Sexual and Reproductive Health Month 2026: ‘Every Body’ Matters
GV Health’s message is straightforward: sexual health, safe pleasure, and sexual and reproductive rights belong to everybody, with no exceptions.
According to a long-running survey by La Trobe University, the country’s largest study of adolescents’ sexual health and relationships, there’s a concerning rise in intimate partner violence, unsafe sex, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
GV Health Rural Sexual Health Nurse Practitioner, Suzanne Wallis, said one of the reasons for this rise is that the message to wear condoms is not getting through, especially in rural settings.
“I believe that knowledge is power, and if you don’t know or have an understanding as to why a practice is important, you won’t follow it,” Suzanne said.
“Making condoms free or low-cost, and available in places that protect people’s privacy, is very important in regional settings because it helps facilitate and encourage use. At our clinic, we offer free condoms, no questions asked.”
A fall in condom use is also driving strong growth in STIs, according to the World Health Organisation. Public health organisations, including the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, note that diagnoses of STIs like chlamydia and gonorrhoea have steadily climbed among older age cohorts.
“We hear a lot about education for young people around condom use, but people over 50 can be just as vulnerable, as they may have different partners, but the risk is different because they don’t have that knowledge,” Suzanne said.
“We recommend that if you’re re-partnering, getting tested for STIs before and after a new relationship is a smart, simple step.”
GV Health Hepatology Clinical Nurse Consultant, Kate-Louise Howard, adds that STIs are highly preventable with proper education and barrier control.
“It’s always about education, and having a nurse practitioner like Suzanne at Meryula Clinic means you can easily speak openly about things and ask lots of questions,” Kate-Louise said.
“STIs will come back if people are not using a barrier method like a condom to prevent that mixing of body fluids.”
Beyond contraception and condoms related to sexual health, the theme of reproductive health is largely underdiscussed.
“In multicultural and regional communities like Shepparton, some of the languages that the different community groups have, some of them actually don’t have words to describe parts of the female reproductive tract,” Suzanne said.
For example, according to a global study exploring attitudes around female genital slang, there are approximately 1,200 different terms for vagina and vulva, and more than 5,000 euphemisms used to describe a period.
“In our community, it’s not necessarily a written resource that is needed, but perhaps a model or diagrams and an important conversation,” Suzanne said.
“We have these available in our clinic.”
Kate-Louise and Suzanne further emphasise that “Every Body” should get the support it deserves, because everybody’s different.
“Just value yourself, because if you don’t look after yourself, no one else is going to do it for you,” Kate-Louise said.
GV Health’s Meryula Clinic is a free and confidential sexual and reproductive health service.
The clinic offers people of all ages a safe setting to discuss sexual health concerns and receive specialist sexual and reproductive health care. There is no cost for these services.
The clinic is staffed by nurse practitioners and experienced registered nurses who have specialised training in sexual and reproductive health.
People can refer themselves or be referred by their GP or treating team. For more information or to make an appointment, call 1800 222 582.
