Comments on: Some Adolescents May Not Be Informed of Health Effects of Douching http://www.ourbodiesourblog.org/blog/2007/11/some-adolescents-may-not-be-informed-of-healt Daily dose of women's health news and media analysis Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:46:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Rachel http://www.ourbodiesourblog.org/blog/2007/11/some-adolescents-may-not-be-informed-of-healt/comment-page-1#comment-264 Rachel Sat, 24 Nov 2007 22:40:03 +0000 http://ourbodies.s467.sureserver.com/?p=407#comment-264 Thanks, Heather, and Margie, for your comment as well. It seems you're both right, that there is still an awful lot of "mythbusting" left to do. Thanks, Heather, and Margie, for your comment as well. It seems you’re both right, that there is still an awful lot of “mythbusting” left to do.

]]> By: Heather http://www.ourbodiesourblog.org/blog/2007/11/some-adolescents-may-not-be-informed-of-healt/comment-page-1#comment-263 Heather Thu, 22 Nov 2007 01:08:43 +0000 http://ourbodies.s467.sureserver.com/?p=407#comment-263 This is representative of what I've seen at Scarleteen over the years, too: we have always had to do a LOT of debunking when it comes to douching. Plenty of new users have also thought douching could be used as a spermicide. And yeah, I agree with you: it's not about women being stupid. Very few -- even the better ones! -- sex education programs ever even bother to explain that not only is the vagina self-cleaning, but that letting it DO that job, by itself, is really critical. Too, I don't know of too many programs trying to mythbust when it comes to "smelly" vulvas and the like, which is a pretty big deal when you consider how this is all presented in advertising, pop culture, etc. And to be effective, that information would also need to be given to men, since so many women douche either in reaction to comments from male partners, or because they anticipate them. (So great to see you blogging here, btw! You're such a gem.) This is representative of what I’ve seen at Scarleteen over the years, too: we have always had to do a LOT of debunking when it comes to douching. Plenty of new users have also thought douching could be used as a spermicide.

And yeah, I agree with you: it’s not about women being stupid. Very few — even the better ones! — sex education programs ever even bother to explain that not only is the vagina self-cleaning, but that letting it DO that job, by itself, is really critical. Too, I don’t know of too many programs trying to mythbust when it comes to “smelly” vulvas and the like, which is a pretty big deal when you consider how this is all presented in advertising, pop culture, etc. And to be effective, that information would also need to be given to men, since so many women douche either in reaction to comments from male partners, or because they anticipate them.

(So great to see you blogging here, btw! You’re such a gem.)

]]> By: Margie http://www.ourbodiesourblog.org/blog/2007/11/some-adolescents-may-not-be-informed-of-healt/comment-page-1#comment-262 Margie Wed, 21 Nov 2007 13:02:48 +0000 http://ourbodies.s467.sureserver.com/?p=407#comment-262 Thank Rachel. There are a lot of uninformed women out there. When I volunteered as a counselor at Planned Parenthood I was shocked by the misinformation that a lot of women (not teenage girls either; full grown adult women) have regarding sexuality and birth control etc. Thank Rachel. There are a lot of uninformed women out there. When I volunteered as a counselor at Planned Parenthood I was shocked by the misinformation that a lot of women (not teenage girls either; full grown adult women) have regarding sexuality and birth control etc.

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