Last year, our community champion Simphiwe Sesane wrote a blog on “Normalising Perimenopause conversations and management in Women of Colour” In this, she highlighted some of the health inequalities faced by black women and women of colour and how it impacts their relationship with accessing healthcare for perimenopause.  For International Women’s Day Simphiwe has written more on perimenopause itself, its less commonly known symptoms and alternative routes for treatment. Quite often, health disparities are discussed from the perspective of accessibility and communities that are yet to eng ..read more

This World Contraception Day, we highlight the importance of discussions and information-sharing about contraceptive methods in education systems. Desiring every pregnancy to be intended, and every woman to be able to control if and when she becomes pregnant, World Contraception Day is a worldwide campaign that aims to improve awareness of contraceptive methods and enable young people to make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health.   Love Sex Life Community Champion Avanti Arseculeratne spoke to Joshua Powell who describes his journey into education, and his desi ..read more

To mark this  year’s Sexual Health Week theme of “Breaking Barriers”, we want to shed light on how to tackle stigma, lack of safe spaces and culturally responsive sexual health care, to make sure everyone has the information and resources they need to stay safe and healthy, especially those who are overlooked in healthcare.  When it comes to sexual and reproductive health, Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham face some of the biggest challenges within the country, with high rates of STIs and HIV transmission. In particular, Black communities living within these boroughs are some of the wo ..read more

Written by: Avanti Arseculeratne On a sweltering Sunday morning in Brockwell Park, Chad Morgan organises his stall for the Love Sex Life service as a part of the annual Lambeth County Fair. Chad describes how he met with around 40 people the day before- the first day of the fair.     “The merchandise was gone almost as soon as I laid it out on the table’’ he said, pointing at the QR code key rings, water bottles and packets of condoms on the desk in front of him. He describes some of the people who visited the stall, including a nurse who worked with Brook in the 70s who was nos ..read more

There’s a lot of confusion around accessing STI testing, especially since COVID made it just that bit more difficult to access services. Sexually transmitted infections, also known as STI’s, are more common than you’d think. Just as we look after the rest of our bodily health, we need to look after our sexual health. STI’s are basically any kind of bacterial or viral infection that can be passed on through unprotected sexual contact. Anyone can get an STI, but don’t panic, most infections are easily treated and testing is free and confidential. – Sexual Health & Wellbeing Brook If STI’s a ..read more

Written by: Avanti Arseculeratne  Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CO-UpP5DStb/?hl=en After her first STI test 5 years ago, Anna got into the habit of getting tested every time she changed partners. She had been seeing somebody for a couple of months yet was unsure as to whether they had gotten tested in the recent past. “Even though we vaguely discussed it, it felt awkward to explicitly ask,” she said. She noted how this ‘vague discussion’ had happened in the heat of the moment – a situation that sex therapist, Deb Laino advises against. Such discussions often feel awkward and uncomf ..read more

CW: Mention of sexual assault Sat in the waiting room of a sexual health clinic for the first time ever, I had the opportunity to reflect on my knowledge of and the personal stigma surrounding HIV and the PrEP treatment I was set to receive in only a few moments. Being brought up in a typical black, conservative, religious household limited my exposure to sexual health and reproductive education, ultimately shutting me off to the progression being made globally concerning the treatment of HIV and AIDs. After a particularly traumatic sexual experience with a straight man, I was now stuck questi ..read more

Smear tests, also known as cervical screening tests, refer to the health check a nurse will conduct on a person with a cervix. The procedure involves the nurse inserting a speculum into the vaginal canal. The speculum is then opened up so the nurse can see your cervix clearly. A swab is taken from your cervix and the cells will be tested to see if there are any abnormalities. Results from this test tend to take up to 3 weeks to reach you.  A smear test is important for identifying your risk of developing cervical cancer. If your results come back as normal then you are clear and can retur ..read more

What is your name? My name is Denisa. Where are you based? I live in Lambeth. Why did you become a community champion? I researched volunteering roles in my area, to boost my experience as a Health and Social Care student. I am passionate about delivering valid information about sexual and reproductive health to people and becoming a Community Champion will help me to achieve it. I also admire Brook, for the work they have done and continue doing; and believe that the Love Sex Life partnership will improve accessibiity if sexual heatlh services in the area. Why do you believe it’s important ..read more

With recent research highlighting that HIV transmission in the UK is now most prevalent amongst heterosexuals, it’s now more important than ever for those at risk of HIV transmission consider starting using PrEP, regardless of gender or sexuality. But… what is PrEP? PrEP stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis. PrEP is used to prevent HIV transmission. It’s often taken on an ongoing basis before and after sex, to help you stay HIV negative. It works by forming a protective wall around the cell to prevent HIV from crossing into healthy cells and replicating. This allows the body to protect itself ..read more