Relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education

4 November, 2022

How can you teach 100 million adolescents about happy responsible sexual and reproductive relationships without explaining menstruation?

We are providing lectures for top stream 11, 12 and 13 year olds each half-term at a Sheffield school (UK). These include the human life cycle, medicine and healthcare, where we explain the path of the 50,000 oocyte in the new born ovary, the billions of male zygotes, embryology, anatomy, physiology, endometrial development and shedding (menstruation) and oocyte release are covered in relation to the life cycle and to the physiology and sociology of reproduction.

The real life solution is a national PHSE (personal, social, health and economic) syllabus and a national science syllabus which together - with caveats for different cultures, students and parents - covers menstruation sensitively across a whole country (England in this case) with mixed religious and beliefs - a real extant solution.

Almost all children in the UK receive this basic education. What is the situation in other countries? Do children complete their secondary education without basic knowledge of reproductive health?

HIFA profile: Richard Fitton is a retired family doctor - GP. Professional interests: Health literacy, patient partnership of trust and implementation of healthcare with professionals, family and public involvement in the prevention of modern lifestyle diseases, patients using access to professional records to overcome confidentiality barriers to care, patients as part of the policing of the use of their patient data

Email address: richardpeterfitton7 AT gmail.com