We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community if their teachers skipped something way back in health class they totally wish they knew. And an array of honest answers flowed out. Here's what people shared:
1. "That abstinence isn’t the only option."
2. "If they would actually explain what happens (or could go wrong) during/after childbirth."
3. "That virginity isn't real."
4. "If sex hurts, something is wrong."
5. "My high school health class taught abstinence only education."
6. "The clitoris."
7. "I found out that for a woman, the place where you pee is different from your main hole (hard to write this without being too explicit) from watching Orange Is the New Black at 27."
8. "I wish I had learned about anything related to the LGBTQIA+ community."
9. "Catholic school health class skipped over a few things."
10. "For women — pee after sex!"
11. "Show both boys and girls an uncircumcised penis."
12. "Proper education on my own anatomy. They really should tell kids about periods, how to handle them, what's normal and what isn't. At least here, the 'period talk' was just, 'So here's a pad. Tampons are sinful. There's gonna be blood, and you should be ashamed.'"
13. "I wish we had been taught that fetishes are real and nothing to be ashamed of."
14. "That the hymen is a stretchy membrane that isn't 'broken' during first penetrative sex."
15. "I wish I had learned anything about mental health and how to cope with difficult situations and emotions."
16. And finally, "Consent."
Is there anything else they didn't teach in health class? Share what you wish you had learned in the comments below!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.