I don't know why, but I have female reproductive health on my mind. BTW, where is everyone rushing to with their first sexual encounters?
I remember in high school, during a class on Reproductive health, I raised my hand and asked if girls could get pregnant from oral sex since the semen went into their bellies where babies are made... Yup, 16 year old me with her years of reading romance novels just had to ask this question which was bothering her mind in class. I got laughed at for my naivety, but I got my answer; No.
Today, people are proudly broadcasting that they had sex at twelve and ten years old. Mehn! The way I didn't want my childhood to end! And people are just rushing to be grown ups ASAP. Hmm...
Anyway, my friend recently turned 21 and when I called, I said; "Congratulations! You're now legal worldwide. In fact if you were in France, you could now finally vote! And now that you are fully grown up, it's time to make that trip to the doctor for your pap smear"
"For what?" She asked.
"Your pap..." I started...
"I heard you the first time. Why now?"
"Well, it's supposed to take place when you turn 21 or after your first sexual experience"
Being the clown that she is, she made my day by replying;
"Etoile, but if I haven't opened my legs for the person for whom it's meant, why would I go and lie down for some (stranger) doctor to poke around in the name of medicine?"
"So you'll know if everything is okay down there.."
"Please, everything is okay. What hasn't killed me till now, can wait till I marry"
We laughed about it but I wondered... How many of us do anything to check and make sure everything is okay with us? A doctor friend tells me many have had their lives saved through a routine check Why? Cervical cancer. A pap smear can be your lifeline because like all cancers, the earlier it's caught, the better your chances of survival.
So yes, let's giggle and blush about it... but if you're 21 and above or are/have been sexually active, do yourself a favour and get that smear. Who knows? It may save your life...
So, apparently, a woman boosts her chances of getting cervical cancer if she:
- Starts having sex before age 18
- Has many sex partners
- Has sex partners who have other sex partners
- Has or has had a STI
(side-eying those deciding to have sex at age twelve and ten whilst their counterparts forced into prostitution would give almost anything to have their innocence back)
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good information. i didn't know 21 was the designated age to get a pap...
ReplyDeletelol i didnt even know what pap smear was till i read this. I'm not so sexually active so i think i'm good. no pap smear for me please lol
ReplyDeletei got a qstn: if gals go to gynes, who do guys go to? :-)
ReplyDelete@ Simply chic... yup! some say twenty five (if you wanna put it off) but most official sources advise 21 years.
ReplyDelete@ Kitkat: Hahaha! Advantages of not being 'so active' huh?
@ Anyan: Urologist? Go get those prostates checked :P
Lol. interesting and very well written. That said, I know a lady who wanted to do a pap smear but was told it was unnecessary. Mind you, she was 28years old. The reason the nurses said it was unnecessary was because she was still a virgin but if she still insisted, they could do it for her but it'll cause a lot of discomfort.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the point I want to make is, a girl could skip doing a pap as long as she hasn't and does not indulge in sex.
(My non-authoritative opinion)