Following on from Teenage Contraceptive.....
How about we teach our young ladies all about their vaginas and their monthly cycle.
Personal Experience - I remember when I was younger fearing that I had forgotten to take my tampax out - I must have been 13. I was terrified that I couldn't find the string and that there would be a rogue Tampax somewhere IN MY BODY. I had no idea of the confines of my Vagina and my mum took me to the docs to have them investigate. What a distressing palaver - no Tampax. The donut after made me feel slightly better. Thanks Mum. Looking back, how ridiculous. I wish I had known that the Tampax could only go so far and if I couldn't find the string, I could just put my own fingers in and find it. My level of cluelessness surrounding my female self was HUGE.
Why are we so scared and ill-informed of our vaginas?
We need to empower our girls.
We need them to understand when they are fertile in their cycle. How often they are fertile. Why they sometimes feel they have a slug in their pants . What is ovulation? At what point are babies made? Why they feel horny at certain times and why the rest of the time "not bothered". Where is their cervix? Why is it sometimes high and sometimes low? The list goes on.
When they understand this, and they are approaching their time of sexual activity - they can weigh up the pros and cons themselves of putting a cap on it versus the alternatives.
That's not to say I am not nervous of my own two approaching Teenagerdom. That would be foolish. I have faith in them and the decisions they make and hope that I have empowered them to make their own healthy choices.
I am happy that they are comfortable asking me anything. At present though, I still have to promise not to say "Vagina" when their friends come round. The oldest emphatically does not wish to see me put in/remove my moon cup (*no longer use) or listen to my loving lectures - with diagrams, she puts her fingers in her ears but I'm sure some of it is going in. The younger one however is quite inquisitive.
If you are unsure whether contraceptives are the right choice at present, especially if it is due to painful, irregular, heavy or clotty periods - we can help. Book online here.