Ashima Sharma, Keekli Reporter, 18th May, 2015, Shimla
The young girls of Auckland House School were given some vital tips and made aware of different aspects of feminine hygiene and health through the Adolescent Health Programme organized by Dr Alok Sharma, MD, DHA, MICOG and Registrar, KNH, Shimla. Being an active member of the Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecological Societies of India (FOGSI), this initiative was taken by Dr Alok for the benefit of adolescent girls. The expert guest panel included experienced doctors like Dr SS Rathore, Medical Officer, KNH, Shimla, Dr Rohini Rao, Medical Officer, KNH, Shimla, Dr Ashwani Sood, Professor Paediatrics, IGMC, Shimla, Dr Geetika G. Syal, Consultant, Sanitarium, Shimla, Dr Yogita Dogra, OBG Specialist, DDUZH, Shimla.
During the discussion the doctors spoke on the most common feminine health issues such as reproductive health – know your body; premenstrual syndrome; nutrition and prevention of anaemia and vaccination; feminine hygiene; self presentation skills; staying healthy-staying fit; sexual abuse and harassment; sexually transmitted diseases and HIV – prevention, contraception. Throwing light on the reproductive health, Dr S S Rathore said “A healthy reproductive system makes the miracle of life possible. Taking good care the reproductive health plays an important part in healthy body. Chemicals in a woman’s body called hormones rise and fall during the month and make the menstrual cycle happen. If these menstrual cycles are disturbed due to any reason and become irregular one should immediately contact a doctor to resolve the issue. Cleaning private parts regularly is also important part of a healthy body”.
Every girl goes through the particular stage of premenstrual syndrome every month, Dr Rohini discussed the same issue with girls and told them a few ways to reduce the ways to control the problems caused during this period and said, “The changing hormonal levels causes the common problem of PMS among girls. These symptoms include physical as well as emotional signs, such as acne, swollen breasts, fatigue, constipation, headache, backache, overeating, irritability, mood swings, anxiety and depression. These symptoms can be controlled by following a healthy dietary plan and light exercising. Healthy foods such as fruits and other vitamin C food products can help in reducing the pain. Avoiding excess salt, sugar and caffeine can also help in subsiding the symptoms”.
Talking about sexually transmitted dieses, Dr Geetika Syal said, “Sexually transmitted diseases are infections that are spread by sexual contact and they can severely damage a human’s body and can cause death eventually. A person with STD can pass it on to others by contact with skin, genitals, mouth, rectum and body fluids. One commonly used method to avoid this infection is the use of contraceptives. Use of contraceptives should never be taboo as it is the only way that reduces the chances of STDs during sexual contact”.
India is amongst the top ten counties with the highest sexual abuse and harassment cases in the world, Dr Alok discussed how to recognize sexual harassment and speak up against it by saying that “Particular kind of behavior directly points towards harassment like unwanted physical touching, grabbing, kissing, offensive sexual graphic jokes, comments about a person’s body or sexual remark, leering at a girl whistling, leaning over and offensive gestures, — all these are the signs of harassment, a girl should not feel shy or think twice before speaking up against such lecherous people”.
Sharing with us his thoughts on the importance of discussions on sex and feminine health in schools, Dr Alok said, “It is very important for girls as well as boys to understand that the sexual aspects of a human body are human nature. They need to be taught about it in a correct manner. Surfing the Internet for these kind of sensitive topics gives them half and incorrect information which leads to all kinds of sexual problems and frustration in later stages. Menstrual cycle, syndromes and other activities related to it are a necessary part of a female body, the better knowledge they have, the easier it is for them to understand their body and deal with the health situations. We have to leave behind the days when it was considered a taboo to talk about such female issues and sex, in order to give the right direction to the students and avoid them from falling prey to the virtual and sham sexual world, they need to learn about the sexual changes that take place in their body in a healthy atmosphere and in a defined manner”.
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