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How safe is your sex life? Rate your sexual health here

See how you compare to other readers in The Health Check with Irish Life Health.

NO MATTER WHO YOU choose to have in your bed, how often or what you get up to, most of us humans are fascinated by sex – but it can be a part of our health that we don’t give as much attention to as others.

According to the experts, we’re having less sex on average than previous generations, think about it a lot less than the fabled ‘every 15 seconds’ (about once or twice an hour if you’re a man and more if you’re a woman) and our sex education is in need of a major overhaul.

But what do you make of it all? We’ve asked you about your habits around eating, parenting and stress and in the latest installment of The Health Check with Irish Life Health, we want to hear about your experience between the sheets.

So, do you find it a bit awkward to talk to new partners about safe sex? Do you dread having to go to the doctor to discuss anything below the waist? How does alcohol factor into your habits in bed? Tell us by rating each of the questions below.

TELL US

How satisfied are you overall with your sexual health (your physical and mental wellbeing in relation to your sexuality), 10 being very satisfied?

5

BE HONEST

On a scale of 1-10, how much do you worry about your sexual health, 10 being a lot?

5

DOCTOR'S ORDERS

 

How likely would it be that you’d visit your GP for problems around your sexual health (e.g. lack of desire, erectile dysfunction, pain during sex), 10 being very likely?

5

While the number of teen pregnancies in Ireland has fallen by 64%, STIs such as HIV and syphilis are unfortunately on the rise, particularly among gay men. And some experts are worried about the spread of super-gonorrhea. So, what are your protection habits? Are you clean test-insistent or do you just hope for the best? Let us know below.

WRAP IT UP

 

How likely would you be to practice safe sex in a new sexual relationship, 10 being very likely?

5

PILLOW TALK

How easy do you find it to talk about contraception/safe sex with a new partner, 10 being very easy?

5

DRUNK IN LOVE

How likely is it that alcohol has affected your decisions around sexual activity or safe sex in the past, 10 being very likely?

5

While it’s not always realistic to expect that everyone is 100% safe in every single sexual encounter they have in their lives, seemingly harmless behaviour can in fact be putting our health at serious risk. So, where do you go for help when you’re worried? Is it straight to Dr Google or into your local STI clinic just for peace of mind? Tell us below.

DETECTING INFECTION

 

How confident are you that you’d recognise the symptoms of an STI, 10 being very confident?

5

CLEAR COMMUNICATION

How easy would you find it to talk to your GP about your sexual health, 10 being very easy?

5

SYMPTOM SEARCH

On a scale of 0-10, how likely would you be to seek information from the internet if you were worried about your sexual health, 10 being very likely?

5

LUMPS AND BUMPS

How likely would you be to regularly check your body (e.g. breasts or testicles) for signs of changes, 10 being very likely?

5

Read more from The Health Check: 

From sleepless nights to screen time: Share your experience of being a parent here

Are you chilled out or burned out? Rate your stress levels here

Fighting a yawn or feeling refreshed? Rate your sleep here 

Over the past few months as part of The Health Check, we’ve been capturing a snapshot of our health as a nation with Irish Life Health. We’ll be compiling anonymous, real-time ratings and talking to experts about the results and what they mean for our health. We know Irish Life. We are Irish Life Health.

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23 Comments
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    Mute Marcus Philpott
    Favourite Marcus Philpott
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    May 14th 2017, 11:58 AM

    Nice of him to bring his mother along for the day out!

    313
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    Mute Honeybadger197
    Favourite Honeybadger197
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    May 14th 2017, 11:59 AM

    @Marcus Philpott: That’s ‘hilarious’

    91
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    Mute Tweety McTweeter
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    May 14th 2017, 12:00 PM

    @Marcus Philpott: No, that’s his teacher

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    Mute Kate Flaherty
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    May 14th 2017, 12:05 PM

    @Marcus Philpott: very witty, nearly choked on my bacon and egg!!…

    21
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    Mute Kate Flaherty
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    May 14th 2017, 12:07 PM

    @Marcus Philpott: very witty, nearly choked on my bacon and egg!!

    12
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    Mute John Flanagan
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    May 14th 2017, 12:09 PM

    @Tweety McTweeter: Of course we all know that she’s his wife but your remark about her being Macron’s “teacher” is pretty close to home.

    33
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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    May 14th 2017, 2:11 PM

    @Marcus Philpott: I assume you made the same remark about Trump and his wife?

    43
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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    May 14th 2017, 12:45 PM

    The Donald marries a woman 30 years younger and that’s ok, Macron marries a woman 20 older and it’s scandalous. The Donald with zero political experience and is elected President of the US and it’s brilliant. Macron who stands for election for the first time and gets elected is the Devil incarnate. Got to love the hypocrisy of some commentators on here.

    180
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    Mute Shawn O'Ceallaghan
    Favourite Shawn O'Ceallaghan
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    May 14th 2017, 12:57 PM

    @Mick Jordan: hes an investment banker hes not better than donald.

    54
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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    May 14th 2017, 1:02 PM

    @Shawn O’Ceallaghan: And the Donald is a Property Speculator and a Bankrupt.

    50
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    Mute Marcus Philpott
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    May 14th 2017, 1:28 PM

    @Mick Jordan: Donald marrying Melania wasn’t OK in the eyes of Trumps critics hence why it is being thrown back in Macron’s face. FYI Macron married the woman who groomed him as a child.

    36
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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    May 14th 2017, 1:33 PM

    So Trump supporters claiming the higher moral ground is all BS then!

    15
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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    May 14th 2017, 1:35 PM

    @Marcus Philpott: Actually it was him that persued her for several years after leaving school. But don’t let the truth stand in the way.

    32
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    Mute Daniel Doran
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    May 14th 2017, 1:44 PM

    @Mick Jordan: No, I am pretty sure we heard a load of snarky comments about the age disparity between Donald and Meliana too, as well as other disparaging remarks that referenced her career and nationality. So yeah, you’re wrong about that bud.

    24
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    Mute Tony Canning
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    May 14th 2017, 1:52 PM

    @Mick Jordan: Marcus will be back in a few minutes. He’s just commenting on another thread as Jack Cassidy.

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    Mute Tom
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    May 14th 2017, 2:27 PM

    @Mick Jordan: Melania was 28 when they met. Macron was half that age.

    23
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    Mute Catherine Sims
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    May 14th 2017, 3:23 PM

    @Mick Jordan: To be honest I’m a bit creeped out by Macrons wife. She met him first when she taught at his secondary school when he was 15 and she was 39. Apparently they didn’t have sexual relations but his family sent him away to break up the relationship. She divorced her husband and married him later on. It could be true love but if it had been a 39 year old male teacher with a 15 year old girl there would be uproar wouldn’t there ? She shouldn’t have been messing around with a 15 year old in my opinion.

    34
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    Mute Tony Daly
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    May 14th 2017, 6:15 PM

    @Catherine Sims: she never messed around with a 15 year old. You have an interesting imagination.

    13
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    Mute Marcus Philpott
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    May 14th 2017, 12:01 PM

    Another childless European leader. They care less about what sort of country is being left to future generations. Troubling.

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    Mute alphanautica
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    May 14th 2017, 12:17 PM

    @Marcus Philpott: We should really elect that unemployed mum with 19 kids from the Daily Mail. She’ll know what to do.

    200
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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    May 14th 2017, 2:12 PM

    @Marcus Philpott: yeah just like Mrs May, clueless.

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    Mute DaisyChainsaw
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    May 14th 2017, 6:56 PM

    @Marcus Philpott: Are you Linn Wiberg’s boyfriend?
    http://radarcollective.com/linnwiberg/page/47/

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    Mute Jack Cassady
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    May 14th 2017, 12:50 PM

    A great day for the Muslim population of Europe.

    78
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    Mute Matty kinevan
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    May 14th 2017, 12:08 PM

    I wouldn’t have voted for him but best of luck anyways

    35
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    Mute John Flanagan
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    May 14th 2017, 12:15 PM

    How long will Macron be able to stick to his Presidential duties for the next five years? Something about his character & his lack of political experience may test his ability to lead France back to what it was once before or I might be wrong…so good luck to Macron as he’ll need loads of it, given the current state of his basket-case of a country.

    37
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    Mute Liam Mc Loughlin
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    May 14th 2017, 1:31 PM

    @John Flanagan: and I’m sure you had similar concerns about Trumps lack of experience and character. Its definitely not a case of you just disagreeing with Macron ideologically.

    12
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    Mute Rachel Doux
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    May 14th 2017, 10:02 PM

    So, two years experience as minister of the economy doesn’t count?

    4
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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    May 14th 2017, 12:22 PM

    Ahh the bitterness of those who backed the loser of the French election. They are still crying “Doom, Doom, the end of the World is nigh”.

    28
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    Mute Shawn O'Ceallaghan
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    May 14th 2017, 12:56 PM

    @Mick Jordan: you do realise they put an investment banker in power. Surely has no conflicts. Its not lile his kinda didnt cause a recession.

    43
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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    May 14th 2017, 1:06 PM

    @Shawn O’Ceallaghan: He worked for a bank several years ago. So how is that any worse than a Property Speculator or a Professional Politician or a Lawyer or a School Teacher.

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    Mute Tony Canning
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    May 14th 2017, 1:56 PM

    @Mick Jordan: Sure Mick you know well there is a /pol/ delegation here on the journal all the time.

    5
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    Mute Bobby Neary
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    May 14th 2017, 11:59 AM

    Sacré bleu wouldn’t fancy that job…

    18
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    Mute Dolly White
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    May 14th 2017, 1:49 PM

    Brigitte in baby blue just like Melania Trump at Donald’s inauguration

    15
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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    May 14th 2017, 2:20 PM

    @Dolly White: Melania invented the colour blue? That’s amazing!!!

    18
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    Mute DaisyChainsaw
    Favourite DaisyChainsaw
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    May 14th 2017, 4:02 PM

    Jackie O went to the future and stole it from her, you know.

    6
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    Mute Stouts O Shea
    Favourite Stouts O Shea
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    May 14th 2017, 12:11 PM

    Not your grab by the p…y type
    More like your put milk in first type

    13
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    Mute Giovanni Casermaggio
    Favourite Giovanni Casermaggio
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    May 14th 2017, 3:23 PM

    I might be wrong but I have the feeling he is the right person to the economy of the EU (27 countries )

    11
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    Mute Paul Quirke
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    May 14th 2017, 3:34 PM

    @Giovanni Casermaggio: I agree

    11
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    Mute Rory J Leonard
    Favourite Rory J Leonard
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    May 14th 2017, 1:29 PM

    Did Francois leave the Vespa and helmet at the Palace for Emmanuel, in case he needs to pop into town for crumpets.

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    Mute gregory
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    May 14th 2017, 1:32 PM
    6
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    Mute Daniel Doran
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    May 14th 2017, 1:41 PM

    @Mick Jordan: no, I am pretty sure I heard snarky comments about that too. So yeah, you’re wrong.

    11
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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    May 14th 2017, 1:49 PM

    @Daniel Doran: Worng that the so called Alt Right are claiming the higher moral ground. Nah I don’t think so.

    8
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    Mute Niall O D
    Favourite Niall O D
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    May 14th 2017, 12:13 PM

    A put milk into the p…y before grabbing it type?

    7
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    Mute Michele Savage
    Favourite Michele Savage
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    May 14th 2017, 12:04 PM

    Trés vite!

    4
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