Stefanie Preissner is an accomplished screenwriter, playwright and actor but that doesn't mean she knows how to be a real-life grown up, as she revealed in the new RTÉ Player series How to Adult.
The Can't Cope, Won't Cope writer has created a 'how to' guide to life, a six-part docu-series on RTÉ Player covering pensions, mortgages, fitness, sex-ed and more.
Ireland is currently at it's most progressive state when it comes to sexual education but, to some, talking about sexual health and reproduction can feel as awkward as ever.
In the below episode of How to Adult, Stefanie sits down with sexual health Doctor, Aisling Loy; Kate from Meagher's Pharmacy and a group of her best gal pals to learn about the birds and the bees.
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HPV and Cervical Health
At 25-years-of-age, every woman in Ireland will receive a letter in the post inviting them to attend their first smear test. I cannot stress how poorly educated myself and my friends were when it came to our cervical health before those letters arrived.
The only reference we had to HPV was when it featured in an episode of GIRLS and STI checks were far and few between because... "sure we'll be grand".
Watching How to Adult, I felt such relief knowing that there was an informative and relatable source of information that could potentially do the rounds at schools across Ireland.
Dr Aisling Loy hit Stefanie with some hard hitting facts that deserve to be discussed at a much younger age than mid-late twenties because, as Dr Loy says, "most people get it at some stage".
- There are 160 strains of HPV
- Over 95% of cervical cancers are caused by HPV
- Head and neck cancer is on the rise in both sexes due to HPV contracted via oral sex
- Some strains of HPV can cause warts while other can cause cancer
- 70% of STIs have no symptoms
- Cervical screening is essential for all women and should be completed every 3 years.
The Morning After Pill
Next, Stefanie visits her friend Kate at Meagher's Pharmacy to discuss the morning after pill and contraceptive. During her visit, Stefanie learned some key things:
- It takes five days for pregnancy to occur after sex
- You can get the Morning After pill from your pharmacist
- The Morning After pill prevents or delays ovulation so as to prevent pregnancy
- There are two types of Morning After pills (to be taken between 0-3 days or 0-5 days)
- There are multiple types of contraceptive available including the pill, patch, implant and coil.
Although the episode is just eleven minutes long, Stefanie manages to pack in quality information along with some hilarious reactions that makes How to Adult essential viewing
The Can't Cope, Won't Cope writer creator's six-part docu-series is available on the RTÉ Player now. Whether it's mortgages, pensions, protein bars or used cars; Stefanie gets the answers to life's most common questions.
For more information on cervical health or to book a cervical check, head to www.cervicalcheck.ie
