|
elementary
questions
These are typical questions that many other
students your age ask. It is normal to have
these questions, and it is important that
you get information that contains correct
information. We encourage you to think about
your values, for the "right" answer is one
that also fits with your beliefs. Talking to
a parent or a trusted adult can often be
very helpful.
Please click on any of the following
question topics to see related questions:
Questions About Puberty
1. What are wet dreams?
A wet dream is when a male’s penis gets
erect or hard and ejaculates or releases a
fluid called semen while he is sleeping. Wet
dreams can happen to both boys and grown
men. A male may know that he has had a wet
dream if he wakes up in damp pajamas and bed
sheets. This may be embarrassing, but it is
normal and a sign that he is growing up.10
2. Why is a person's hair on their head one
color and the rest of the body another
color?
A person's hair color is not necessarily
different than his or her pubic hair color.
Every person is different. Some people have
the same coloured hair and pubic hair color,
whereas other people have different hair and
pubic hair colors. Both are normal.
3. What does
circumcised mean?
A circumcised penis is a penis
that has had the foreskin removed. The
foreskin is the loose skin that covers the
tip of the penis.11
TOP
Questions
About Menstruation
1. Do boys menstruate?
No, boys do not menstruate. Only girls
menstruate.
2. Why do girls have to wear pads?
A girl uses sanitary pads or napkins to
absorb menstrual blood3, so that
her clothing does not get stained.
3. Does it hurt when you have your period?
Some girls feel uncomfortable before and
during their periods. Some girls feel
bloated, puffy, tired, moody, a little bit
"down", more hungry, or breast tenderness
before or during menstruation. During
menstruation, some girls may have menstrual
cramps. Some things a girl can do to make
her cramps less uncomfortable are: take a
warm bath; do gentle exercises; use a
heating pad; or take pain medication to help
the pain go away.4,5
4. Do you menstruate the rest of your life
once you start?
No, women do not menstruate all their lives.
On average, women stop menstruating, which
is called going through menopause, by the
age of 51.6
5. How should you
act when you have your period?
When you are menstruating, you do
not have to act any different than usual.
You can play sports, dance, exercise and
bathe like usual. If tampons are used, you
can even swim. You should feel free to do
whatever you want to do. Menstruation is a
normal part of every woman's life.7
TOP
Questions About Human Sexual Response
1. What is an erection?
An erection is when the tissues of the penis
fill with blood making it larger and harder.13
2. What is
masturbation?
Masturbation is when a person touches
his or her own genitals to make them feel
good.14 Some people choose to
masturbate while others choose not to.
3. Can urine
come out the same time as sperm?
If a man has a healthy reproductive
system, urine and sperm will not come out of
the penis at the same time.15
TOP
Questions About Intercourse
1. What does sexual
intercourse mean? Does it hurt?
Sexual intercourse is something two adults
do together and can result in pregnancy.8
It usually involves placing the penis in the
vagina.9 Sexual intercourse usually does not hurt, if it does, that
would be something one should discuss with
their doctor.
TOP
Questions About Pregnancy
1. Where does a baby come from?
A baby is made when a man's reproductive
cell, the sperm, joins with or fertilizes a
female's reproductive cell, the ova or egg.16
These cells will then multiply in the
woman’s uterus until they develop into a
baby that is ready to be born.
2. Does the
egg have a shell?
No, the egg or ova does not have a
shell, but it does have 2 layers that the
sperm must pass through to fertilize it.17
3. How long
does it take for a baby to get ready to be
born?
It usually takes about 9 calendar
months, or 40 weeks for a baby to be born.18
4. How can you tell
if the baby will be a boy or a girl?
The only way to tell if a baby
will be a boy or a girl is if the mother has
a test which is ordered by the doctor. One
test, called an ultrasound, takes a picture
of the fetus in the mother's womb (uterus).
By looking at the picture, the doctor can
usually tell if the baby is a boy if the
doctor can see the baby's penis. Another
test, called amniocentesis, tests for the
chromosomes of the baby by taking a sample
of the amniotic fluid.
5. What decides if
the baby will be a boy or a girl?
Both men and women have a
reproductive cell. The male reproductive
cell is the sperm, and the female
reproductive cell is the ova or egg. Within
each reproductive cell, there are sex
chromosomes. The sperm sex chromosome is
either an X (female gender) chromosome or a
Y (male gender) chromosome. The egg only has
one sex chromosome, the X chromosome. It is
the male's sperm that determines if a baby
will be a boy or a girl. Therefore, if the
sperm that joins with the egg also has an X
chromosome, the baby will usually develop
into a female.. If the sperm that joins with
the egg has a Y chromosome the baby will
usually develop into a male.
5. How does a baby
come out? Does it hurt?
When a baby is ready to be born,
he or she usually comes out of the vagina.
If the baby is having problems coming out of
the vagina, sometimes the doctor will do a
surgery called a cesarean section and take
the baby out of the mother's abdomen.20
Most women consider the birth of the baby
painful, but there are usually doctors and
nurses around to help the woman feel more
comfortable and to provide medication to
make it less painful.
6. Can you have a
baby when you are 13 years old?
If a 13 year-old girl has started
to ovulate, she can become pregnant and have
a baby. A sign that a girl has started to
ovulate is that she has started to have
menstrual periods. However, it is possible
for a female to start ovulating before she
has her first menstrual period..21
7. If the baby is
born dead, why did it die?
Although it is rare, sometimes babies die at
birth.
There are many reasons why a baby
could be born dead. Some reasons may be
related to the delivery of the baby (e.g.
the baby may have had the umbilical cord
wrapped around his or her neck), while other
reasons may be related to the growth and
development of the baby inside the womb
(e.g. the baby's heart or lungs may not have
developed correctly). When a baby is born
dead, it is called a stillbirth.22
If you have questions
about what has happened talk to your
parents or a trusted adult.
8. How does milk
get into your breasts?
When a woman is pregnant, there
are hormones that get the breasts ready to
feed the baby after it is born. Once the
baby is born, the hormones signal the
breasts to start making milk. When the baby
breastfeeds, the breasts are emptied and the
hormones continue to signal the breasts to
make more milk.23
9. Do
sperm have eyes? How do they find the egg?
Sperm look kind of like tadpoles when
they are seen under a microscope. Sperm have
a head, a cone-shaped mid-piece, and a tail,
but they do not have eyes. A sperm cell
travels to the egg by moving its tail back
and forth in a swimming motion. It is not
known exactly how the sperm finds the egg,
but some scientists think that the egg makes
a substance that attracts the sperm so that
the sperm cell can find the egg.24
TOP
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI)
1. What is AIDS?
AIDS or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
is a very serious disease caused by a virus.
HIV or Human Immunodeficiency Virus is the
virus that causes AIDS. A person gets AIDS
when the HIV has damaged their body's
defences or immune system, which fights off
germs. Once these defences have been
damaged, bacteria and viruses may enter the
body making the person very sick. When this
happens, the person has AIDS.1
2. How do people
get AIDS?
People can get HIV (Human
Immunodeficiency Virus), the virus that
causes AIDS, if they are in contact with
certain body fluids from a person who has
the virus. Body fluids that spread the virus
are: blood; semen (the whitish liquid that
comes from a man's penis and carries sperm)
and pre semen; vaginal secretions (in a
woman's vagina); and breast milk. These
infected fluids get into another person when
a person: has sexual intercourse with
someone who is infected with HIV; uses
needles and syringes that have been used by
a person infected with the virus (for
tattooing, body piercing or intravenous drug
use); or is accidentally in contact with
someone's blood who has the virus. Also, a
mother who has HIV can give the virus to her
unborn child or to her baby when
breastfeeding.2
TOP
Questions About Sexual Orientation
1. What are homosexuals?
A homosexual is a person who has feelings of
affection and attraction, both emotionally
and physically to a person of the same
gender. Female homosexuals are often
referred to as lesbians and male homosexuals
are often referred to as gay.12
TOP
1
Alberta Health and Wellness. (1999). A
family talks about AIDS: Questions children
might ask. [Brochure].
Available: http://www.health.gov.ab.ca/public/document/AID02.pdf
2
Alberta Health and Wellness. (1999). A
family talks about AIDS: Questions children
might ask. [Brochure].
Available: http://www.health.gov.ab.ca/public/document/AID02.pdf
3
ETR Associates. (1996). Menstruation:
Talking with your daughter. [Brochure].
Rain, P: Author.
4
ETR Associates. (1996). Menstruation:
Talking with your daughter. [Brochure].
Rain, P: Author.
5
Alberta Health and Wellness. (2000). Growing
up ok![Brochure].
6
The Society of Obstetricians and
Gynaecologists of Canada. (1996). Menopause:
Let's talk about it! [Brochure].
7
Alberta Health and Wellness. (2000). Growing
up ok![Brochure].
8
Alberta Health and Wellness. (1999). A
family talks about AIDS: Questions children
might ask. [Brochure].
Available: http://www.health.gov.ab.ca/public/document/AID02.pdf
9
Alberta Health and Wellness. (2000). Growing
up ok![Brochure].
10
Alberta Health and Wellness. (2000). Growing
up ok![Brochure].
11
Alberta Health and Wellness. (2000). Growing
up ok! [Brochure].
12
Health Canada. (2000). Gender and sexual
identity: The journey begins (2nd ed.)
[Brochure].
13
Alberta Health and Wellness. (2000). Growing
up ok! [Brochure].
14
Alberta Health and Wellness. (2000). Growing
up ok! [Brochure].
15
Rathus, S.A., Nevid, J.S. & Fichner-Rathus,
L. (1997). Human sexuality in a world of
diversity (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn and
Bacon.
16
Alberta Health and Wellness. (1999). What to
say when they ask: Talking about sexuality
with your child. [Brochure].
17Bobak,
I.M. & Jensen, M.D. (1991). Essentials of
maternity nursing (3rd ed.). Toronto: Mosby
Year Book.
18
Bobak, I.M. & Jensen, M.D. (1991).
Essentials of maternity nursing (3rd ed.).
Toronto: Mosby Year Book.
19
Rathus, S.A., Nevid, J.S. & Fichner-Rathus,
L. (1997). Human sexuality in a world of
diversity (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn and
Bacon.
20
Bobak, I.M. & Jensen, M.D. (1991).
Essentials of maternity nursing (3rd ed.).
Toronto: Mosby Year Book.
21
ETR Associates. (1996). Menstruation:
Talking with your daughter. [Brochure].
Rain, P: Author.
22
Bobak, I.M. & Jensen, M.D. (1991).
Essentials of maternity nursing (3rd ed.).
Toronto: Mosby Year Book.
23
Cohen, S.M., Kenner, C.A. & Hollingsworth,
A.O. (1991). Maternal, neonatal, and women's
health nursing. Pennsylvania: Springhouse
Corporation.
24
Rathus, S.A., Nevid, J.S. & Fichner-Rathus,
L. (1997). Human sexuality in a world of
diversity (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn and
Bacon.
Rathus,
S.A.,
Nevid, J.S. & Fichner-Rathus, L. (1997).
Human sexuality in a world of diversity (3rd
ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
|
