Sexuality & Fertility Symposium 2008

Sexuality & Fertility Symposium 2008

Symposium on Sexuality and Fertility for people with spinal cord injury 2008.

On 1st March 2008 (saturday) 15 ILTC members were invited to participate one day program of the Symposium on Sexuality and Fertility for people with spinal cord injury 2008 at Dewan Wawasan Cempaka, Menara PGRM, Kuala Lumpur.

The symposium was officated by YB. Dato' Seri Mohd Radzi Bin Sheikh Ahmad, The Minister of Home Affairs.

As we all know, the title says it all, sexuality and fertility. In our society, such topic can be quite a taboo that those with problems related to sexuality prefers to keep quiet. Instead of seeking treatment from the professionals and potentially get their sexual short-comings cured, they would rather keep it to themselves and silently suffers.

Persons with spinal cord injury are not spared from getting such problem. Damaged spinal cords are most certainly to be affected, as far as sexual ability is concerned, with Erectile Dysfunction and ultimately infertility being the two common cases.

It’s a matter that’s close to each and everyone of us that we seldom talk about even amongst the close ones.

In the event, we have the message experts in Dr Asiah Ibrahim, the Head of Rehabilitation Medicine HKL, Dr Nazirah Hasnan, the Rehabilitation Specialist from PPUM and Dr Loh Chit Sin, Consulting Urological Surgeon Gleanagles Intan Medical Centre amongst others has been contributed their line of expertise in getting to the bottom of our sexual woes.

Also, we are very honoured that the symposium was attend by Mr Shivjeet Singh Raghaw, from India as the main speaker. Mr Raghaw is a Peer Counselor from the Department of Rehabilitation at the Indian Spinal Injuries Center based in New Delhi.

Being a wheelchair-user himself, Mr Raghaw have share his expertise and knowledge on sexuality and fertility using his own method by what he terms it as ‘Holistic psycho-social rehabilitation approach’ towards disability living.

ILTC members who participate in this event have gain better understanding on a problem that’s been in us since we injured our spinal cord but was too ashamed to find any solutions to it.