Exactly what sort of safe sex should be taught to our young students is always a topic of debate. As we recently saw in Texas, abstinence-only programs don’t seem to work and can even lead to higher rates of sexually transmitted diseases. Telling kids too much about how to have sex bothers many parents, educators and lawmakers, though. It seems that the jury is still out on the best way to empower students with sex-ed knowledge. One topic that is never debated, or even discussed, as it relates to sex education is fertility itself and that needs to change, according to some experts.
In a story that ran in The Guardian, reproductive specialist Dr. Geeta Nargund says that schools are spending so much time trying to prevent pregnancy that young people are missing out on important knowledge about their own fertility. In her own practice Nargund counsels many women who did not have the facts about their own ability to conceive children until it was too late for it to happen naturally.
That, argues Nargund, is grounded in the misconception that women who wait to have children until they are financially and emotionally ready can do so later in life. The real science is much starker and fertility drops dramatically after women hit their 30s, and continues to fall with each passing year.
I think Nargund has a valid point. If we want students to have all the facts about sex, then let’s not just present one side of the story. Women who want to wait to have children should certainly be able to make that choice but should have all of the information in front of them.
What’s your stance on sex education as it relates to fertility?
Sex ed needs to deal with internet porn, which is where most kids get sex ed today. When I was ten, I got my first copy of Playboy. My goal from there on was to get a girl to take her clothes off. I had no idea of what to do next. Today, kids of ten or younger are seeing just about anything sex can offer on the Internet for free. If you are dealing with kids who have seen sexual behavior you haven’t seen yet, the game is very different. For young men, they need to know that they shouldn’t expect the girls to do what they see on the Internet. They should also ask for permission prior to trying to see what they can get away with. For girls, they need to be ready to say no and not get drawn into engaging in sexual behavior just to keep a boyfriend. Let me know if you want more advice.