Sexual Health
You can also find many of the sexual health resources that Men's Sexual Health has produced here. There are booklets and guides as web pages that you can read online, and some also have downloadable versions in PDF format (for which you can download Adobe Reader if you don't already have it).
PEP and PrEP (in our HIV section)
We have now added brief articles to our HIV information section about PEP (Post Exposure Prophylaxis) and PrEP (Pre Exposure Prophylaxis), with links to useful websites providing information on these important topics..
The How, Where and Why of HIV Testing
HIV testing is now simple, fast and nearly always free. Find out where, how and why you should get tested to help yourself and your community.
Top 5 Sexually Transmitted Infections
On this page we look at the top five diagnosed Sexually Transmitted Infections; how these may have increased or decreased and how to treat and prevent each one.
Chlamydia - The Silent Epidemic
Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection which is such a widespread disease that it is often known as the silent epidemic. This page explains the disease, how to prevent it and how it is detected and treated.
HIV and AIDS
Our HIV and AIDS section includes: a history of the pandemic; frequently asked questions; myths and misconceptions; and the situation regarding criminalisation of HIV transmission.
Information for lesbians and bisexual women
This section contains sexual health information for lesbians and bisexual women, including information on HIV and STIs, pregnancy and cervical cancer.
Hepatitis - a guide for gay and bisexual men
A guide to Hepatitis A & B for gay and bisexual men produced by the Wessex Gay Men's Health Forum.Hepatitis C We also have information about Hepatitis C and how you can avoid it.
Visiting a Sexual Health Clinic
This page tells you what happens when you visit a sexual health (GUM) clinic and what you can expect from those that work there.
Sex & Drugs
Our short guide to how drug use may affect your sex life, with details of local drug support services and links to find out more about this subject.
Syphilis Is Back
... And it's here in the South West
Syphilis is currently increasing amongst gay men more rapidly than any other sexually transmitted
infection (STI). This guide tells you about how it is transmitted, the symptoms and how you can protect
yourself from it.
Condoms Do Make a Difference
A guide to putting on and using condoms produced by the Wessex Gay Men's Health Forum for it's condom pack. You can get free condoms through the post from us or at a number of countywide collection points.
Dam It!
When properly used dental dams may help reduce the risk of catching or spreading sexually transmitted infections including HIV. This page is a guide to using dental dams for safer oral sex.
STIs
Sexually Transmitted Infections - a guide for gay and bisexual men. Produced by Wessex Gay Men's Health Forum.
Erectile Dysfunction (also commonly known as impotence)
Much more common than many people realise, erectile dysfunction (the inability to get or maintain an erection) affects almost one in ten men in the UK. This page looks at the underlying reasons which can cause this problem and what can be done about it.
Viagra: Are you Dying for a Hard-on?
The dangers of taking unprescribed VIAGRA; a leaflet produced by Wessex Gay Men's Health Forum.Keep checking back since we will be adding further guides in the future.
To
view the Acrobat files, you need Adobe Reader,
which you can get from Adobe's web site as well as many other download locations. If your platform doesn't have an
Adobe Reader, there may well be a version of Ghostscript available,
which though not as easy as Acrobat Reader to use, should let you view these files.