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Throughout history we have been warned of the misfortunes that might come with having sex. This has often led to a sexual health lens that focuses only on risk reduction, preventing infection and unintended pregnancy while leaving pleasure (arguably the biggest reason we have sex!) as an afterthought.
Pleasure is also left out of sexual health care and education as result of stigma or prioritisation, and this is despite the strong evidence to show that pleasure is key to our health and wellbeing. [1]
Working to reduce the real risks associated with sex is important of course, but we should aim for more! That means adopting a pleasure centred approach that acknowledges the importance of intimacy, consent, healthy communication and positive respectful relationships which are a big part of our sexual health and wellbeing.
A pleasure centred approach is all about celebrating sex, sexuality and the wellbeing that exists within a healthy sexual life.
As reinforced by the World Health Organization’s definition, to achieve great sexual health, we need to have a positive and respectful attitude towards sexuality and sexual relationships so that people can experience pleasurable sexual experiences free from stigma, coercion, discrimination and violence.
Why is pleasure itself important?
Incorporating pleasure into sexual health care and education recognises the full spectrum of our sexual health needs, going beyond prevention of STIs, disease and unintended pregnancy. After all, pleasure is tied to almost all concepts of human sexuality including consent and healthy relationships, anatomy and physiology, gender identity and expression, sexual health and sexual rights.
Studies have shown that we can improve attitudes and knowledge around sexual health, communication with sexual partner/s, condom use and safer sex behaviours by incorporating pleasure positive messaging in health programs and practices. [2] [3]
Embedding pleasure into sexual health care and education can support people to feel empowered to ask for what they desire, advocate for their needs and respect one another.
What are the benefits of a pleasure centred approach?
A recent meta-analysis[1] found that sexual health interventions that focused on pleasure lead to better sexual health outcomes. This groundbreaking study found that pleasure-focused interventions meant people were more likely to use condoms and use safer sex practices. It also showed that a pleasure-focused approach was an important success factor for improving knowledge around sex.
Adopting a pleasure centred approach to sexual health interventions can also:
- increase the likelihood of engaging in safer sex practices such as using condoms, mutual respect between partner/s, giving and receiving informed and enthusiastic consent and not exploiting or harming other people
- improve accessibility and make more relatable the evidence-based information, education, and care
- lead to increase access to services for care and treatment when needed
- recognise and respect the sexual rights everyone is entitled to
- foster better communication and consent including better conversations about sexual health with sexual partner/s and health care providers.[2] [3]
How can we advocate for pleasure centred approaches?
There’s lots of things we can do as individuals and organisations to create a sex positive and pleasure centred environment for ourselves and for others. Ultimately, we all benefit from weaving pleasure into conversations around our health and wellbeing.
The Pleasure Principles by The Pleasure Project is a great starting point for learning more about pleasure and pleasure-inclusive practices. The Pleasure Principles are a set of guiding principles which support people and organisations to implement a sex-positive, pleasure-based approach to sexual health.
For organisations and health care workers advocating for a pleasure centred approach we can make small changes to how we engage and communicate with clients. This could look like really listening to clients’ experiences, asking about the why and encouraging discussions about pleasure. It can also look like opening discussions on desire, consent, safety, privacy, communication and embracing sex positivity.
As an individual you can start by having more open conversations about pleasure which can help break down shame and stigma around sex. This can encourage safer sex practices and allow us to celebrate sex and sexuality and the benefits it has to our overall wellbeing.
Whether it’s starting small or thinking big picture, incorporating pleasure into our sexual health lens can have so many benefits for ourselves and for others.
More information on pleasure centred approaches:
The following resources have practical tips on integrating pleasure into your work:
IPPF: A guide to the “Why” and ”How” of Pleasure-Based Sexual Health in Youth Programming
ASHM: How prioritising pleasure is transforming sexual health care
References:
[1] Zaneva M, Philpott A, Singh A, Larsson G, Gonsalves L (2022) What is the added value of incorporating pleasure in sexual health interventions? A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE 17(2): e0261034. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261034
[2] Zaneva M, Philpott A, Singh A, Larsson G, Gonsalves L (2022) What is the added value of incorporating pleasure in sexual health interventions? A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE 17(2): e0261034. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261034
[3] Jessie V. Ford, Esther Corona Vargas, Itor Finotelli Jr., J. Dennis Fortenberry, Eszter Kismödi, Anne Philpott, Eusebio Rubio-Aurioles & Eli Coleman (2019): Why Pleasure Matters: Its Global Relevance for Sexual Health, Sexual Rights and Wellbeing, International Journal of Sexual Health, DOI: 10.1080/19317611.2019.1654587
