What/how much did you learn about your body growing up?

Ducktale

Whether from school, parents, peers, sex ed, movies, whatever, how educated were you on your body/reproduction growing up (say, before turning 18)? Where did the information come from? I can't believe how little I was taught, and I have picked up some information randomly over the years, but comparing what I knew before hanging out on TB to what I know now, I can't believe I/women get to this point in their lives without knowing basic information.

So what about you, were you always so enlightened? 

Ducktale

My sex ed was pretty poor, I remember that you should use condoms and/or the pill if you were going to have sex. But if you have sex, even one time, there's a very very high liklihood that you will get pregnant.

My mom was not into discussing bodies/reproduction. When I reached the age of puberty she took me to a class at the hospital so the nurses could explain it all to me. Never had a sex talk with my parents at all.

My mom tricked me into getting my first pap--I thought it was just going to be a regular old check up til the doctor pulled out a model of the female reproductive system and started explaining things. I thought it was just as an FYI, thought to myself, well that's interesting, but why is she telling me all of this? And then out of the corner of my eye I saw the instruments...and it started to click what was going to happen...Never talked about it even after that with my mom though.

Jags8

Wow @Ducktale - a surprise pap? I'm pretty sure that I would have been a bit scarred by that. I got my first when I was 20, as I didn't become sexually active til college.
In 5th grade, we started basic puberty education classes. We were split into girls class and boys class, so I didn't know anything about boys' puberty until later. And unfortunately, I had already started puberty before those puberty classes. But I think my parents did ok explaining stuff to me. Plus I have four older sisters. But come to think of it, I don't think I understood WHY I was having a period (shedding that lining because I didn't get pregnant), just that every woman does. I do remember my mom telling me at some point in my life that she was temping to get pregnant with me.
Freshman year of high school we started sex ed classes. I honestly couldn't tell you what I learned because I don't remember much. I do remember looking at disgusting pictures of genitals with different STIs. I think we were basically taught to use protection.
My last semester of college I took "Human Sexuality" and that was a pretty awesome and eye-opening class. And it wasn't until recently that I learned about checking CM, etc. that I learned about fertility.

Siamese253

We had a generic puberty class starting in 5^th grade where they split the boys and the girls up (I think the boys watched an unrelated movie and talked sports until 7^th grade). There were “Family Life” classes each year, 5th-9th grade. All these classes ever talked about were body development, until 9th grade.

9th grade was a joint boy/girl class where they told us sex=baby every time, plus sex before marriage=STD every time. Then they showed us some pictures of genitals with STD's and a video of a women giving birth.

The only thing my mother ever said about my body (and this includes conversations about periods and puberty) was at the age of 17. She said "if you get pregnant let me know and we'll go get an abortion, don't worry I won't tell your father." At the time I was a virgin and was all "Uhhhh okay. Thanks."

She did spring a surprise pap smear on me at 16, told me in the morning that I had a doctor’s appointment after school and gave me directions. I showed up at the office and realized it was a "lady doctor". We never discussed it.

PS: All of this made having my period and growing bewbies incredibly awkward and embarrassing. I had to ask my dad to buy me pads, because I was too afraid to bring it up to my mother (she never said anything to me about it!)

I knew NOTHING about getting pregnant until I started TTC.

PB&J714

I remember in 5th grade, they split up the boys and girls to talk about puberty. They taught us about pads and tampons, how to use deodorant, and about hair growth. I can't remember if they specifically touched on WHY we got periods, but at least we knew we would be getting them soon.

I think that same year my mother sent me to a church discussion group with all my friends where they gave us a more detailed talk. This one was again just about the body changes and stages of puberty in both boys and girls. MUCH more detailed. I think our parents sent us so they wouldn't have to give us the talk on their own. But I don't think we learned about sex.

In 7th grade, we had the "baby project." They were these dummy babies that were equipped to cry at specific intervals. We took them home for 24 hrs to "teach us what being a parent would be like" by having to wear a bracelet with a key that would quiet the baby, when nothing else would. Basically so we didn't pawn it off on our parents. That taught us quite literally, nothing. I think along with the baby assignment they taught us that abstinence was the only 100% method to avoid pregnancy. Other than that, we learned that if you have unprotected sex at all you are basically guaranteed to get pregnant.

My first pap was when I was 17. My pediatric NP was still my doctor at the time. She told me about the breast exam and what she was going to do. The only thing she neglected to tell me was that there was a gown to wear after I took off my clothes. I had no idea, so when she came back in the room, there I was in all my glory on the exam table. MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT OF MY LIFE. I knew very basically that it tested for diseases and the breast exam checked for lumps. She put me on the pill to regulate my cycle.

I really learned nothing about fertility until my junior year of college in our physiology course. The professor went through every stage of menses, and I felt so much more in-tune with my body. I still wasn't quite 100% sure on the whole ovulation thing, but overall had a much better idea of what goes on with my body.

Now, having been on the bump I learn more and more from you ladies everyday. I plan on purchasing TCOYF when we get a little closer to TTC. It's amazing how little I knew before!!

SmileyJay

Well, between my mom and older sister I picked up a lot of information. I was pretty shy though so I wouldn't ask questions. I started my period at 13 and no one even knew until a few days afterwards and that was only because my mom found pads in the trash and knew it wasn't my sister's time of the month. I already knew what it was and knew what to do, no questions really.

I had sex ed in 9th grade in a pretty small town. They taught abstinence but we also watch a video of a birth and learned about birth control options "that people used once they are married". I was smart enough to just listen really well and connect the dots on a lot of things. Between tv, movies, hearing others talk, and doing a little reading I knew a lot more than the other girls. I tracked my cycles on a calendar from the very first one. My mom would have answered anything I asked, but I don't remember really asking except the time I asked what a blow job was (heard my sister talking to a friend) and she explained and I said "no one would ever do that anyways..." and laughed it off. 

When I was 18 I went on my own to get birth control because I met my now husband and we began being intimate. By that time I knew a lot... not everything I know now about temping and what happens during the cycle but way more than most of my friends. I am still shocked by how little some know about their cycles and how few even know which day af should come. I am also always surprised by how many people think they can get pregnant any day of the month but correcting them and sharing info about af isn't usually a good lunch topic  

NerdyLucy

I wasn't taught enough, but thankfully, I was an avid reader and researcher.

 

Whenever I'd ask questions as a young child, like where babies came from, my mother's response was always, "You're too young."   Dad was willing to talk to me, but Mom was against it, so it never happened.

I think I was finally told a little about menstruation when I was in 3rd or 4th grade, but only because I was an early developer.  I started developing breasts at age 10 or 11, and I started by period at 12.  In 5th and 6th grade, we were giving basic lessons on puberty and what certain feminine products were for.

In high school, we were given basic biology lessons about reproduction, but that was about it.  My parents never spoke with me about any of that, including protection.  I do think we got a few lessons on both abstinence and protection in 9th grade, but not much. 

What I learned ultimately came from my own research.  The sad part is that a lot of kids my age at that time were NOT doing their own research, so a lot of the went without information.

MrsRustyGriswold

My mom told me the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God, when I was about 2 and she was pregnant with my sister.  I don't remember it, but I know that whenever I learned something about where babies come from, officially in class or unofficially on the playground, I felt like I was just remembering it, not learning it new.  So I guess it must've sunk in.

In 5th grade, my school did the official films, etc. but the better lesson was the same year or maybe a year later when my Girl Scout Troop had a mother daughter meeting with an OBGYN who explained and answered questions.  (Come to think of it, setting that up was the one really good thing my crappy scout leader did right.)

Ducktale

@starscream, sounds you knew more as a 5th grader than I knew at like, 16. I'm so impressed.

ClaireHuxtable

I had a sex ed class in the 5th grade - where boys and girls were separated.  We learned the basics on menstruation and the hormonal and physical changes a woman body goes through as she ages.  I don't recall learning much about men's bodies other than the basic hardware and roughly how babies are made.

In 9th grade, we had a mandatory health class where we basically learned the same thing I learned when I was 10.  There was a little more information, but not much.  There was talk of abstinence and also contraception and the consequences of unprotected sex.  It was a co-ed class.

In my household, bodies, biology and/or sex was never discussed.  But, I was a pretty resourceful person and read voraciously and did a lot of my own research.  When I was deciding on becoming sexually active, I went to Planned Parenthood for contraception.  I had my first pap at age 16.  My mother did not know.  To this day, we don't discuss anything.  She was just raised in an environment where you just don't talk about those things.  I feel like I missed out on a lot.

Fast forward to now and actively trying to conceive - there is a WHOLE world I had no clue about.  I've learned so much and have caught myself exclaiming aloud, "Why the hell did no one tell me this???"  If I am able to have another child, I will make certain - male or female that they know about their bodies and feel comfortable talking to me about anything and everything.  

Mysterious_wife

I was raised strict southern baptist. I knew nothing until I was lurking on BOTB while wedding planning.

Ducktale

@atwhocanitbenow Now that you mention it I think we had a similar set of encyclopedias from the 60s. It had clear pages with the different "layers" of the body (muscles, organs, skeleton). I don't remember reading anything about ovulation and such though. Should have read that chapter.

@Siamese253 I'm glad I'm not the only one whose mom sprung a surprise pap on them

Jags8

So tonight at work, one of my male teenage clients got on the subject of pregnancy/birth etc. He brought up tearing, and wondered if the vulva stretched. So we got into a good discussion, and it reminded me- when I was a kid, I thought the contractions stretched out the vulva!! I thought that women had a huge gaping vulva in order to birth the baby! I am pretty sure that it was at least high school before I understood what was really happening during labor.

Smallllmin

In 4th grade, when contemplating babies, my friend told me that the boy pees inside the girl.
This was what we thought sex was... for like four years lol.

Jenniebug7

I actually didn't learn anything about sex or functions of the body while growing up. I guess I wasn't really into it. I never asked my mom about it and she never told me. The only thing she said, is if I kissed a boy, I would become pregnant, so I didn't until about 13 years old. And around 13 and clearly remember having a conversation with my mom and sister about my sister wanting to have triplets. So I just told her to have sex 3 nights in a row and she will get her triplets. After getting laughed at about it, I just went on with life. I would say probably around 21 years old is when I really started to do research on things...my father is the one who I told about "being injured because my pee pee was bleeding." He took me to my mother. Lol!

DeannaCW

I got the puberty talks from both mom and school between fourth and sixth grades. That bit seemed normal. Jr high and high school each had a required health class, each one touching on the mechanics of sex and stds and... not a whole lot else. I think a couple mentions of the pill and condoms. 

Aside from that, messages I got about sex and sexuality were... largely purity-culture based. So any feelings were guilt-inducing and suppressed. Gave me a hell of a time when DH and I were dating and all of a sudden they all bubbled to the surface and I didn't know how to manage them, and felt awful for feeling that way. No way am I ever teaching my (future) girls most of the stuff I was taught. I'm still dealing with some of the residual effects. I don't regret waiting til marriage for sex, but I think I do regret some of the reasons behind that choice...