William Atkins
Wednesday, 30 September 2009 20:18
Science -
Health
Page 1 of 3
An Indiana University study found that women with positive attitudes toward their genitals are more likely to take an active role in their sexual health, such as going to the doctor for regular gynecological examinations.
Dr.
Debby Herbenick, an associate director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion in the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation at Indiana University (Bloomington), performed the study.
According to the
ScienceDaily.com article “
Orgasms, Sexual Health And Attitudes About Female Genitals,” Dr. Herbenick is quoted to have said:
"These
are important findings about body image. Our culture often portrays
women's genitals as dirty and in need of cleaning and grooming."
"Some
women may have had greater exposure to such negative messages or may be
more susceptible to their impact."
{Image of Dr. Debby Herbenick, author of "Because It Feels Good: A Woman’s Guide to Sexual Pleasure and Satisfaction," is also a sexual health educator at The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction where she writes and hosts audio podcasts of the Kinsey Confidential column and coordinates educational programming. Image courtesy of http://www.mysexprofessor.com/}
The conclusions of the study were published in the September issue of the
International Journal of Sexual Health.
It is entitled “
The Development and Validation of a Scale to Measure Attitudes Toward Women's Genitals” (International Journal of Sexual Health 2009; 21 (3): 153 DOI: 10.1080/19317610903149692).
Dr. Herbenick performed her study because few measures have been generated in the past with regards to individual attitudes toward women’s genitals.
The abstract to her paper states,
“Sexual behaviors may be related to or influenced by a range of factors including individuals' attitudes toward women's genitals."
Page two talks more in depth about the Herbenick study.
