As I type this introduction to the world of reproductive health through the eyes of a 28-year-old sexuality educator, I am sitting in my friend’s living room on the day she is going to have her first child (well, at least start the process by getting induced at the hospital). It seems fitting that I get to witness the joy of birth just as I “give birth” to my first post for Qvisory.

My name is Jennifer Estroff (Jen works just fine), and I am a Community Health Educator with Planned Parenthood of Central Washington. I have the amazing opportunity to work with all ages, ethnicities, genders, orientations, religions, classes, education levels, and political leanings about every aspect of their reproductive health, relationships, behaviors, and their ability and desire to parent. I’m part of a team dedicated to the holistic, healthy sexuality of our clients … and now, to you in the Qvisory community!

I should explain the “healthy holistic sexuality” concept. In the “sexuality education” business, we say that sexuality (which has always been more than just the act of sexual intercourse) is “womb to tomb:” a lifelong process. To illustrate this point, think of what we do when we find out that we (or our friends) are having a male or female baby: our well-meaning friends and family will immediately begin to buy either blue or pink accessories for the “big boy” or “sweet baby girl.” Before a child even enters the world, we’ve put a lot of expectations on them based on their chromosomes and genitalia. Our sex and gender determines a huge part of our health care, lifestyle choices, and how other people treat us all the way through our last days, and even our funeral arrangements. So, “womb to tomb” is a pretty darn accurate way to describe all the aspects of sexuality that permeate our lives. (There’s actually 5 Holistic Aspects of Sexuality, but I think I’ll save that for another post.)

Planned Parenthood of Central Washington (PPCW) is an affiliate of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA). Affiliates are accredited through PPFA and need to meet their rigorous standards, including the best possible clinical procedures and staff, appropriate internal processes and community outreach, and a dedication to the three tenets of the Planned Parenthood mission:

• Clinical Services: Our Clinicians and Health Care staff prescribe and offer contraception (birth control), diagnose and treat Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), and provide annual exams and complementary health services at our Clinic Sites and Express Health Centers.
• Advocacy: Through our Public Affairs staff, we work with the legislative and judicial branches of government to ensure that local, state, and federal laws reflect the legal rights and access to reproductive health care services that allow us to continue offering reproductive health care and education to every person who wants it.
• Education: Through our Community Health Educators (such as Yours Truly), we offer age-appropriate, medically accurate, learner-based reproductive health information. We educate the public about almost any reproductive health topic, including anatomy and physiology, contraception, STIs, relationships, puberty and maturation, dating violence and sexual abuse prevention, men’s and women’s issues, self-esteem, media literacy, parent-child communication, goal-setting, risk-reduction, and more.

All of our education outreach follows the “New 3 R’s” philosophy: Rights. Respect. Responsibility. We believe that every person has the RIGHT to accurate information about their bodies and how to stay healthy. We RESPECT them enough to give them the information in a medically accurate and non-judgmental way, while giving them the opportunity to clarify their values. Everyone then has the RESPONSIBILITY to act appropriately, based on their belief system and values, with the information they have. And research shows time and again, when people have accurate information about their bodies and how to protect themselves, they make healthy choices.

As part of the Qvisory community, which focuses on the 18 to 34 year-old age range, you especially deserve accurate information about your health care and options, because most states haven’t really done a great job of making sure their students leave the public school system with even a basic idea of how their bodies work. Many have allowed the fear of political backlash to overshadow the need for their students to make healthy choices with potentially life-saving, accurate information.

Now, back to me! Or at least, the reasons I am a Community Health Educator with access to more information about your private parts than you may be used to. My parents are both in the medical field (Pediatrician and Nurse Practitioner). In case you’re wondering, yes, I was that kid on the playground telling the other 1st graders, “Nope. That’s not called a fireman just because it squirts like a hose! It’s a penis!” (My folks got a few calls about that, I’m sure.) My father also teaches new resident doctors, and my mother was a school nurse for years, so educating about health has been an integral part of my life for as long as I can remember. I graduated from Washington State University in 2003 with a BA in Humanities, and Minors in Theatre and Biological Science … so I could either be a Health Educator or join the cast of “Scrubs.”

Instead, I worked as a Residence Hall Coordinator at Central Washington University for four years, where I advised student government, acted as a conduct officer for students who needed extra guidance, and got to have great conversations every day with 18 to 22 year-olds who were learning how to move from the teen into adult world. In the meantime, I got my Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Intravenous (IV) Technician certifications, and took a Cellular Biology class to move towards the goal of being a pediatrician …. which never managed to come to fruition, since I kept putting off the whole “apply for medical school” thing. I realized, finally, after attending the Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership, that I had always said I wanted to work educating youth about medicine and health care. After realizing that I could do that now without taking a huge chunk of time and money out for medical school, I jumped at the chance to be a Community Health Educator for PPCW.

If you’ve stayed with me this far, thank you! I look forward to sharing this dialogue with you. Watch for my next post: “Why Birth Control Options in 2008 Should Make You SO Glad to Be Alive Now (or, What Do You Mean, Women Used to Put Alligator Dung in Their Vagina?)”

Addendum: 7/31/08 at 9:36 PM: Baby was delivered via emergency c-section. Healthy, and referred to by an attending nurse as a “chunky monkey.” 8 pounds, 4 ounces. Baby will share his birthday with Harry Potter. And I will never let him forget it.