Sexual Anatomies & Sexual Health

Learning about our sexual and reproductive anatomy, exploring our own bodies, and knowing how to be safer when we are sexually active can help us become more comfortable and confident in our bodies. We can all benefit from understanding the way our sexual and reproductive systems work, how they interact with other body functions, and how they connect to our environments, our daily lives, and our overall well-being. That self-knowledge can enhance our sexual pleasure, reduce the risk of some health problems, and help us to make informed reproductive decisions.

Because of sexist stigma, we’re often far less familiar with the look, function, and feel of our sexual organs than we are with other parts of our bodies. Women, girls, and other people who grew up with vaginas and vulvas are discouraged and even shamed for exploring and learning about them. Knowing and talking about our labia and clitorises, for example, is still widely taboo. Our reproductive organs and cycles are usually considered the business of doctors, but learning about them can enable us to know what is normal and abnormal, have more agency over our fertility, and make informed decisions in important areas such as birth control and childbirth options.