Hayley Ramsay-Watkinson is still perplexed about how it took a fertility issue in her late 20s for her to finally learn about reproductive health.
Hayley, who lives in the South Australian Riverland region, is not alone in finding out more about her body, and the reproductive issues women can face, later in life. She became aware of her fertility issues "way before I wanted to conceive children" and "almost by accident"."There was a polyp on my cervix, so I went into surgery to have that removed, and then endometriosis was discovered.
Before the information came flooding in through various doctors and an online community, Hayley said she lacked important knowledge that would have been beneficial to learn when she was younger. "I would say most people didn't learn anything much in school. In fact, everything they learned was like the fear of getting pregnant.
Dr Koch said while the information currently delivered in classrooms was important, reproductive health education could be developed for stronger knowledge in the final years of schooling."About how age impacts our fertility and family planning being not just about avoiding pregnancy, but about trying to work out when the best time to have a family is and how to fit that in around your goals.Hayley is grateful to finally have the information she didn't have earlier in her adulthood.