I was taught at a young age that it was normal to be embarrassed when talking about sex, periods, or even my own breasts. After my first sex-education class in elementary school, I would not look a boy in the eye because I was absolutely mortified. But this behavior was expected. Adults laughed when they saw our cheeks flush, but they didn’t tell us how important sex-education really is. If they had, maybe I wouldn’t have waited 20 years to find out that birth control can do more to a woman’s body than change hormone levels.
I want to start off by saying that I am not a health expert. I am not studying to be a doctor or a nurse. However, I am a woman, and I think that it is important to know what is going on inside my body.
In my experience with sex-education, men and women are taught the bare minimum about their bodies. I was told that at some point, I would get my period, start to grow hair in places that I did not want hair to grow, and have to pay upwards of $20 a month for a pill that would change my personality and make me gain weight if I did not want to get pregnant. Yippee. Oh, and don’t forget the poor woman who, for some reason, decided to invite a video crew to tape her giving birth just so a bunch of kids could put their hoods on and avert their eyes. Funny how they showed a woman giving birth, but never told us what happens to a woman’s body during pregnancy. There is a real problem in sex-education classrooms. A woman is more than a period and a pregnancy. Our bodies are changing all the time, and we need to be able to understand what is happening so that we know what is normal and what is a problem.
I spent the past 20 years with questions about my body. I never wanted to ask someone because I thought I was the only one who wasn’t taught these things. What are the early signs of breast cancer? What is a pap smear? What are the benefits of different kinds of birth control? These are not stupid questions. Actually, these are very important questions, but we shouldn’t have to seek them out. They should be presented to us, and we should be able to talk about them without feeling embarrassed.
Thankfully, I have roommates that are very open to discussing these topics with me. I have learned a lot from them and from my own research. Here are just a few things that weren’t taught in my sex-education classes, but I think are important to be aware of.
Pelvic exams are something I did not know I should be doing. This is a test to examine both the outside and inside of a woman’s reproductive organs. Once you turn 21, this should be an annual test that every woman has. There is also a test called a pap smear. This test is a bit more uncomfortable, believe it or not. A pap smear is when your doctor examines your cervix, or lower part of your uterus, to look for cancer or pre-cancer. Most women also begin taking this test annually once they turn 21, but not all women have to take it every year.
Birth control. We love it…kind of. It gives us power over our bodies, but it has become so normalized that we rarely ask what could go wrong. At least I never asked, and I found out that birth control pills are not always the best choice. The side-effects that are most commonly discussed are weight gain and personality changes due to the hormones. (If these things are happening to you, you can ask your doctor if there are other options that might not have that effect.) Some long-term effects that aren’t commonly discussed are cancer and cardiovascular problems, including strokes or heart attacks. According to the National Cancer Institute, women who have taken birth control pills are at a higher risk for cervical and breast cancer. However, it has been found that birth control pills decrease the risk of endometrial, ovarian, and colorectal cancer. Also, birth control pills cannot cause cardiovascular problems. But they can increase the risk, especially in women who have a family history of heart attacks or strokes, according to Cochrane. For some women, birth control pills work well, but there are other options out there that might suit you better.
I know you may still have questions, and I wish I could answer all of them. I wanted to raise awareness and encourage all women to do more research to learn more about their bodies. Don’t be embarrassed to ask these questions, our early sex-education may have failed us, but we can help each other learn how to stay healthy.