper coil for emergency contraception?
- What to do about contraception after giving birth
- Does hormonal contraception affect your sex drive?
- Are fertility apps a reliable form of contraception?
- When will I become fertile again after coming off contraception?
- Do contraceptive pills change your behaviour?
- What is post-birth control syndrome?
- What happens when you come off the pill?
- Signs you're on the wrong contraceptive pill
- Can you prevent breakthrough bleeding on the pill?
- Which types of condoms are best for preventing pregnancy?
Long-acting reversible contraceptives
- Should you change your contraception to the coil or implant?
Hormone pills patches and rings
- Morning after pill myths debunked
- What to expect when you take the morning after pill
- Easy ways to get the pill: options beyond the GP surgery
Fertility
Trying for a baby? Learn about factors that affect fertility in men and women, and when it may be time to seek help.
- How common is male infertility, and what causes it?
- How your lifestyle may be a cause of low sperm count
- Scientists develop sperm separation method for sex selection
- How an underactive thyroid affects fertility
- Do anabolic steroids cause infertility?
- Junk food diet linked to low sperm count
- Protecting your mental health during fertility treatment
- The truth about getting pregnant after 40
- The truth about egg freezing
- What not to say to someone experiencing infertility
- Does your ethnicity influence your fertility success?
- Why is egg freezing on the rise and is it safe?
Men's sexual health
Sexual health matters at every age. Learn about erectile dysfunction, low libido, and other men’s health concerns—and how they can be treated.
Other sexual health
Sexual health covers more than just STIs. Learn about topics from libido changes to pain during sex and how to get support.
- Preparing for your smear test as a survivor of sexual violence
- Sexual health at work - should bosses be doing more?
- The most likely reasons for your low sex drive
- Teenage sex education: the best digital resources for your child
- What happens when you visit a sexual health clinic?
- What young people really want from sex education
- What you need to know about sexual consent
- What to do after rape or sexual assault
- Why is sexual violence against men on the rise?
- Where to get help for sexual assault
Sexually transmitted infections
STIs can be common and often show few symptoms. Learn how to protect yourself, get tested, and access discreet, effective treatment.
- Is it easy to have an HIV test?
- How good is PEP for preventing HIV?
- What you need to know about HPV
- Why regular STI checks are so important
- Why are STIs on the rise in older people?
- What to do if you think you have an STI
- What impact has COVID-19 had on HIV testing?
- Stigma of HIV and representations in the media
- Living with HIV from birth
- How often should you visit a sexual health clinic for a check-up?
- How do you know if you have HIV?
- Can you live a long, healthy life with HIV?
- Should HIV prevention pills be available on the NHS?
- Video: What are the different types of STI?
- Video: How does PID affect fertility?
- How to cope with a genital herpes diagnosis
- Why is syphilis on the rise?
- What living with HIV is like today
- Scientists identify a mechanism to 'neutralise' HIV
- A chlamydia vaccine has passed initial safety tests
- Why is PrEP still not available on the NHS in England?
- What not to say to someone with HIV
- What are universities doing to support student sexual health?
- Calls for improved access to sexual health services as STI rates soar
- The STIs you've never heard of
- Dispelling common myths about HIV and AIDS
- Women's HIV prevention: the importance of the vaginal ring
- First long-acting injectable HIV treatment approved
- What is the difference between HIV and AIDS?
- World AIDS Day: Where are we now with HIV?
- Who should take the HIV prevention drug PrEP?
- How to cope with an HIV diagnosis
- HIV in women: what you should know
- How quickly do different STIs spread?
- Is oral sex less risky than intercourse?
- Safeguarding your sexual health at university
- The best way to treat a herpes outbreak
- Home STI tests: how they work and what to expect
- Can you get chlamydia from kissing?
- Oral sex: what you need to know to stay healthy
Women's sexual health
Women’s sexual health changes over time. Learn about conditions like vaginal dryness, pain during sex, and how to seek discreet help.
- How to orgasm more easily during sex
- The health benefits of sex toys
- The female reproductive system
- Can women take Viagra?
- What can cause low libido in women?
- The most likely causes of pain during sex
- Understanding vulvodynia and why it causes painful sex
- How to overcome vaginismus and relax your pelvic floor