The Sex Education that Failed to Educate Pt 1: Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
- Nicole Tsang
- Aug 28, 2022
- 4 min read
Note: I am not a healthcare professional therefore do not look to this as medical advice but rather this is what I learnt through my experience.
I remember I was about 11 /12 years old when I had about an hour at school in which they called it 'Sex Education'. The details are very vague in my mind as I was very young but what I did remember was, we watched an animated video of someone giving birth, got shown a few methods of contraception including the birth control pill, a female condom and a normal condom. We were all shown how to put on a condom on a styrofoam penis and all took turns doing so. We had this hour and someone started making condom balloons and we called it a day. After that hour, none of us left any wiser than when we first began.
When I started regularly having intercourse with people, I never once concerned myself with using actual protection because I was on birth control so in my mind, I was safe from pregnancy and that was all that I needed to worry about, right? This post is part one of highlighting the failures of my sexual education, focusing on the lack of knowledge I had around STIs .
Some common STIs include:
Chlamydia
Gonorrhoea
Syphilis
Trichomoniasis
Genital Warts
Genital Herpes
Pubic Lice
Scabies
Human papillomavirus (HPV)
November 2021 was a month that I simply cannot recall to you as I spent majority of it in bed, physically unable to move. One morning I woke up in absolute agony in my abdomen. I had cold sweats, a temperature and was overall extremely unwell. I went to the hospital and was given my antibiotics for my 'UTI' and that was that. I finished my course and still showed no signs of improvement. After a very hazy week or two and regular trips to the Sexual Health Clinic, they came to the conclusion that I had Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) as a result of Chlamydia which travelled into my reproductive system. It took me two courses of antibiotics, one of which made me extremely nauseous and unwell to clear up all symptoms. Not too long after, my infection came back because as a result of my own idiocy, I did not complete my course correctly resulting in the infection returning. I did the course once again and it was finally gone for good. It then took an extra month after that to fully gain my strength back and now a lasting fear of getting an STI again in fear it will result in another case of PID. Recurring PID can result in infertility and increases chances of ectopic pregnancies. There is a 8-10% chance of women with chlamydia infection developing PID and unfortunately I was a part of this percentage. Some time after, I got an IUD inserted after coming off birth control as it affected my hormones and as someone who already struggles with mental health, the pill was not doing me any favours. A part of the process of getting an IUD inserted is having your cervix pinched by an instrument called a tenaculum and I was not offered the option of anaesthetic for this process. Both the doctor and the nurse praised me for handling the pain so well and was extremely impressed. I told them the pain was tolerable because it was essentially how I felt consistently during the whole month of November.
However, there are other elements when it comes to our sexual health that are often neglected as well. For example, yeast infections are extremely common and for people with vulvas, it can be easily treated with a Thrush Pesssary and Cream which you can get at your local pharmacy. Bacterial Vaginosis is also another condition which is common for vulva owners as a result of bacteria overgrowth which upsets the natural pH balance of the anatomy which results in a 'fishy' smell. This can also be resolved by remedies found at a pharmacy. However, none of these things were ever taught to me through my sex education.
It is so important to get tested regularly for STIs because the consequences can be so detrimental and painful yet I was never taught any of this growing up. All you have to do is ring up your local Sexual Health Clinic and get tested for EVERYTHING including HIV/AIDS even if you don't feel like you are in risk of it just because you never know. I have had so many friends around me that has little to no knowledge about sexual health and it is the result of a system that fails us. Our sexual health is so important and it is baffling that so many of us go into intercourse without being fully aware of our responsibility when it comes to our own and our partners' health. We are vulnerable to these infections and looking after our sexual health is just as important as any other part of our wellbeing. It is so important that we are educated in this topic, it is just disappointing that the system that was supposed to prepare us for these things failed us so terribly.
Getting tested is self care!!
Nicole x
Here is the link to the NHS Sexual Health page for information and advice:
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