You know that feeling: waking up in the morning on a day when you’ve already got too much to do and discovering that you’re sick. We can all remember those days where we’ve tried to get out of bed and realized that something is very, very wrong. Suddenly the day is going to be ten times more stressful than you had initially thought. For any woman in this scenario, what can add to the level of stress is the worry that the sickness her body is suffering is related to her sexual or reproductive health.
For many women, the maintenance of sexual health begins in adolescence. Yet, although many young women educate themselves about their sexual health and pay attention to changes in their body, a significant number of them go without accurate information and timely care until a serious condition arises.
According to the Women in Canada survey conducted by Statistics Canada in 2000, the percentage of women employed in the medical profession had risen to 52% of all doctors and dentists in Canada. However, despite this development, young women may still encounter challenges in their pursuit of sexual healthiness. Some women find it embarrassing to see their family doctor when they have sexual health concerns; some are not be able to talk to their parents about sexual health problems.
But when it comes to sexual health, shyness can be dangerous: many sexually transmitted infections show no obvious signs or symptoms, and will only be detected by a pap smear performed by a gynecologist.
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynocologists of Canada says that once a woman becomes sexually active, she should seek the regular care of a gynocologist. This medical relationship is just as important when she’s young as it is later on; a woman’s sexual health history (which her regular gynecologist will be aware of) is important later, during pregnancy, or if serious reproductive conditions surface. It is also imperative that a woman feel comfortable with her doctor, as they will be discussing and dealing with intimate and sensitive issues. Having a doctor who is aware of the changes which have occurred in your body is the key to early detection and treatment of many women’s health problems. But there are still women who remain unaware of the various steps that they need to take to maintain their sexual health, and don’t know where they can access reliable information.
U of T Health Services, located in the Koffler Building on College St., is a good option when sexual health problems arise. The clinic offers medical care and advice to both part- and full-time students. Although it offers geaneral primary care for both men and women, the U of T Health Services June 2003-May 2004 annual report shows that women made up the majority of patients who sought medical attention at Health Services last year-about 24,000 out of 36,000 total.
This is a normal proportion for university-aged people, said Health Centre chief of staff Dr. Sara Tamen, because women are having regular pap smears, whereas there are fewer suggested procedures for young adult men.
Female doctors outnumber males more than two to one at Koffler, so it’s easier for female students to see a female doctor if that makes them more comfortable. Since Health Services is dealing with a university crowd, the staff are used to dealing with birth control, sexually-transmitted-disease testing, and emergency contraception.
Tamen noted that sexual health and contraception are the most common reasons for going to U of T Health Services; in 2003-2004, more than 6,000 patient visits were for family planning and contraception, making it statistically the number one reason for which students visit.
Tamen said that in most circumstances, female students would be able to see a female physician fairly quickly.
“We have so many female physicians, that usually wouldn’t be an issue,” said Tamen. But she added that it would also depend on the time of year and the severity of symptoms. When The Varsity talked with Tamen in late January, she said that “[at] this time of year, [the wait] could be three to four weeks for a routine thing.”
The staff at Health Services work as fast as they can, but Tamen said that the clinic has abeen straining to meet demand for several years now. “We don’t have the facilities to cope with the demand,” she said. “All of our offices are pretty much full, and we still can’t meet the demand because we haven’t had increased space for so long. We have been in this space since 1985.”
During the summer months-when it’s not flu season and the clinic isn’t jammed with sniffling undergrads-the wait for an appointment is much shorter. But as anyone who has had an unknown medical problem knows, even short delays can seem long. And some conditions could change and become more serious in the space of three to four weeks, so it’s important to know some of the alternatives.
If U of T Health Services is completely booked, one less obvious alternative for both female and male students is The House Community Health Centre. A joint initiative of Planned Parenthood and the United Way, The House is just a few minutes walk from the St. George Campus, tucked in among the bars and restaurants on Prince Arthur Street just north of Bloor. The House presents a hip yet professional atmosphere where young people ages 13-25 can be seen for primary, reproductive, and mental health needs. Despite its proximity to U of T, many students remain unaware that this clinic exists, because it is deliberately inconspicuous. Even so, The House has a rapidly growing clientele. Nadjla Agahbanaei, The House’s clinical receptionist, attributes this growth mostly to word of mouth but also credits a promotional push in the past year.
“We had a TTC campaign out last year,” said Agahbanaei. “That brought in a lot of male clients.”
Similar to Health Services, The House offers the option of booking appointments in advance or coming in during walk-in hours, and has more female staff members than male. The House has also allocated several hours each day (except Wednesday) for same-day appointments: patients in need of immediate attention, or those who are unable to book advance appointments, can call between 10 am and noon for appointments in the early afternoon.
And just like U of T Health Services, The House sees more female patients than male. Agahbanaei estimated that the division of female to male patients is “anywhere between 80-20, or maybe 70-30. It is definitely significantly many more female clients.”
Agahbanaei added that, among this vast majority of female patients seen at The House, close to 95 per cent have used the clinic for sexual health needs.
For many young women, the key to finding the physicians, medical services, and accurate information to meet their sexual health needs is simply patience and doing the right research. Much of this can be done over the internet or through the Yellow Pages. (Also see sidebar, below)
Waking up with a reproductive or sexual health related problem is stressful enough with all the other things going on in a young woman’s life. One thing that can significantly decrease that sense of anxiety is knowing where, and from whom, you can promptly access the help you need. The information needed may be just a mouse click or phone call away and the best thing to do is to get it before you actually need it.
