What % of women don't know basics of female anatomy?

Anonymous865 · Dec 23, 2016

These comments shock me.

I went to a public school in the '60s and '70s. We had anatomy and physiology in both the 7th and 10th grades.

We started with anatomy and physiology of earth worms and insects. Then moved on to fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals.

When we got to mammals, we studied human anatomy and physiology. We studied the circulatory, respiratory, reproductive, etc. systems.

10th grade was a repeat except in 10th grade we went into much greater depth and we actually got to disect a worm, fish, frog, and sheep's eye. The school board would only buy one fetal pig, so the teacher disected that. We still had to be able to identify the fetal pig's organs on the exam.

When we studied human anatomy in 10th grade they covered methods of contraception - how they worked, their failure rate, etc. They also covered STIs. We had to learn the function of estrogen, progesterone, FSH, LH, etc. It was not Sex Ed. It was just part of the science curriculum.

I wonder if people never had these classes or if the material just didn't "stick" for some people.

Anonymous865 · Dec 23, 2016

These comments might explain an experience my mother and I had a couple of years ago.

My mother taught school for 35 years. She always insisted that her children and her students use the correct word for everything including body parts. No slang or euphemisms were allowed.

When mom was in her 80s, she complained of pain when she urinated. She couldn't get an appointment with her regular physician, so she saw the NP. The NP had never met mom, so didn't know how precise mom was in language. The NP asked mom if she itched "down there." Mom had no idea what she was talking about - "down there." Mom gave me the "what is wrong with her?" look. Mom had been on an antibiotic, so I knew the NP suspected a yeast infection. I said "Mom, does your lady parts itch." She said, "Oh! Yes it does." Mom was horrified that a medical professional would say "down there."

CaffeinePOQ4HPRN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · Dec 23, 2016

I used to work in a rural ER. Had a lady come in, c/o saw her doctor this week and was told she had an ulcer, and now she was bleeding "down there". I helped her into a gown and did a quick peek "down there". We were both quite surprised at the tiny foot emerging from her lady parts.

THIS!!! OH MY GOD! :wideyed:

smartnurse1982 · Dec 23, 2016

Can we talk about how many people in the health field dont know how to properly take care of their lady partss? If I see one more nurse on instagram talking about lady partsl steaming, or "yoni pearls" im going to scream. Why do NURSES not understand the risk factors for BV??

Not to be gross,but some cultures like to steam and dry out their lady partsl lubrication for the benefit of men. Some use steam,others use peppers and spices.

It is called smoking the lady parts.

klone, MSN, RN · Dec 23, 2016

Which cultures are these?

allnurses Guide · Dec 23, 2016

Not to be gross,but some cultures like to steam and dry out their lady partsl lubrication for the benefit of men.

Benefit?

macawake, MSN · Dec 23, 2016

Not to be gross,but some cultures like to steam and dry out their lady partsl lubrication for the benefit of men. Some use steam,others use peppers and spices.

Benefit? Because causing discomfort or even pain for your sexual partner is such a turn-on... One reason that lady partsl lubrication exists is to facilitate intercourse. I would imagine that a dry lady parts makes intercourse more difficult for both parties so drying out the lubrication seems like a poor choice. If the guy wants friction he can get creative and think of a method that doesn't involve depriving his partner of her pleasure. I haven't fact checked if this really is a thing in some cultures but if it is, it isn't gross, it's misogyny. Sadly the existence of such a practice wouldn't surprise me, oppression of females is widespread in many cultures, and exists to some degree in most, and the attempt to control and suppress women's sexuality is nothing new.

Many posts in this thread have shocked me. I think it's scary that so many people seem to know so little about the very basics of human anatomy. That people know so little about their own bodies. I don't know if it's a flaw in the educational system or if it's due to cultural influence and taboos about sexuality.

Edited to add in response to Elvish's post.

It's terrible that both women and men suffer from people's inability to leave human genitals alone to do what they do just fine without anyone's interference.

I agree with you 100%. There is absolutely no reason to surgically interfere with a healthy body, female or male.

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Dec 23, 2016

A good deal of the reason why dudes want more friction is that cultures which practice this kind of thing (lady partsl drying) also circumcise men. A circumcised member is going to pull out most of the lady partsl lubrication we produce, which is all that's generally needed when all genitals are intact. And friction? Guess what a keratinized glans is going to need to feel pleasure? It's terrible that both women and men suffer from people's inability to leave human genitals alone to do what they do just fine without anyone's interference. :madface:

(About people not knowing normal genitalia care and yoni pearls and such: It amazes me how many people truly think an intact member requires a great deal more care than a circumcised one. Even American doctors! There is no 'cleaning underneath the foreskin' for babies and children! Just leave the damn thing alone!)

Fire_Girl · Dec 23, 2016

@smartnurse I know that it's a cultural thing and I'm not knocking it but What I'm saying is that as a health care professional you should KNOW that this carries health risks. How can you go to school learn anatomy and physiology at the college level and still insert a ball of chamomile flowers into your lady parts? I just don't understand how you can recommend something that will actually be risky to someone's health.

allnurses Guide · Dec 23, 2016

It amazes me how many people truly think an intact member requires a great deal more care than a circumcised one.

This is a topic for a different thread but there is a substantial amount of data on the health benefits and risks and I am not sure it supports your comment.

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Dec 23, 2016

Even the AAP, who by far is more pro-circ than any other pediatric health organization in the world and even they stop short of recommending it, says that intact memberes do not require any special cleaning or care. No retraction by anyone but the child is necessary. That is far less complicated than trying to do wound care in a feces-filled diaper, or dealing with adhesions from preputial remnants later on. Evidence from the rest of the industrialized world where circumcision is not the norm backs me up on this, and these places have no clinically significant higher rates of anything that infant circumcision is purported to prevent.

But you're right probably anything beyond this is best left to another thread, and we all know how well circ threads go.

allnurses Guide · Dec 23, 2016

Even the AAP, who by far is more pro-circ than any other pediatric health organization in the world and even they stop short of recommending it, says that intact memberes do not require any special cleaning or care.

Not requiring special cleaning/care does not mean there is no benefit.

"Systematic evaluation of English-language peer-reviewed literature from 1995 through 2010 indicates that preventive health benefits of elective circumcision of male newborns outweigh the risks of the procedure. Benefits include significant reductions in the risk of urinary tract infection in the first year of life and, subsequently, in the risk of heterosexual acquisition of HIV and the transmission of other sexually transmitted infections. Although health benefits are not great enough to recommend routine circumcision for all male newborns, the benefits of circumcision are sufficient to justify access to this procedure for families choosing it and to warrant third-party payment for circumcision of male newborns. It is important that clinicians routinely inform parents of the health benefits and risks of male newborn circumcision in an unbiased and accurate manner." - AAP/ACOG