Netflix has just rolled out the second season of hit show Sex Education, a year after the first season captured young audiences with its humorous depiction of the awkward realities of teenage sex. Let me assure you that the second season does not disappoint!
As someone who actively campaigns for comprehensive and inclusive sex education programmes in schools, I think that, apart from its entertainment value, Sex Education really is educational. The range of issues addressed, from homosexual relationships to asexuality, internalised homophobia to sexual assault, makes this Netflix show a key resource for sex and relationships education.
I am particularly impressed with the treatment of female sexual health issues. For example, the character of Lily Iglehart (played by Tanya Reynolds) has brought to light the condition vaginismus. This is when the vagina suddenly tightens up when penetration of any kind is initiated, resulting in pain during sex.
A UK survey found that 1 in 13 women reported feeling pain during sex, so why is it that this condition is largely unheard of?
There is often a stigma when it comes to female sexual health and to see an issue like vaginismus presented to a large audience of mainly young people, is refreshing to say the least. Too often young girls are told to expect pain during sex. As a result of this poor advice, vaginismus frequently goes undiagnosed and untreated. Some girls simply think that unbearable pain during sex is their norm, when it really doesn’t have to be that way.
Simply by portraying this condition as something to not be ashamed of, Sex Education has been vital in opening the conversation and reducing stigma. The show has helped to normalise this experience, which makes it much more likely that young girls who experience vaginismus will seek medical help.
It’s about time women’s sexual health was payed attention to. I know this from personal experience. When growing up I always had issues with my periods: they’d be few and far between, then heavy and painful when they did roll around. But when I went to my GP I was quickly brushed off.
“You’re young, your periods are going to be irregular, just give them time to settle down”, I was told.
Except I had been having periods for four years. So I did my own research, and I came across a condition I had never heard of before: Polycystic-Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). This is where follicles (cysts) form within the ovaries and inhibit their ability to release eggs, resulting in painful, heavy and irregular periods (among other symptoms). It largely goes undiagnosed despite 1 in 5 UK women being affected.
My symptoms seemed to fit this description, so I took my research back to my doctor. He was unsure, but assured me he’d run the tests just to rule it out. After two scans, a blood test and an internal examination, I had my diagnosis: PCOS as I had expected.
It is so strange that I had to convince my doctor there was something wrong, and I’m surely not the only young woman who’s had to do this.
In 2017 a 25-year-old woman died of cervical cancer after being diagnosed aged 21. Her family said that much earlier she had begged doctors to give her a smear test, but she was denied this because she was said to be too young.
Too often, women are brushed off and not listened to. But when well-received shows such as Sex Education cover female sexual health issues, it’s a huge step towards acknowledging and normalising the issues we face.
