The halls of Arcata High are constantly full of chatter: rapid-fire questions and gossip bounce off the walls nonstop. Surface-level conversation comes fluidly, but many teens are unable to discuss awkward subjects. Reproductive health, often met with raised shoulders and lowered eyes, remains a “don’t ask, don’t tell” subject among adolescents throughout the world. Health care shouldn’t be something to be embarrassed about, yet the stigmas surrounding it have plunged it into the dark.
Stigma is a word that many hear but can’t always define. Stigmas affect how we interact with information and ideas. They are negative, unfair beliefs or stereotypes that a society holds, based on a shared characteristic. Stigmas around reproductive health are rooted in societal, cultural, and religious norms and ideas that shame sexual and reproductive health. They affect mental and even physical health.
“My strong opinion is that we need to be very, very honest with kids and everyone about their bodies and reproduction,” local obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Elizabeth Micks said. “It’s not something that should be shameful, and I think the problem with this is that a lot of families, kind of culturally and historically, have felt that if you’re really honest with kids about reproduction, it will actually make them more likely to have sex early, which has been proven time and time again in studies to not be true.”
For many teens, a subject having a lot to do with sex and body parts can feel awkward and sometimes embarrassing to discuss. This leads to a lack of comfort level around a very important topic and a tendency to avoid important learning.
Reproductive health is the complete physical, mental, and social well-being in all matters relating to the reproductive system. Reproductive health is just like any other physiology. One could easily compare it to cardiovascular or respiratory health because it’s a system of the body. This means it’s equally important to take care of. If teens, or people in general, don’t feel comfortable asking questions and seeking help for their bodies, it has drawbacks. It can lead to late diagnoses, dangerous health conditions, and overall confusion about our bodies.
“Contraception protects people from getting pregnant when they don’t want to be pregnant. It protects people from getting sexually transmitted infections that could potentially affect the rest of their lives. So I think the information is really critical just to not only keep people safe and healthy, but … to have the tools to navigate healthy relationships,” Micks said.
In an age of social media, where medical advice and diagnoses can be searched on TikTok, myths surrounding reproductive health spread easily. From not getting pregnant when you’re on your period, to becoming infertile from birth control, people develop these ideas in their heads of what they think is true because they heard it somewhere. Whether from friends or our phones, it can be easier to accept misinformation as fact if it means we don’t have to have the awkward conversation. This shouldn’t be the case. Our health should always be a priority, no matter the awkward conversations that go along with it.
“A lot of women feel a lot of shame around their bodies, and it’s really important that we are open with each other, especially among girls and women, because shame like that just leads to a lack of knowledge, which can be really detrimental to your health in the long term,” freshman Clara Vidargas said.
Sex being at the forefront of teenage minds makes it all the more pertinent to have access to information. Whether it be about pregnancy, contraception, or period cramps, sexual health is a large part of reproductive health, but it can be scary to receive medical help. Many teens don’t feel comfortable discussing these concepts with their families. Luckily, they have a right to privacy. Local clinics and offices are able to offer screenings, contraception, and reproductive health care to teenagers without sharing the information with their caregivers.
“When you’re over 14, you can get [reproductive health care] services, and your parents do not have a right to that information. Planned Parenthood takes care of teens who don’t feel comfortable talking to their parents for many reasons,” Micks said. “So even when I was a teen… I went to Planned Parenthood, and they’re able to give you health care, even if you can’t pay; that’s completely private.”
It’s up to this generation to de-stigmatize reproductive health and make our bodies more important than our embarrassment. The future generations deserve to feel educated and unafraid.
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Arcata, CA. 95521
