FrustratedinFL
Really Experienced
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2003
- Posts
- 132
I get weekly reports via email from MedScape on breaking news within the medical field. The language in this report is a bit dry, but I wanted to quote some of it here to show how sad it is that people in some areas of the world are so ignorant about their own bodies because of social pressures, etc.
"Health care cultural challenges can be particularly difficult in the arena of sexual health. Sexual health is very often considered a taboo subject in Indian families.[5] Parents might foster their children's educational pursuits, but issues related to sexual health are often not discussed at home and believed to be important only "when the time comes." Asia's religions focus on female purity. A central religious tenet is that a family deliver a virginal bride.[6] In Indian culture it is believed that prepubertal or pubertal girls do not have sexual impulses. The girls are secluded from nonfamilial men or are tightly chaperoned. On the other hand, it is thought that most men are not virgins at the time of their marriage and have had premarital sexual encounters with widows and deserted wives.[6]"
"At her first office visit, a 37-year-old Asian Indian woman complained of "worsening of my chronic back problems." She had immigrated to the United States from India 11 years previously. On review of systems, her gynecologic history showed that the patient had menses every month for 4 to 5 days since her early teens and no pelvic pains or infections. She had never been pregnant nor had she used birth control of any type. For the past 9 years she was married and unable to conceive. She and her husband were currently undergoing a workup by an infertility specialist. On further questioning, it was discovered that she and her husband had never had sexual intercourse with penetration."
"The patient was a professional woman; her husband had a doctoral degree. Their marriage was arranged. Because she and her husband had been married for 9 years and had not produced any children, they were advised by their families to see an infertility specialist. Neither of their families (who lived in India) nor the infertility specialist knew that their marriage was unconsummated."
" Sexual encounters are taught to be a duty and are not meant to be pleasurable for the woman. Mothers teach their daughters that their role in life is to make their husbands happy and not to question. Men are not educated about contraception.[9] Often neither men nor women understand the concept of ovulation and timing pregnancies."
I just had to share this -- I think it's so sad that some people are so ignorant about something that's supposed to be a normal, natural part of our lives.
"Health care cultural challenges can be particularly difficult in the arena of sexual health. Sexual health is very often considered a taboo subject in Indian families.[5] Parents might foster their children's educational pursuits, but issues related to sexual health are often not discussed at home and believed to be important only "when the time comes." Asia's religions focus on female purity. A central religious tenet is that a family deliver a virginal bride.[6] In Indian culture it is believed that prepubertal or pubertal girls do not have sexual impulses. The girls are secluded from nonfamilial men or are tightly chaperoned. On the other hand, it is thought that most men are not virgins at the time of their marriage and have had premarital sexual encounters with widows and deserted wives.[6]"
"At her first office visit, a 37-year-old Asian Indian woman complained of "worsening of my chronic back problems." She had immigrated to the United States from India 11 years previously. On review of systems, her gynecologic history showed that the patient had menses every month for 4 to 5 days since her early teens and no pelvic pains or infections. She had never been pregnant nor had she used birth control of any type. For the past 9 years she was married and unable to conceive. She and her husband were currently undergoing a workup by an infertility specialist. On further questioning, it was discovered that she and her husband had never had sexual intercourse with penetration."
"The patient was a professional woman; her husband had a doctoral degree. Their marriage was arranged. Because she and her husband had been married for 9 years and had not produced any children, they were advised by their families to see an infertility specialist. Neither of their families (who lived in India) nor the infertility specialist knew that their marriage was unconsummated."
" Sexual encounters are taught to be a duty and are not meant to be pleasurable for the woman. Mothers teach their daughters that their role in life is to make their husbands happy and not to question. Men are not educated about contraception.[9] Often neither men nor women understand the concept of ovulation and timing pregnancies."
I just had to share this -- I think it's so sad that some people are so ignorant about something that's supposed to be a normal, natural part of our lives.
