Medical talk show: Gender and premarital health - Know enough, act right

The Talk show was held online, attracting great attention from youth union members throughout the school.

70% of abortion cases are students

Unwanted pregnancy among adolescents is not only a health problem but also a huge social problem, the source of sexual abuse, domestic violence, illiteracy, poverty, social evils...

According to statistics from the Vietnam Family Planning Association, every year there are 300-350 thousand abortions nationwide, mostly among women aged 15-19. Of these, 20-30% are unmarried women, 60-70% are just students.

Research results also show that the age of first sexual intercourse among Vietnamese adolescents is getting younger. However, their knowledge about contraception, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases is still very limited.

This is truly an alarming figure regarding the awareness and responsibility of young people about sex and pre-marital reproductive health today.

Lack of knowledge about sex and premarital reproductive health is the main cause of the increasing rate of abortion among students.

According to experts, distorted understanding of gender, premarital reproductive health and increasingly "open" concepts of love and sex among young people are the main causes of the increasing rate of unwanted pregnancies and abortions among students today.

“Know enough, act right”

With the aim of helping students equip themselves with knowledge about gender and pre-marital reproductive health; creating a forum for students to exchange and share their views on love and gender; guiding students to take the right actions; spreading knowledge to the community, with the consent of the School, the Youth Union of the Faculty of Medicine of Dai Nam University organizes the Talk show Gender and pre-marital health: "Know enough, act right."

The Talk show was attended by representatives of the Board of Directors, representatives of the Youth Union, Secretaries/Deputy Secretaries of the Youth Union branches, leaders, staff, lecturers of the Faculty of Medicine and nearly 300 students in the whole school.

Sharing at the Talk show, Ms. Bui Thi Phuong - Lecturer of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dai Nam University said: "Gender and premarital reproductive health is not a new topic but never old and no longer interesting".

With nearly 30 years of knowledge and experience working in the field of obstetrics, Ms. Bui Thi Phuong brought to the Talk show extremely useful knowledge through familiar and vivid stories and real-life situations.

By participating in the program, students not only identify their “gender identity”, learn about common physiological problems in both sexes, sexual orientations, safe and healthy sex, safe contraceptive methods, sexually transmitted diseases and prevention methods, common problems and care in both sexes…, but also interact, discuss and express their views on love and gender.

In particular, at the Talk show, the topic of unwanted pregnancy due to lack of knowledge on how to properly apply birth control methods was of interest to students, who asked questions and discussed very enthusiastically.

As the main speaker of the program, Ms. Bui Thi Phuong emphasized: “Unwanted pregnancy while still a student brings huge consequences, not only to the couples themselves (especially girls) but also to the family and society. Having to become a father or mother too early when “not yet full, not yet worried” can cause young people to have their studies interrupted, losing the opportunity to study and develop themselves in the future. In many cases, the male partner “whips off after the wind” causing the female partner to choose abortion or become a single mother, facing many consequences. Abortion too early, too many times leaves many health consequences (infertility) and mental health. If choosing to be a single mother, the female partner and her family will have to bear many consequences. Not to mention that the child born in conditions lacking both emotional and material will suffer many disadvantages..."

At the Talk show, most of the students interviewed said that in modern society, the issue of premarital sex is no longer so serious, but those involved need to be fully equipped with knowledge about sex and reproductive health to protect themselves and their "partners".

Dao Thuy Linh – a student of class YDK 14-01 shared: “The talk show was really interesting and useful. We gained a lot of knowledge about gender and reproductive health. This is the knowledge that any student needs to equip themselves with to be confident, steadfast and “say no” to the risks that may be encountered in life…”

At the end of the program, Ms. Bui Thi Phuong emphasized the message: “Parents give birth to us and raise us. Life is ours and ours. Time for each person is limited. Therefore, we must cherish life, make the most of current opportunities to enhance our own values and abilities. Protect our bodies to always be healthy both physically and mentally based on understanding and evidence-based practice. Reproductive health and sexual health are components of health. Understand yourself thoroughly. Live and enjoy what life brings but be safe. Protect your body from the dangers that are spreading around you. Live with a plan, know how to delay, know how to refuse…”

Communications Department