Breaking the Cycle: How Early Sexual & Reproductive Education Shapes Lifelong Health for Young Women

Authors: Crystal Northcott, MN, NP & Christine Goudie, MDes, PhD Student
October 6, 2025

Lack of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education isn’t just a women’s health issue – it’s a public health concern. Delaying or omitting early education can reinforce stigma, spread misinformation, and create barriers for accessing support, particularly for marginalized groups. Research shows that when education begins early and is supported with practical, hands-on tools, it can have a lasting, transformative impact on health and well-being.

The Importance of Early Education

When was the first time you learned about your own body? For many, outdated diagrams in school textbooks or an awkward conversation that came far too late may come to mind. For others, those moments never happened at all, leaving young women to navigate puberty, menstruation, and sexual health without the knowledge needed to feel confident and safe.

The World Health Organization (WHO) calls comprehensive sexuality education a “critical component” of adolescent well-being [1]. Research shows it helps reduce the risk of unintended pregnancies and encourages healthier choices later in life [2]. In fact, a 2018 UNESCO review of more than 100 studies found that starting sexual and reproductive health education early doesn’t promote risky behaviour. Instead, it equips young women with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to make informed decisions about their bodies [2].

Sexual and reproductive health is a lifelong journey, but its foundation is built in childhood. Early education isn’t about overwhelming kids with too much information. It’s about introducing ideas in ways that match their age and stage of development. When done well, it sets the stage for lifelong benefits, including:

• Creating a Means for Open Communication

Stigma remains one of the greatest barriers to sexual health. When topics like puberty, menstruation, or anatomy are treated as “off-limits”, many young women grow up feeling fear and shame about their bodies. Introducing the correct terminology and simple concepts early helps normalize these conversations. Research shows that pre-adolescent women who learn accurate language for their bodies are more likely to speak up when something feels wrong and seek care from trusted adults later in life [3].

• Stopping Misinformation Before it Spreads

Today’s young people are exposed to sexual content online long before formal education starts. Without proper guidance, myths and misinformation can quickly take root. In fact, UNESCO (2018) reported that 71% of youth aged 15–24 turn to online media for sexual education – a risky trend since much of what they find reinforces harmful stereotypes and inaccurate ideas [2,4]. Starting education early ensures facts and healthy frameworks come first, long before misinformation has a chance to stick [4].

• Building the Foundation for Healthy Relationships

Sexual and reproductive health education isn’t just about biology – it’s also about relationships. Teaching kids about boundaries, respect, and consent early on helps set the stage for healthier relationships throughout their lives [5]. These lessons do more than protect individuals – they shift cultural norms toward greater respect, equity, and safety.

• Promoting Health Equity

The absence of early education deepens health disparities, particularly among women and marginalized groups. Studies show these communities already face more barriers and fewer opportunities for accurate information [6]. The WHO (2024) stresses that access to comprehensive sexual health education reduces inequities by providing all children, regardless of their background, with the tools to make informed decisions [1]. Starting early ensures no child is left behind and prevents knowledge gaps from widening into adulthood.

• Supporting Lifelong Health

Comprehensive sexual health education, especially when introduced before adolescence, leads to healthier outcomes across a lifetime. Studies show it helps delay the start of sexual activity, lowers rates of unintended pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), and increases contraceptive use [2,7]. It also promotes better mental health by lessening shame and guilt around sexuality [5]. Beyond individual health, early education fosters greater gender equity, builds confidence in decision-making, and helps close health gaps by ensuring all children have equal access to accurate information.

Building Knowledge Step by Step

When it comes to sexual and reproductive health education, how early is “early”?

Based on the research, these lessons can, and should, begin in early childhood [2]. Lessons should be tailored to a child’s age and stage of development. Rather than being a single, overwhelming conversation, it’s a gradual process that builds knowledge and confidence over time.

In early childhood (ages 3–7), it might be as simple as teaching kids the correct names for their body parts or encouraging them to ask before giving hugs. These everyday moments introduce consent and body awareness in ways young children can understand.

By the elementary years (ages 8–12), children start asking more questions. This is the perfect time to talk openly about puberty, periods, and how bodies change – using clear, straightforward language that makes the topic feel normal, not scary.

During adolescence (ages 13–18), conversations can become more detailed. Teens are ready to learn about contraception, STIs, healthy relationships, and what real consent looks like in practice [5]. These talks give them the tools to make informed, responsible choices.

And in young adulthood (18 and beyond), the focus shifts again – toward preventive care, fertility, pregnancy, and reproductive rights [7]. By this stage, the foundation has already been built, so these discussions feel like a natural extension rather than something brand new.

Taking this step-by-step approach reduces shame, builds body confidence, and creates a generation of women who feel empowered to take charge of their health at every stage of life.

The Role of Simulation and Hands-On Learning

Lectures and diagrams have their place, but they can only take learning so far. Simulation-based education creates a safe, interactive environment where students can practice real-life scenarios, build communication skills, and develop confidence [8,9,10]. In fact, research shows that students who participate in simulation-based learning are more competent than those who rely solely on traditional methods [8]. Beyond competence, these experiences also strengthen interpersonal skills [10].

For young women, hands-on tools like 3D anatomical models can make a big difference. For instance, a teenager learning how to use a tampon may find it much easier to understand with a model in front of them than with diagrams alone. By turning abstract concepts into practical, tangible learning, hands-on education helps remove stigma, build understanding, and empower learners to take an active role in their health [9].

The Bigger Picture: Empowerment Through Education

The research is clear: starting sexual and reproductive health education early, using accurate information and hands-on learning, leads to better health outcomes, reduces stigma, and empowers young women to take charge of their bodies [2,5,7,8]. Achieving this, however, depends on having the right tools and the courage to start these conversations early.

By making reproductive anatomy visible, approachable, and stigma-free, Granville Biomedical is helping break a cycle that has long limited women’s health education. When patients and providers learn together with openness and empathy, the benefits go far beyond knowledge – they create confidence, autonomy, and lifelong empowerment.

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Granville Biomedical was founded in 2019 to address discrepancies in accurate and affordable training tools in women’s health. The company has since developed trade secret silicone recipes that replicate skin and tissue texture. Granville Biomedical® models enable practitioners to rehearse procedures, offering lifelike accuracy in both texture and appearance. In addition to the Venus and Iris models, which can be used to demonstrate procedures such as pelvic floor techniques, pap smears, and pessary insertion, the company is continually working to expand its product line to accommodate a greater number of women’s health procedures.

References

[1] World Health Organization. (2024). Working for a brighter, healthier future: how WHO improves health and promotes well-being for the world’s adolescents. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240041363

[2] UNESCO, UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women & WHO. (2018). International technical guidance on sexuality education: An evidence-informed approach (Revised ed.). UNESCO. https://doi.org/10.54675/UQRM6395

[3] Igras, S. M., Macieira, M., Murphy, E., & Lundgren, R. (2014). Investing in very young adolescents' sexual and reproductive health. Global Public Health, 9(5), 555–569. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2014.908230

[4] Dong, Y. et al. (2024). Counteracting sexual and reproductive health misperceptions: Investigating the roles of stigma, misinformation exposure, and information overload. Patient Education and Counseling, 120, 108098. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2023.108098

[5] Schneider, M., & Hirsch, J. S. (2020). Comprehensive sexuality education as a primary prevention strategy for sexual violence perpetration. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 21(3), 439–455. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838018772855

[6] Badolato, G. M., Sadeghi, N., & Goyal, M. K. (2022). Racial and ethnic disparities in receipt of sexual health care and education among a nationally representative sample of adolescent females. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 9(4), 1422–1429. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-021-01079-4

[7] Haberland, N., & Rogow, D. (2015). Sexuality education: Emerging trends in evidence and practice. Journal of Adolescent Health, 56(1), S15–S21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.08.013

[8] Chernikova, O., Heitzmann, N., Stadler, M., Holzberger, D., Seidel, T., & Fischer, F. (2020). Simulation-based learning in higher education: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 90(4), 499–541. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654320933544

[9] Alharbi, A., et al. (2024). The effectiveness of simulation-based learning on nursing students’ knowledge and skill acquisition and retention: A systematic review. BMC Medical Education, 24(1), 1099. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-06080-z

[10] Sezgin, M. G. (2023). Effectiveness of interprofessional simulation-based education programs to improve teamwork and communication for students in the healthcare profession: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nurse Education Today, 118, 105619. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2022.105619