Chapter Highlights for My Life, My Body: Sex Ed Made Easy - The Female Body

Welcome to the next blog in the series - Chapter Highlights for My Life, My Body: Sex Ed Made Easy. This blog is about the sixth chapter - The Female Body.

This is the biggest chapter in the eBook, with 143 pages dedicated to the female body. Similarly to the chapter called The Male Body, this chapter has four sections: Anatomy, Cleaning, Periods, and Masturbation.

Anatomy

Just like in the chapter The Male Body, we refer to anatomy as private parts, this supports the reader to understand that their anatomy is private, linking to the chapter, Private Parts to reinforce that while we all have these parts on our body, they are private for our safety.

We look at the inside and outside of the female anatomy, shown with simple words, arrows and illustrations. We see how everyone has anatomy that looks slightly different and how this is normal.

Included in this chapter is a look inside and outside of breasts. Again using simple words and illustrations. Also reinforcing that breasts can look different as well. The reader is taught to check their breasts for lumps or abnormalities and what to do if they find something.

It was so important to add in that our anatomy will look different to others because too often young women grow up to be adults that dislike their body because it doesn’t look like what they’ve seen in books, movies and on the internet. Reducing shame around what our bodies look like is an extremely important part of sex education.

Cleaning

It is not widely known how to clean a vulva and thanks to the feminine hygiene products that do more harm than good, even less people know that the vagina is self cleaning. It does not need anything inserted to clean it and if you do, you risk upsetting the natural pH levels and can experience bacterial growth. We wash the outside - the vulva, with warm water. A gentle soap (if required) can be used on the vulva but would not be recommended in most cases.

Periods

I called this section Periods, because again, I want everyone to be able to understand the information, and if I am honest the word menstruation can be confusing, particularly if you have not heard it before.

This section talks through a typical hormone cycle for a female. Including notes that not everyone will experience it at the same time, or for the same duration.

Hormones are introduced and explained with pictures to show where they come from in our bodies - the brain and ovaries.

It is important to note that the long and important words are broken down with phonetic spelling to aide the person reading. For example - A period (peeuh-ree-uhd) is when I have a bloody discharge. (discharge has been introduced in an earlier chapter).

A period is explained in detail with pictures and simple words to show what happens and what it can feel like for the person experiencing it. Again, reinforcing that it can feel different for others.

While I make sure to describe in detail what things feel like, I also need to make sure people are not expecting this and understand that they can feel something different.

Period cramps are introduced and when to seek medical help if the period pain is too much. Hint - it is too much if you take pain relief, use a heat pack and it still doesn’t go away. Extreme pain is not normal and you should seek medical advice if this happens to you.

Aside from the physical symptoms a female can experience while having their period, we also look at the emotions that can be experienced throughout the cycle. If you are on social media, you have probably seen the trending reels about the luteal phase, menstrual phase, follicular phase and ovulation phase. My Life, My Body: Sex Ed Made Easy breaks down each of the phases into simple to understand terms with pictures.

Period products are then explained in depth. Everyone needs to know their options for period products and not everyone knows how to use them. There are so many options now, which is fantastic, but also overwhelming for some people.

We look at what a pad is, the different sizes, when to change them, how to change them, and how to dispose of the used pads.

We do the same with Tampons. We look at the different sizes, how to insert a tampon, what it should feel like inside and how to safely remove it.

We also look at reusable products such as period underwear - how to use it, when to change it and how to clean them.

We look at period/menstrual cups and discs. We learn how these work compared to tampons, what they should feel like, how to insert and remove them and how to wash them between uses.

Along with all of the options for period products, the reader also learns where to keep their period products, where they need to be (bathroom or toilet) when they put them in/on or change them. The reader is taught to set a reminder on their phone so that they don’t forget to change when needed and hygiene is reinforced for each product.

Discharge is introduced throughout the cycle and explained so that people know what to look for if something is not right (if it is green and has a weird smell, seek medical advice). We look at what discharge looks like throughout the cycle and the different consistency, depending on where the cycle is at.

This part of the chapter takes a deep dive into the female cycle, by the end of it, the reader will have a good understanding of how their body works and where their cycle is at, based on symptoms they are experiencing.

Masturbation

You could think it is controversial to add a section about masturbation into a sexual health education book. But masturbation is a healthy and normal behaviour that the majority of people will experience at some point in their life.

I have worked with too many clients that disclosed they had been masturbating in unsafe ways because they don’t know what is safe and hygienic. Good sex education is pleasure focused and provides safe, accurate and factual information to support people to make good decisions for themsleves.

This part of the chapter talks the reader through how the female anatomy functions and what masturbation is. It describes what an orgasm is and what it can feel like for females.

A step by step guide is provided for how to masturbate in safe ways. Feedback on this was positive!

Good hygiene is reinforced and normalises the use of sex toys in masturbation. Including how to clean and store any sex toys that are used.

The benefits of masturbation are explored and boundaries required when masturbation occurs (private place, alone), finish the chapter off.

This chapter - The Female Body, took the longest for me to write. I wanted to make sure that the information was comprehensive and pleasure focused. It is rare to find such information about the female body so I wanted to do it justice.

While you might be thinking, why is there not a book for females and a separate one for males (you can buy the chapters individually); or why do males need to learn about female bodies and/or vice versa, it poses a great question that we don’t often discuss.

Because more knowledge is not harmful. It helps us be understanding of others. It helps us to help others because we have the knowledge to do so. If we are in a heterosexual relationship then our relationships become better because we understand how our partners body works and what could be happening when it doesn’t work properly.

It helps to identify abuse because we understand the accurate names for anatomy and what must be kept private and not touched by others without our consent.

Where people are being supported with their care, it makes it easier to identify issues and provide direction when asking for consent to provide care.

My life, My Body: Sex Ed Made Easy is available now to download onto a phone, iPad or tablet device.

Not only does it make comprehensive sexual health education easy, it also supports the reader to have privacy while learning.