How do women living with genital herpes and/or HPV (human papillomavirus) infections see themselves as sexual beings, and what choices do they make about sexual health issues? Adina Nack, a medical sociologist who specializes in sexual health and social psychology, conducted in-depth interviews with 43 women about their identities and sexuality with regard to chronic illness. The result is a fascinating book about an issue that affects millions around the world, but is all too little discussed. "Damaged Goods?" adds to our knowledge of how women are affected by living with chronic STDs and reveals the stages of their sexual self-transformation. From the anxiety of being diagnosed with an STD to issues of blame and shame, Nack - herself diagnosed with a cervical HPV infection - shows why these women, feeling that they are "damaged goods," question future relationships, marriage, and their ability to have healthy children.

Table of Contents

1 Mixing Morality with Medicine; 2 Sexual Invincibility; 3 STD Anxiety; 4 The Immoral Patient; 5 Damaged Goods; 6 Sexual Healing; 7 Reintegrating the Sexual Self; 8 From Personal Tragedies to Social ChangeAppendix A: Gaining Entree - an Auto-Ethnographic Foundation; Appendix B: Research Methodology; Appendix C: Demographic Characteristics of ParticipantsNotes; Glossary; References; Index

Prizes

Traces the physical, moral and social consequences of living with genital herpes and/or HPV infections

Reviews

"Damaged Goods? extends major ideas about stigma and links them to women's sexual selves. It makes the most explicit links that I have seen between sexually transmitted disease and how women construct and reconstruct their sexual selves and does so in an engaging, accessible way. Nack's emphasis on how these women see themselves as sexual beings is particularly strong. She advances the literature in this area." Kathy Charmaz, Sonoma State University "Verdict: Nack's book is relevant to researchers interested in the psychological effects of sexually transmitted diseases on women. Primarily research-based, it appears to be the first of its kind on the subject. Recommended for academic libraries serving that population as well as public health libraries." Library Journal "[A] valuable volume...comprehensive." - Women, Girls & Criminal Justice, February/March 2009 "This book makes a significant addition to the sexual health research literature by focusing on women who live with a condition other than HIV, but its most important contribution is the concept of a reintegrated sexual self that not only can survive a chronic STD, but also triumph over stigma, sexual health politics, and the social construction of immorality. This work will interest sexual health educators, feminists, women's health specialists, and scholars who integrate qualitative methodology into their research. Summing Up: Recommended." Choice, Feb 2009 "Nack's detailed writing successfully captures women's voices. It is clear she immersed herself in understanding the process of what one goes through before, during, and after being diagnosed with an incurable STD... Another strength of the book is the way she frames women's experiences in the context of the stages of sexual transformation... This book offers the unique perspective of women living with chronic STDs, and provides information that would be invaluable to clinicians, educators, and policy makers. The book is especially helpful to those who are creating programs and/or policies regarding public awareness, sex education content, and screening practices of clinicians." Gender & Society, Aug 2009