Sexual Health Overview

Principles

Definition

Sexual health is a holistic academic and public health concept investigating the state of physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being in relation to sexuality, distinct from merely the absence of disease or dysfunction, and its significance lies in promoting human rights, equitable access to care, and overall quality of life.

Ontological type

Core Dimensions

Intervention Strategies

Rights-Based Approaches

Key developments

Key Figures

Biomedical-Psychosocial Integration era

Michel Foucault [1], associated with the Collège de France [3], stands as a central figure in the Biomedical-Psychosocial Integration era. His History of Sexuality, Volume 1: An Introduction [5] reframes sexuality as a historically constructed discourse, a contribution that catalyzed standardized diagnostic and treatment frameworks by linking historical analysis to psychosocial and biomedical questions. Alfred Kinsey [2], Indiana University Bloomington [4], emerges as a foundational empirical influence in this era. Sexual Behavior in the Human Female [6] presented large-scale data that anchored quantitative measures of female sexuality, strengthening the integration of biomedical and psychosocial approaches.

Biocultural Reframing era

Raymond C. Rosen [1] was a leading voice whose work spanned major research centers such as the University of California, San Francisco [3] and the University of Southern California [4] during the Biocultural Reframing era (1980–2000). His key contributions in this era include advancing the clinical discourse on male sexual health through Sexual Dysfunction in the United States [7] and Oral Sildenafil in the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction [8], advances that linked biomedical treatment with broader social and public-health concerns. John H. Gagnon [2] was associated with Princeton University [5] and the State University of New York [6] during this era. His key contributions include The social organization of sexuality: sexual practices in the United States [9], The Social Organization of Sexuality. Sexual Practices in the United States [10], and Sexual scripts: Permanence and change [11], which collectively reframed sexuality as a socially structured phenomenon and helped shape population-level prevention and equity-oriented approaches within the biocultural frame.

Standardized Sexual Health era

Peggy T. Cohen‑Kettenis [1], affiliated with the University of Amsterdam [3] and Utrecht University [4] during the Standardized Sexual Health era, helped shape guideline-driven care for gender-diverse populations. Her key contributions include Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender-Nonconforming People, Version 7 (2012) [7] and Disorders related to sexuality and gender identity in the ICD‑11: revising the ICD-10 classification based on current scientific evidence, best clinical practices, and human rights considerations [8], which established consensus guidelines and harmonized diagnostic criteria across studies in this era. Kimberly Workowski [2], affiliated with Harvard University [5] and Emory University [6] during this era, contributed to standardized frameworks for sexually transmitted infection prevention and treatment. Her contributions include Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2015 [10] and Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021 [9], which provided comparable, evidence-based guidelines used globally to standardize pharmacologic management and inform policy in the Standardized Sexual Health era.