Study finds teens need better reproductive health education to address fears about becoming parents

Almost half of teenagers are worried about having children, and many of them lack knowledge about reproductive health, according to two new studies by researchers at University College London. I found out that there is.

The research published in human fertility and health education journalused survey results from 931 UK students aged 16 to 18 collected between May 2021 and July 2022.

of human fertility According to the paper, the majority of students (64%) still want to have children in the future, with nearly half (49%) hoping to have two children.

However, 45% of all participants said they had concerns about future parenthood, expressing concerns about their ability to produce healthy offspring and the lives their children might lead.

When asked what their concerns are, teens said that fear, lack of self-confidence, health and well-being, financial burdens, thwarted personal aspirations, and non-inclusive LGBTQ+ education all contribute to anxiety. I answered yes.

For example, while some students' desire to have children was affected by climate change, students who identified within the LGBTQ+ community felt that the relationships and sexuality education (RSE) they received at school I felt there was a lack of inclusivity.

Meanwhile, students who do not want children in the future (36%) cited reasons such as negative associations with pregnancy and childbirth. Anxiety as a parent. Raising children in a world where the future is uncertain. Consider alternative routes to parenthood. And children find it annoying.

One female participant said, “The world situation is in turmoil. Governments are corrupt. The environment is deteriorating… It's cruel to make children experience our problems. Because it hasn't happened yet,” he said.

Senior author Professor Joyce Harper, from the UCL EGA Women's Health Institute, said: “Sadly, many female students expressed no interest in raising children in the future due to fear of pregnancy and childbirth.

“Deficiencies in fertility education in schools meant that students lacked sufficient knowledge and held negative feelings about their own fertility and ability to bear children.”

Until recently, sex education in the UK focused on puberty, menstruation, sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS, contraception and abortion.

Guidance on sex education in the UK remained unchanged for almost 20 years until September 2020, when the new relationships education curriculum became compulsory in all primary schools (5 to 11 year olds) in England.

In addition, a compulsory RSE curriculum has been introduced in secondary schools (ages 11 to 18), which includes the need to teach reproductive health.

However, the second paper health education journal, It found that there are still huge gaps in youth education, with teenagers not being taught about important reproductive issues such as endometriosis, infertility and the impact of lifestyle on fertility.

More than half (65%) of students rated the sex education they had received as adequate or less than adequate, and half (49%) said they did not know when women were most likely to become pregnant.

When asked how education could be improved, students responded by making the curriculum more inclusive and relevant, providing an honest, transparent and non-judgmental education, and promoting sexual positivity. proposed to increase.

One female participant said, “What we've been doing in school is going over and over again about safe sex and about periods, which, while important, only scratch the surface of what people need to know.'' “I just wish they could tell me more about miscarriages and infertility.” This may alleviate the guilt and embarrassment that those who suffer from it may feel. ”

On the other hand, a male teenager said, “Please make education a little more like the 'real world.' [currently] It can be difficult to apply your current knowledge to what you need in life. ”

Professor Harper added: “It is no surprise that diagnoses take so long when students are not taught about diseases such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). “It seems like they're afraid to talk about 'normality' or 'normality,'” he added. Abnormal menstrual cycle.

“When it comes to infertility education, most teens say they want to have children in the future, but schools focus on teaching them how not to get pregnant, rather than how to have a healthy pregnancy.

“Menopause is now part of the Department of Education curriculum and must be taught.

“This is why the International Reproductive Health Education Collaboration, which I co-founded, has developed a number of educational resources, including a teacher guide that will soon be available for free.”

The research team hopes this study will contribute to improving sexual and reproductive health education for students in the UK.