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To find out about the importance of knowledge in reproductive health and sex ed, and why there are still so many gaps regarding that in our society, Bored Panda spoke with Danela Zagar, INTIMINA Global Brand Manager who was happy to share some insights.
“We believe that children should start learning about reproductive health before the girls start menstruating (and this applies to boys as well),” Zagar said. According to her, education is the only way of fighting shame and taboos connected to puberty, changes in the pubescent bodies, periods, etc.
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“This is exactly why INTIMINA recently issued The Wonder Girls Guide Book (and an audio version) - to help young women prepare for womanhood and feel free of shame connected to periods and to help parents to have open conversations with their kids about all puberty and sex and reproductive health topics.”
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Zagar explained that education has to come from parents and teachers. “Unfortunately, many education systems around the world are lacking sex education in their curriculum,” she added.
The 2020 survey commissioned by INTIMINA and conducted by OnePoll (on 2,000 US women) found that there are some major gaps when it comes to what women know about their own bodies. The findings showed that nearly one in four misidentified the vagina and 46% could not properly identify the cervix. Over half (59%) identified the uterus as a different body part too.
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Moreover, fifty-seven percent of the women surveyed admitted they don’t know as much about the female anatomy as they should. Forty-two percent wished they had a better understanding of what the different organs in the reproductive system do. Lastly, over a third (35%) would want to know when a woman is her most fertile and three in ten (29%) want a breakdown of the different stages of pregnancy.
The same women who participated in INTIMINA’s survey were asked who they blame for their lack of knowledge. One in three (36%) said teachers while 28% blame their parents. One in four (27%) said their lack of knowledge was due to government education standards or religious organizations (24%).
Zagar noted that all this lack of knowledge has the potential for real-life consequences. Over half of respondents (52%) think their knowledge gaps are preventing them from advocating for themselves in the doctor’s office. As if that wasn’t enough, fifty-four percent don’t remember or haven’t got advice from a medical provider on alternative menstrual hygiene products other than pads and tampons.
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Mom then had to go in circles for 20 minutes with the man about how it’s not sexually transmitted necessarily, how it’s very common, she didn’t cheat on him since she had it for years, and that he probably had it. He cursed my mom out for “accusing” him of having an STD after she said that last bit and stormed out. My mom had to have a come to Jesus talk with the woman about leaving this loser. Crazy how little people know and how angry people get about how ignorant they really are.
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Zagar explained that in today’s digital age, everything our parents or teachers didn’t teach us about our reproductive health can be found online. “So the best recipe for becoming your advocate in a medical setting is to do your research and use that medical information for asking the right questions when visiting your doctor.”
INTIMINA is dedicated to women’s intimate health, and Zagar said that one of its responsibilities is to tackle the myths about women’s bodies and bodily functions. There are so many myths and misconceptions and that is why education is crucial. “The most common myths are: women cannot get pregnant while having sex during their period, women should not exercise or have sex during their period, and they are more likely to get attacked by sharks or bears while menstruating,” she said.
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When asked whether sexual wellness is still a taboo subject, Zagar confirmed that’s the case. “It is still a taboo in many societies but things are slowly changing thanks to brands that advocate intimate and sexual health, and also the mainstream media who are opening up the conversations about these taboo topics.”
“At INTIMINA, we believe that educating people and empowering young women to feel free of any cultural taboos and stigma is what every modern society and education system should be doing,” she added.
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Zagar argues that “one of the most important places where taboos need to be broken is in our homes, meaning parents and children need to have open conversations about normal processes that happen in our bodies, such as menstruation, but also about sex, pregnancy, reproductive health, and sexuality.”
When we talk about menstruation specifically, despite the fact that billions of people experience it, it has historically been treated as something that shouldn’t be seen or talked about publicly, Zagar said. “Amongst our many projects and endeavors of breaking taboos, INTIMINA also collaborated with Pantone to create a bold shade of red called ‘Period’ to break the taboo and get everyone to talk about periods, regardless of gender, age, or life stage,” Zagar told Bored Panda.
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