What it means
A broad part of health that includes biological sex, sexual orientationSEK-shoo-ul or-ee-en-TAY-shunThe pattern of a person's emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to others.Full entry , gender identityJEN-der eye-DEN-tih-teeA person's own inner sense of their gender, whether or not it matches the sex they were assigned at birth.Full entry , gender roles, intimacy and sexual activity. Illness, surgery, pregnancy, aging and many medicines (such as antidepressants and blood pressure drugs) can change sexual function and how a person feels about their body.
For the nurse
Include sexual health in the assessment, in private and without judgment, using the client's own words for their partner and identity. Give the client permission to raise concerns, and offer facts or a referral.
Related terms
sexual orientation
The pattern of a person's emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to others.
gender identity
A person's own inner sense of their gender, whether or not it matches the sex they were assigned at birth.