In generations long past, at the beginning of the 19th century, women menstruated 40-80 times in their lifetime. This was because they simply didn't have the time: during their 42-year lifespan, they had an average of ten children! Nowadays, we spend much more on sanitary pads. Women experience around 400 to 500 menstrual cycles, have fewer than one child on average, and are expected to live past 80 years. These insights come from sexologist Carmita Abdo (Prosex / USP), the Census, and IBGE. They were presented last week during a women's intimate wellness meeting sponsored by Johnson & Johnson. Carmita was present at the talk alongside anthropologist Mirian Goldenberg.
One thing that caught my attention: according to Carmita, only 10% of women marry as virgins. Generally, sexual life begins at 15, and they walk down the aisle at 28. On average, that's 13 years of experimentation and partner exchanges. A doctor coordinated a study in 2008 with over 8,000 participants. Check out the interesting results to the question: At what age did you have your first sexual experience?
- Current age > When did you lose your virginity?
- 18-25 years > 15.6 years
- 26-40 years > 18.3 years
- 41-50 years > 19.9 years
- 51-60 years > 21 years
- 61-70 years > 22.2 years
At the meeting, the two guests discussed the relationship between women and their vaginas. They agreed that women have little familiarity with their own genitals, which complicates personal hygiene and sexuality. "It's different for men, who learn from a young age to handle their penis to urinate and direct the stream," said sexologist Carmita Abdo. For anthropologist Mirian Goldenberg, the biggest crisis is that women struggle to accept their bodies. "They think their vagina is unattractive and want to mask its natural scent."