In the course of information – research work during a visual contact teenagers have been divided into three groups according to their attitude to the problems of reproductive health protection. The first one shows a positive attitude towards comprehension of information. The second, a negative one reflects unwillingness to get information. And at last the third one is the attitude of the teenagers who haven’t yet determined their position in this respect.

As it is seen from the given data the respondents have demonstrated the greatest interest to the information on STDs – 50% and the least interest has attracted by the information on abortion (35.8%). Such correlation may be probably explained by more dangerous consequences of STDs, especially AIDS that cause teenagers’ fear to be infected. That’s why the problem of abortions and contraception seems to them unjustifiably less important.

However, contraception plays several roles; it is both a means of pregnancy protection and a means of birth space extension; and some of contraceptive means are also STD prevention means. Just the lack of proper professional information giving a full coverage to the problems of contraception especially among teenagers and youth causes a negative attitude towards getting information on them.

To clear out socio – demographic factor influence on teenagers’ attitude to contraception problems 2525 schoolchildren have been questioned, however, only 2421 respondents have given their answers. The rest 104 respondents have comprised a third group, e. i. a group of those who haven’t determined yet their attitude to the problem under consideration. Thus, further analysis has been undertaken only among those who have answered the question.

As the survey results testify 62% of the respondents don’t want to get any information on contraception and only 38% would like to get this information. Such situation can’t leave the organizations responsible for moral breeding and physical development of the rising generation absolutely indifferent.

It is perfectly obvious that among these teenagers there exists a real threat to their reproductive health. These are inflammatory genital diseases, different development diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, as well as unwanted pregnancies in youth and as their consequence – an abortion. All this may lead to future fathers’ and mothers’ reproductive function troubles. Alongside with this physiological puberty processes intensify resulting in sexual activity increase among teenagers. So, it is very important for teenagers to timely get information on protection methods against unwanted pregnancies and STDs. However, great anxiety is caused by teenagers’ passive attitude to getting information on contraception that apparently is conditioned by the lack of knowledge about the importance and significance of contraception and population reproductive health protection.

The diagram given below vividly shows that the attitude towards getting information depends directly on the level of knowledge of contraception issues. As may be seen from the given diagram among those who don’t know about contraception 72.8% of teenagers still don’t want to know about it, and among those who know about it 56.6% would like to know more about it. Knowledge of contraception contributes to better understanding of the role of contraception in reproductive health protection and increases interest to it. As a consequence a positive attitude towards getting information comes into being. At the same time those who have no information, are not aware of the importance of the problem. This circumstance makes us to feel more alert and gives an idea of a great necessity of a broad clarification activity among teenagers that would allow changing their negative attitude to getting information. Lack of knowledge of contraception doesn’t completely prevent teenagers from rush deeds, on the contrary it may result in irreversible consequences and doesn’t relieve from the responsibility for them. In a constantly developing psychosexual world of an individual there come into being moral and psychological problems that do not disappear at all if they are kept quiet about. Lack and incorrectness of breeding in this area, acceptance of false objectives may adversely affect moral, somatic and mental health of an individual. In the modern world whatever our desire to conceal and keep quiet this fact sexuality among teenagers and youth is growing. In connection with this the main task is to prevent, protect them from unwanted pregnancies, abortions and STDs and teach them to manage their reproductive function to promote health of the whole nation.

Upbringing of the rising generation as valuable citizens and workers doesn’t only shield but resolutely emphasizes the importance of upbringing of girls as women and boys as men. Too much depends on a successful solution of this task to ignore it: health of people, their personal and family happiness, an approach to upbringing of future generations, trusting relations, mutual understanding of generations, civil and labor activity of people, upbringing of defenders of Motherland, demographic situation in the country etc.

Sexual upbringing must promote optimization of psychosexual differentiation at different stages of development and formation of those responsible for partnership, matrimony and parenthood.

To successfully fulfil these objectives teachers, doctors, parents and teenagers themselves must be provided with the appropriate information, correlated with sexual and age conformity of natural development of an individual. They must have developed adequate life objectives and skills.

Should teenagers be taught to contraception? Many researches’ experience gives a positive answer to this question. It should be agreed at least because of the fact that such knowledge in this or that way takes place and it is better if teenagers get correct information but are not guided by false information. Teenagers must know that none of the modern means is absolutely safe. Consequently the significant part of the efforts should be directed at the upbringing of regulation motives and first and foremost such as a sense of responsibility, high morals and mutual respect.

It was expressed in talks with teenagers that they have no at their disposal enough information on the issues of child – bearing, sexual life, family planning, contraception and health care. A threat to health connected with early pregnancy increases in the cases when young people and their parents are ill – informed of the methods of contraception. A low level of general education may also restrict teenagers’ access to information on medical methods and a risk concerning all aspects of their life.

In the course of study of the attitude towards information it has been revealed that girls express more interest to information on contraception. Girls displaying interest to contraception make 43% while for the boys this index is only 30.2%. And this is quite clear since a considerable number of girls are aware of the fact that the whole burden of reproductive responsibility lies just on them. However, the fact that there still remains a great number of teenagers of both sexes who display a negative attitude to getting information on contraception (girls – 57%, boys – 69.8%) is very troublesome and it apparently may be explained by inaccessibility of information for the major part of teenagers and underestimation of contraception resulting from the lack of knowledge about it.

In the course of study teenagers’ attitude towards information on contraception a significant increase dynamics of a positive attitude and decrease of a negative attitude depending on the age of the respondents has been revealed.

As is seen from the given diagram, teenagers of 14 do not show special interest to information on contraception, but in older age groups this interest rises and to the age of 18 the part of the respondents wishing to know more about methods of contraception is 61%. This is caused by physiological puberty of young people and increases the demand in information on contraceptive methods. However, taking into account the situation establishing in teenagers’ and adolescents’ environment in the world and similarity of the tendencies in increasing sexuality, early unwanted pregnancies, abortions, STDs and involvement of youth into prostitution in many countries, we consider that this level of a positive attitude to information on contraceptive methods is rather delayed. So, bodies of education, health care and international organizations must stir up information activity among teenagers aiming at covering a wider range of issues and preventing teenagers from thoughtless actions. This information may be presented to young people step by step, taking into account an increasing age interest to it. It would allow rising the effectiveness of medical and educational activity among teenagers as well as reproductive health protection.

Besides in the process of teaching sexual peculiarities of boys and girls should be taken into consideration for differential mastering of information. One of the typical difficulties is that connected with the settlement of the problem whether to teach boys and girls at joint or divided sessions. There can’t be a simple answer and much depends on the topic. Experience shows that a thorough discussion of specifically “male” and “female” themes is much more effective being performed for a unisexual audience, where it is easier to overcome psychological barriers and reach a mutual understanding and bring the necessary information to teenagers’ attention without any embarrassment. At the same time some problems may be discussed in the presence of different sexes, and this prepares them to the relations based on sufficient knowledge of peculiarities of people of the same or opposite sex and stimulates a sense of mutual responsibility.

A half of the respondents have pointed out striving for knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases but 46.5% have given negative answers to the question about the necessity of information on these diseases. The motive of formation of a positive attitude to the information about STDs is knowledge of symptoms and the number of these diseases. As have the data of the undertaken study shown the less a teenager knows about STDs and their consequences, the less is his/her desire to get additional information on this problem. And on the contrary, having minimum information they strive for its expansion. Thus, teenagers who can tell the symptoms from one to three diseases in 64.8% of cases from 1178 of the respondents want to know more about this problem. The respondents who don’t know STD symptoms in 57.1% from 1347 persons have shown their negative attitude to an opportunity of getting information about these diseases.

Teenagers’ informativeness in the issues of STDs, ways of getting infection and preventive measures against them is the factor that keep them on the safe side preventing them from infections and socio – unsuccessful behavior. Lack of elementary information on these diseases make teenagers more vulnerable and exposed from the point of view of STD prevention and increases a risk of infections. That is why it is very important to include information on the number, ways of infections, primary symptoms, consequences and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases into educational programs for teenagers and youth.

Analysis of the attitude to the information on STDs has brought to light two groups of teenagers: the first one (50%) is positively oriented and the second one 46.5% is negatively oriented. It’s delightful to note that teenagers with a positive orientation to the information on STDs have a broad range of interests in the field of reproductive health. Thus, teenagers striving for information on STDs in 88.6% cases would like to know the functions and structure of reproductive organs while teenagers rejecting the necessity of knowledge of these issues have displayed their interest to the anatomy of reproductive organs only in 42.2%.

In all probability with negative responses as for the necessity of knowledge of reproductive system as well as sexually transmitted diseases teenagers possess a sense of some awkwardness, false “shame”, caused by a settled stereotype of their parents’ behavior, many of them considering that “they will know everything when their time comes”. That is why got used to hushing up this question boys and girls in their adolescence go on viewing this problem as an insignificant one having no idea that in their adult life they’ll need to have a healthy reproductive system. So, the problem of teenager’s knowing of himself/herself in its literal meaning seems untimely and needless for many of them. However, the majority of the teenagers who have given negative answers to the question about the necessity of information on STDs and anatomic structure of the reproductive organs have emphasized the fact that while filling in the questionnaire they have got some useful information (56.6%).

However, the interest in the issues of the reproductive behavior, expressed by teenagers is not a sign of an early sexual activity. According to the data of the undertaken analysis 46.2% from the group of teenagers positively oriented to the information on STDs have shown their negative attitude to an early beginning of a sexual life. 36.1% consider it an individual choice of people, in 5.9% cases the respondents regard this issue as very important for them. Among them there are only 9.7% of those who think it possible to allow sexual relations before marriage and 2.1% have left out this question. It looks as if the reason for this is the fact that at that moment the problem doesn’t concern them.

Consequently the overwhelming majority of teenagers of this group understands the importance and responsibility of sexual relations and does not hurry to get into early sexual relations. Among these teenagers it is necessary to point out those – 36.1% who according to their own assessment lead a sexual life close to that of adults. They emphasize the intimacy and individuality of these issues and everyone’s right to solve this problem independently. So, educational activity aims at formulating a conviction about harm of early sexual contacts. The aim of education in the issues of reproductive health protection is that by the end of this activity there should be independently formulated teenagers’ conviction as for the harm of early sexual contacts. Analogous distribution of answers about early sexual contacts has been received during the analysis of the group with a negative attitude towards information on STDs. This means that those questioned already in their adolescent period regardless of the degree of their knowledge and interest to information on STDs show a responsible and serious attitude to sexual contacts.

In the process of analysis of teenagers’ attitude to information on STDs there has been brought to light a distinctive interconnection between the age of teenagers and their striving for knowledge on venereal diseases.

As is seen from the data obtained the interest to sexually transmitted diseases begins to increase when teenagers reach the age of 15 – 16. Young men and girls of 17 – 18 in the overwhelming majority are aware of the necessity of possessing knowledge on this issue. Such dynamics of the interest to STDs is quite natural and is explained by the process of puberty, increasing a risk of extramarital sexual contacts and the necessity in connection with this to have some knowledge of ways of protection from STDs. As epidemiological situation data indicate in Turkmenistan at present there is observed a tendency to STD cases increase among teenagers at the age of 14 – 18. So, it is important to begin education and different activities among 13 – 14 – year – old teenagers on the STD symptoms, ways of infection and preventive measures in the 7 – 8-th forms. Besides, it is necessary to involve teenagers, parents into this activity explaining to them topicality of the problem of sexually transmitted diseases. Hence by the moment of finishing school and coming of age young men and girls will have a formulated idea of STD danger and that will reduce the risk of casual sexual contacts and their unwanted consequences such as venereal diseases.

Besides, there has been emphasized a positive attitude to information on these diseases depending on the region of residence. Urban teenagers in 56% of cases want to know about STDs, rural teenagers - only in 44% of cases.

The data obtained may be explained by the fact that urban teenagers are more informative in the most different questions including reproductive health. Apart from that in urban conditions there are more opportunities for teenagers and young people to visit different entertaining establishments such as nightclubs, disco clubs, bars. All this creates favorable conditions for casual acquaintances and a risk of sexual contracts as well as transmission of information on STDs among them.

Rural teenagers and young people are marked to have a tendency to a more traditional national lifestyle that prevents them from uncontrolled sexual, behavior to a significant degree. They are more occupied with housework, subsidiary household, leasing and other activities generating family income. That is why the proportion of those who want to receive information on sexually transmitted diseases is somewhat lower than among urban teenagers. However, a rather considerable number of rural teenagers as is shown in the diagram, is aware of the importance of this problem, since 44% have a positive attitude towards information on STDs. The above – mentioned data once more emphasize an unavoidable necessity to implement classes in reproductive health protection into the curricula of senior pupils.

In the course of connecting teenagers’ striving for information on STDs with the sex it has been revealed that it is more vividly expressed among girls: 55% want to get additional knowledge on sexually transmitted diseases. Among young men 45.7% consider it necessary to know about these diseases and 54.3% have a negative attitude to this information. This fact alerts since young men’s interest to sexual life in connection with the physiological peculiarities of their pubescence comes rather earlier than that of girls, but their desire to be informed of STD issues is less than that of girls. Probably it is connected with girls’ awareness of their important reproductive function and future mother’s role bearing the responsibility for the health of their offspring. A large part of schoolgirls striving for the information on STDs is also explained by a developed self – preservation instinct that is more expressed in women than in men. A less expressed interest of young men to the information on STDs may testify their underestimation of the future father’s role and young people’s thoughtlessness towards the problems of reproductive health protection. Danger of such situation may take its toll in the nearest future when a man non-orientated in the issues of STDs now may be a source of infection for his wife and children. The data obtained is a next evidence of the importance to conduct regular information and education activity among pupils with the attraction of doctors.

Teenagers’ inactivity towards information on abortions causes a great interest to revealing the reasons for such attitude. A survey was held in comparative socio – demographic data characteristics of two groups: the first one presenting those who express their wish to receive information on abortions and the second one – comprising those who don’t wish to get this information. In the first group there have been turned out to be 904 pupils that have made 35.8%, and in the second group there have been 1543 respondents or 61.1% of the questioned. The quantitative data are informative and allow making a profound analysis.

A more important description as for the information on abortions with the teenagers has been a sex – age – factor. So, for instance a dynamics of the increase of the quantity of those who want to get this information in senior age groups is observed. It is explained by a natural process of teenagers’ puberty and as a consequence a growing interest to the problems of reproductive health. The data testify that with the age teenagers begin to feel more responsible to the issues of relations between sexes, ways of contraception against unwanted pregnancy and methods of its termination.

Sex distribution analysis has shown that girls display more positive attitude to information on abortions. So, 38.4% of all girls – respondents have expressed their wish to get information, that is 468 persons but among young men this index is lower – 31.1% of the respondents (269 persons). At the same time more young men (68.9%) than girls (61.6%) have expressed their unwillingness to get information. It proves the fact that girls are more anxious about their reproductive function condition and need this information. Since abortion threatens woman’s health girls are concerned about it even in their early age. However a great part of girls who don’t want to receive information is explained by the fact that at present they don’t feel any need in it. The number of the questioned is presented in general by 15 – 16 – year – old –teenagers (almost 82%). But the fact that information on abortions stirs so little interest among young men is rather troublesome. Even those who want to get information on abortions are interested in performance conditions and terms. A considerable difference is traced in types of desired information on abortions in the course of a comparative analysis between young men and girls.

As is seen from the chart the greater part of young men is observed in the subgroups wishing to get information on the place and conditions of the abortion performance – 50%. A considerable part of them is in the subgroup wishing to know about the terms of abortion 48.4% and the number of young men wishing to know so important problems that possess information on the consequences that are irreversible for a woman’s health caused by abortion is lowering – 42%. Still more insignificant number of them wishes to get information on abortion consequences - 32.7%. Unfortunately, it is possible to state the fact the young men even in their early age are more concerned about their own wellbeing, that formulates their egotistic moods and the opinion that abortion consequence is a pure female problem.

Thus, young men treat the problem of abortion absolutely irresponsibly selecting just the piece of information that wouldn’t damage their wellbeing in future. Such treatment may escalate into indifference to a woman’s health as mother or wife. It’s necessary to emphasize a special role of education programs allowing to equal degree cultivate a sense of responsibility for their reproductive health both in girls and young men, bring up respect to women and form careful husbands and fathers from young men.

Among significant factors influencing the attitude to information as has been revealed in the course of the survey, is a family structure of the respondents. In the families where the quantity of sisters and brothers exceeds 3 there is observed an increase in the number of those who don’t wish to get information on abortion. And on the contrary, in the families with a small number of children teenager’s interest to abortion problems increases on the background of those who do not wish to get such information.

A great part of teenagers who don’t want to receive information on abortions in all families is explained by a traditional lifestyle and a formed on its background idea of an abortion as a shameful and disgraceful event leaving its mark on the whole family. Such point of view occurring in the family is reflected on forming relations between teenagers. Of course, abortion is an extreme and unwanted measure of interference into reproductive system especially in youth. Besides a traditional idea of a maiden virginity on no account supposes early sexual contacts and abortions all the more. That’s why parents’ negative attitude to it and upbringing their children in the same spirit are absolutely justified. However, it is necessary to point out that the attitude to abortion doesn’t suppose any lack of knowledge on it. Information on abortion doesn’t contradict the educational spirit but on the contrary, increases it emphasizing consequences for women’s health. The earlier teenagers learn about negative influence of abortion on their health, the safer they will be protected against it.

In view of the fact that the number of children in the family shows the dependence of the interest to information on abortion the factor of the residence region turns out to be of no importance; that’s why families with many children a traditional way of life live in cities. On this background only a display of deep interest to information on abortions among urban teenagers is noticeable.

This circumstance may be explained by the fact that in Ashgabat as well as in any other capital exchange and spreading of information run more intensively and with passing ahead pace.

Together with this it is possible to note that in the adolescent age young people have a broad range of opportunities to pass their free time. Naturally, the way they spend their free time causes the presence of their interest to certain types of information. As the survey has proved the greater part of teenagers spend their free time at home. In the family circle or at relatives’ the problems of reproductive health protection all the more problems of abortion very seldom become the subject matter of discussions. So, the number of those who want to get information among teenagers is somewhat less than that of those who have no such wish. Among those who are occupied with self – education: read books, visit libraries the number of those wishing to get information on abortion is more. It is not by chance since an educated person can’t ignore such vitally important issues as reproductive health protection including abortion consequences and problems connected with it.

Teenagers occupied with self-improvement in sport sections and rehearsals are also less interested in any information on abortions due to paying much attention to achieving good results in their activities. Less interest to information on abortion is observed on the part of pupils spending their time in the yard or in the street probably due to the fact that in general the range of their cognitive interests is narrow.

The number of questioned teenagers wishing to get information on abortion from their peers spending time in bars, cafes is increasing. This circumstance is connected just with the fact that in places where young people meet there increases the probability of casual acquaintances and a risk of sexual contacts. And a circle of peers is the place where teenagers more often hear about relations between sexes and much more discuss these problems. So, they desire to get more qualified information on the issues on reproductive health protection.

In the course of the survey it has seemed important to clear out the role of knowledge in forming the attitude to information on reproductive health protection. Knowledge as is known plays an important role in the evaluation of the processes taking part in the society and influences the motivational structure of consciousness. While choosing stereotypes this circumstance may appear deciding especially in determination of a reproductive perspective every individual faces. Usually in a community with a traditional lifestyle such a perspective has always been determined by national traditions when the number of children, in the family, birth spaces between them don’t depend on woman’s wish and desire. But now on the background of environmental, economic, socio – behavioral, demographic and other problems there appeared a great number of factors threatening reproductive health even in adolescence and sometimes in a childhood period of organism development. In connection with this there arises a necessity to choose his reproductive perspective by every young man involved in social relations. And this in its tern strengthens the role of knowledge in the issues of reproductive health protection.

As the performed survey shows the attitude to information in many respects depends on the knowledge in this field. For example, the diagram testifies that among teenagers wishing to get information on abortions there is a great number of those who know at least one method of contraception – 44.6%. While among the teenagers having no wish to get such information and familiar with methods of contraception this figure equals to 29.3%. Alongside with this the lack of information on contraceptives among teenagers has led to a high proportion of those who have no idea of them but want to be informed on abortion - 49.4%. While among those who don’t know about contraceptives the overwhelming majority of the questioned haven’t shown any desire to be informed on abortions – 67.1%. This once more emphasizes that knowledge determines motivated orientation of consciousness and expands the range of interests of young people that is rather significant for the issues of sexual education and reproductive health protection. It is necessary to point out that in the group of those who do not want to get information on abortions the proportion of those giving no answer is very low – 3.1%. This fact suggests a speculation about formed and stable opinion of this problem.

But not always lack of knowledge reflects lack of a positive attitude to information, sometimes it becomes a stimulus in cognition something new. Being guided by this thesis further analysis has shown that girls react more keenly on the lack of knowledge and formulation of the impetus in grasping something new. The diagram given below proves that among those who know nothing about contraceptives girls want to get information on abortions much more than boys.

A great number of girls who know nothing about contraception and don’t want to get information on abortions may apparently be explained by the fact that at present they don’t need this information.

However, if needs for information are formed by the individual himself/herself then the attitude to prophylactic examinations depends on the quality of gynecological service including that for teenagers and also on the available information and clarification activity among the population. Preventive gynecological service offered to girls and maids in Turkmenistan has not yet got dissemination on a large scale and the existing children gynecologist consulting rooms are not sufficiently supplied by modern equipment and instruments. Besides, it should be noted that children gynecologists must possess a wide range of knowledge including education science and psychology that are not taught in medical institutions. A system of improving professional skills of these specialists should be established with the account of world research centers’ experience, international exchange and compulsory inclusion of the above-mentioned subjects into the curricular.

However, respondents themselves quite well understand the importance of prophylactic examination. As the survey has proved 42% of questioned schoolgirls have convictions and a positive attitude, while the rest of the respondents have been noticed to possess a positive attitude, too, but with different types of psychological barriers preventing them from determination of a firm position. From them 36% of girls are very shy, 11% - are afraid of their parents’ reprimand, 2% are afraid of other people’s condemnation. And only 9% of the respondents have expressed their indifference.

The fact that a part of schoolgirls have a psychological barrier is explained by certain prejudices that a girl can’t have gynecological problems before getting married except the loss of virginity and thus a consultation with a gynecologist causes ignoramus’ sneers, condemnation and rumors. Here, once more the importance of a wide range of clarifying activity among the population about the problems surrounding teenagers and the role of minor’s anonymous examination room should be pointed out.

The analysis shows that the attitude to prophylactic examinations has a certain correlation depending on the respondents’ region of residence. More than a half of schoolgirls of Ashgabat and Mary expressed their positive attitude to prophylactic examinations – 51%. It is absolutely clear that in the capital and velayat centers the level of informativeness and comprehension of reproductive health protection problems is higher than in the rural area. Besides, it should be noted that in cities there is a more extensive net of medical institutions including children gynecologist’s room and offered medical service is more various and is not far away from the users. So the need for prophylactic examinations may be met in a broad set of medical institutions. The need for prophylactic examinations is highlighted in humorous sources of literature and doctors’ clarifying activity. In connection with this prophylactic examinations including a gynecological one are viewed as a useful procedure.

Unlike this, rural residents are away from a wide range of medical services and the importance of prophylactic examinations seems to be a less available perspective. And when it touches upon the problem of gynecological examinations the possibility of them is not even offered or it is considered that a gynecologist is not worth consulting without a special need. Nevertheless 37.6% of rural schoolgirls have expressed their positive attitude to a possibility of a gynecologist’s prophylactic examination. However, strange it is that only 7% of the respondents feel a psychological fear for their parents, while with urban schoolgirls this index is 16.7%. It seems that urban girls have more reasons for causing troubles to their parents than rural girls have. Besides, in cities relations between parents and children are probably divided by a barrier of generations and are less trusting. Yet in the rural area relations between children and parents are still of a more trusting and frank character.

The fact that in velayats there is a stronger psychological barrier of shyness of girls themselves before the doctor’s examination than that of the girls in the capital or velayat centers deserves a special attention. Thus, among the questioned rural schoolgirls 47.9% have stated that they feel shy of prophylactic examinations but only 24.1% of urban schoolgirls have pointed out that obstacle to examinations. Such psychological barrier as shyness is explained by a traditional lifestyle with its predomination in the rural area and also a low level of informativeness of both teenagers and their parents on the factors threatening teenagers’ reproductive health and on the importance of prophylactic examinations. Alongside with this shyness in general is characteristic of girls by their nature and to overcome this barrier doctors accordingly should possess knowledge on educational science, psychology of teenagers – girls in particular. And also the organization itself and performance of examinations shouldn’t cause a psychological trauma and humiliate teenager’s self – respect and limit parents’ right. Then mistrust and psychological barriers impeding examinations will be removed.

In the course of analysis there has been distinguished a group of those who haven’t determined their stand on prophylactic examinations and have stated their indifferent attitude to it. Moreover, in a city and village the figure is almost the same – 7.4% and 7.5%. It’s possible only to pay attention to the fact that the number of indifferent is very low in Ashgabat where only 1.5% of the respondents have chosen this position. So, awareness of a timely exposure of reproductive organs’ diseases of schoolgirls of the capital is much more higher than that of their peers from a velayat and velayat center due to different reasons.

In the course of analysis of the attitude to prophylactic examinations according to the age there has not been revealed any clear statistic dependence. Only the fact that in the group of 17-18 – year – old teenagers there has increased the number of schoolgirls choosing a positive assessment for prophylactic examinations may be pointed out. The older the teenagers the higher their awareness of the importance of the issues of reproductive health protection. It is satisfying to emphasize the circumstance that the number of psychological barriers during prophylactic examinations is gradually falling among senior schoolgirls. The data obtained still state that psychological barriers are beyond statistic interconnection. It is possible only to mark the general tendency towards their overcoming in senior age groups, but separately according to the types something different is observed: in their 17 18.4% of girls are afraid of their parents’ reprimand, while in 15 only 8.1% and 16 – 10.2%. Or at the age of 16 40% of the questioned are shy, and at the age of 14 only 34%. Consequently the presence of a psychological barrier and capability to its overcoming is a pure individual quality of a person and it depends on a degree of a careful attitude to it on the part of adults including parents, teachers, and doctors. This once more emphasizes the importance of psychological training of children gynecologists for trusting contacts with teenagers.

Transition to the modern community conditions creates new problems and needs that are impossible to be satisfied in a traditional way. Just as young people must learn to use computers they must learn how to positively comprehend their reproductive health, sexuality and treat them with responsibility.

Work with teenagers and young people in the sphere of sexual education today is one of the urgent directions implementation of which will result in physical and moral health promotion of the younger generation relieving them of many inessential problems and will become a token of a proper family life in future as well as the appearance of a healthy offspring.

Sexual education must be regarded as a part of the process of forming

a personality. It includes not only the problems of health but moral, legal, cultural and ethical aspects as well. First and foremost its task is to form young people’s attitude to their health, sexual life, taking calculated decisions in their actions and responsibility for them. Increase of informativeness in the issues of reproductive behavior should be viewed in the context of improving general culture and as a preventive measure for physical health promotion of the rising generation. In connection with this sexual education is aimed at not only protecting teenagers from an early beginning of sexual life but at teaching them to treat this important side of a human life with knowledge and responsibility.

Today in Turkmenistan as well as in the whole world there exist certain problems with teenagers’ and young people’s health and wellbeing. According to specialists’ opinion the major reasons for such situation are: lack of knowledge our children have in the issues of interpersonal relations, reproductive health protection responsible partnership and unpreparedness of adults to help and answer the questions teenagers face.

We are aware of the fact that implementation of programs in sexual education is very important and without a doubt will cause a great deal of discussions.

We’d like to point out that against a widespread opinion that sexual education of the rising generation may result in dissoluteness, implementation of such education programs does not stimulate sexual activity of teenagers and young people. The analysis performed by the World Health Organization in 1993 showed that sexual upbringing and education of teenagers not only didn’t result in an earlier beginning of a sexual life but on the contrary it led to a later gaining of sexual experience, as well as to awareness of the necessity of a responsible behavior and to formulation of a positive attitude to a healthy way of life and family values. We are convinced that parents must take an active part in sexual upbringing of their children and consider it very important for successful work to find out parents’ opinion and the attitude of the society to the problems of sexual education. Recognizing rights and duties of parents baring legal and moral responsibility for teenagers in providing them with appropriate upbringing, it’s desirable that the issues of sexual relations and reproductive behavior shouldn’t provoke their negative reaction, moreover they should take an active part in sexual upbringing of their children. So, to achieve this consulting should correspond to the level of a teenager’s development while programs and methods used by health service and education system workers shouldn’t make the access of teenagers and their parents to the necessary information including that on early pregnancies, abortions, contraception and STDs rather difficult. With this purpose we alongside with questioning teenagers have conducted a sociological survey covering 2211 parents, in the city of Ashgabat, Akhal and Mary velayats and the city of Mary.

The study has shown that 83% of parents treat the issues of sexual education in a positive way. It is comforting that the greater part of parents is not indifferent to their children’s health and is aware of the importance of sexual education for safe family reproductive health. Talks with parents devoted to this problem caused great interest among the general public, including rural elders, religious figures, rural authorities. They were very active at the meetings in expressing their opinion about the need of sexual education closely connected with the problems of alcoholism, drug addiction, ethical and moral behavior of teenagers. The data obtained confirmed parents’ anxiety for their children’s future. However 11% of the responded parents didn’t define their attitude – 230 respondents and 6% expressed their negative attitude that made 129 persons. It means that this is a rather large group of parents and their opinion can’t leave us unconcerned. This circumstance may be explained by preserving emotional stereotypes, prejudices received in the course of the whole life distorting the ideas of the very essence of sexual education contrasting it with morals. However, some parents do not fully understand the essence and aim of sexual education. In its broad meaning the term “sexual education” means the influence of the environment on psychosexual development and formation of an individual. In its more narrow meaning sexual education is a process of a systematic consciously planned and performed influence aiming at some definite final result directed at psychological and physical development of boys and girls to optimize their personal development and activity in all connected with interrelation of sexes spheres of life. Medical aspect of sexual education must guarantee some connection of a child’s objectives formulated in the course of this upbringing with the problems of health in general including mental and sexual health. Thus medical objectives and goals of sexual education consist in helping the rising generation to form sexual health as a necessary aspect of health in general. Everything that brings up a healthy and integrated personality of a woman and man capable to adequately understand and feel his physiological and psychological peculiarities according to the existing in the community social and ethical norms and due to this establish optimal relations with people of the same and opposite sex in all spheres of life makes the contents of sexual education.

Analysis of the data according to the sex shows that mothers are more interested in their children’s sexual education. And this is quite clear, just a mother more often faces the problems concerning reproductive health that is why she hopes that teenagers after receiving the necessary knowledge in time will be able to escape negative consequences of reproductive system disorders.

There has been not revealed any essential difference in parents’ attitude to sexual education of their children due to their educational level. I.e. parents both with high and secondary as well as incomplete secondary education are interested in extension of their children’s competence including issues of sexual education in the same degree. A more noticeable difference is traced in the group of parents who have undecided views. So, the part of those with undecided views 13.9% of parents and with incomplete secondary education as with secondary education – 10.3% while with high education – 8.5%.

We have traced some difference in the attitude to sexual education of the parents according to the region of residence. It has turned out that 93.3% of those living in the city of Ashgabat and in the neighboring regions treat sexual education of teenagers in a positive way. In contrast to them in the city of Mary there are somewhat less of those who express their positive attitude – 86.3% and in Mary velayat there are only 77.1% of them. What is this attributed to? May be it is connected with the fact that parents from the capital are more informed on consequences of teenagers’ and young people’s refusal of proper ethic behavior since in the capital and its suburbs there is a large access to such information and wider communicative possibilities. But in Mary velayat information on this problem is less available due to the lack of communicative possibilities. Furthermore the traditional lifestyle itself (much occupation about the house) seems to contribute to the fact that some parents have no time for sexual education of their children. They hope that children will form their understanding of everything in the course of growing up. But this opinion is not quite right. Teenagers left to their own devices to find answers to the questions they are interested in from their peers who themselves are not quite knowledgeable about problems.

Data analysis of teenagers’ knowledge show that rural young people are less informed in these issues. But it should be noted that physiological processes are running in their organisms too and they also have certain requirements they strive to satisfy. It is troublesome that they can get information and do get it now from unreliable sources: peers’ circle, older companions, video-films etc. It results in establishing vulgarized ideas of sex relations and natural human feelings. As a result there may occur that they will enter their life absolutely unprepared and may be exposed to a danger of unfavorable consequences such as STDs, infertility, nonobservance of birth spaces and birth of sick babies.

Especially troublesome are those who are uncertain in their opinions and treat sexual education in a negative way. The part of parents who have not determined their attitude turn out to be the largest in Mary velayat – 14.3%, with a negative attitude – 8.6%. In other regions these data are the following: in Mary – 10.2% and 3.5% in Akhal velayat 6.4% and 2.6%, in Ashgabat 4.1% and 2.6%. This is explained by the fact that in Mary velayat there is some lack of communicative possibilities of getting information on sexual education. On the other hand a part of parents are conservatively disposed to the sexual education itself believing that children don’t have such problems and they will learn about everything being adults.

Parents’ attitude to the age of the beginning of sexual education stirs up a strong interest. Thus, the conducted studies have shown that a part of parents support early sexual education even in babyhood and childhood, i.e. under 10 years of age and they make 26.1%; 19.2% are for sexual education from 11 – 12. And, at least a greater part of parents consider the optimum age for the beginning of sexual education being 13-14 – 31.7%. Among them there are also parents who support sexual education in an older age. Their number is 23%.

Of course, the issues of sexual education and appropriate concern about reproductive health are topical for all ages: in childhood, adolescence and in the course of the whole life. They become most urgent in an active reproductive period when there emerge such questions as family planning, STDs, genital infections, proper diet, care during pregnancy and a social status of a woman. And at this period knowledge received in one’s childhood and adolescence is of great importance since it promotes proper reproductive behavior. Issues of sexual education remain still important in the elderly age, when the priority is a heart disease or osteopores resulting from the lack of extragenes of sexual hormones and also woman’s social role consisting in dissemination of information and establishment of behavioral principles for future mothers.

But sexual behavior in adolescence plays a very important role since just in this period of life there awakens an interest to these questions and secondly comprehension of information at this age is full of emotions. For example, for men stereotypes, acquired in youth when relations with the opposite sex and views on a sexual life are often defined for the rest of one’s life just till the old age, are very important. Later men become the elders of the community and just they will establish standards of behavior and ethic norms. So, they must get acquainted with the conception of sexual responsibility quite early to assist sexual health and proper behavior in the family, and women need to be protected from discrimination and practical steps to promote family health.

Teenagers often are devoid of a chance to get a professional valuable information on these issues and in connection with this they acquire problems preventing them from satisfaction of reproductive health protection requirements. In particular they must have an access to information and services, they need to fulfil their reproductive rights with a sense of responsibility. We, medical workers, consider that parents themselves in the first place must have information on sexual education, its importance for their children, stages of delivering information to them, and age abnormality in their sex development. Only then they will be able to timely react to abnormality and participate in their children’s sexual life in a proper way. For example, they must have some idea of a normal size, form and functioning of their children’s reproductive organs; in particular they must know about a physiological character of spontaneous erections newborn boys have, about cases when mammas of newborns of both sexes grow larger and about newborn girls’ discharges containing blood and about possible abnormalities (for example, testicle abnormality - cryptorchism).

There are distinguished several periods in children’s sexual development: intrauterine, a period of babyhood, neutral, prepubertative, pubertative. In our opinion sexual education should begin from babyhood i.e. from the moment when your baby shows its interest to these questions. How to do this is a different matter. The most important thing adults must remember is that on no account children should be given wrong answers. To be given a chance to answer their children’s questions adults themselves need to be taught first i.e. “teachers” need to be trained in these issues. Educators themselves: teachers, parents, medical workers must know when and how children’s reproductive system is formed.

So, adults must know that within the first ten days there takes place a physiological reduction of hormone level and as a result on the 3 – 9 day there may occur enlargement of newborns’ mammas of both sexes, newborn girls’ discharges containing blood and newborn boys may have involuntary pollution. A neutral period of children development is from 1 till 9 years old. From the medical point of view this is a period of hormone peace. That is characterized by a low content of sex hormones at this age children genitals grow slowly. But this period is characterized by psychological peculiarities of children: such as increased mobility and inquisitiveness of children. At this period very many questions concerning genital differences occur to them and it is very important that adults could find proper answers to a great number of their question.

The next period in children’s life is a prepubertative period i.e. a period of formation and development of second genital symptoms and menstruation. In the course of this period (from 9 till 12) considerable changes of genitals and appearance of children are marked. Sexual development of children is closely connected with their general physical development. This period coincides with intensive growth of bones. 10 – 11 – year – old girls outstrip boys in height; as a rule, girls having high indices of physical development experience early puberty. At this age second genital signs appear, moreover they develop in a definite consequence: first mamma glands grow, pubescence (first on pubis, then- arm pits). Full development of second genital symptoms finishes in a pubertative period.

A pubertative period is the second phase of a puberty period. In this period full puberty takes place, second genital signs reach their full development, menstrual cycle becomes regular, girls and young people are ready to reproduction.

Formation of healthy women and men depends on the progression of mother’s pregnancy, her health, teenage period of puberty when troubles occur under the influence of external unfavorable factors, diseases of organs and systems.

All the above stated has been brought to adult’s attention to supply them with knowledge on these physical changes in the organisms of their children to make it possible for them to prepare their children for adult life in a proper way according to their age and needs. We consider that if 10–11–year–old girls have mamma glands, the girl needs to be prepared for this in advance, she must know the matter and feel no fear if she has some “swelling”. At the age of 12 – 13 girls experience menstruation, this means that she needs to be taught to the issues of hygiene in the period of menstruation. We believe that if children are educated in the field of physiological development and prepared for the forthcoming physiological changes in their organism in accordance with their age many troubles and unwanted consequences may be prevented.

At the same time they need to know about educational stages of children and teenagers. The optimum age for teaching skills of neatness is 1 – 2. In his 2 – 3 year a child studies his body. Natural and calm attitude of adults to the body of a child and his body functions is of great importance.

The age of rising “acute” questions, their form and attending circumstances may vary very much. But adults’ attitude to these questions is more often quite negative. Sometimes it is adopted as a fundamental principle of education according to which knowledge diminishes shame and therefore it is harmful. It’s time for adults to understand that knowledge doesn’t corrupt, it is ignorance that corrupts. Inquisitiveness motivating a child doesn’t at all oblige adults to tear away the cover of intimacy.

A child must get the necessary information on sex as he displays interest for his physiological development, stage by stage.

A question what parents mean by the notion of “sexual education” is of great interest. As is seen from the diagram the major part of the questioned parents would like sexual education to be based on teaching the observance of rules of genital hygiene – 43%. This is quite explainable since genital hygiene observance from childhood and adolescence guarantees healthy reproductive system that is a great concern of parents. But on the other hand there is produced an impression that the major part of parents turns sexual education to genital hygiene only and doesn’t quite well understand the essence of sexual education. But the essence of sexual education is in our opinion in cultivating reproductive culture elements which include the whole complex of knowledge on hygiene, anatomy, contraception, STDs, relations between sexes etc. in young people.

A part of parents – 22% would like teenagers to be explained peculiarities of anatomical structure of genitals of both boys and girls. Yes, this is without a doubt, very important, since if children know anatomy of genitals any deviations in the development of their reproductive system will cause their timely reaction to consult a doctor. This may be viewed as a preventive measure against inflammation and pathology of teenagers’ reproductive organs. It is quite obvious that biology teachers as well as doctors invited for talks and specialists for separate biology lessons may perform this work, as teenagers grow older.

A part of parents (15%) consider that sexual education must be based on sex education. This is a very difficult and delicate question still demanding its consideration. Since sex life is a part of a human life and hygiene of a sex life, as well as healthy conditions of reproductive organs and harmony of relations between women and men depend on qualified knowledge about it.

Besides, a sex side of sexual education is closely connected with ethical context and moral basis of relations between boys and girls, their behavioral stereotype formation also depends on timely teenagers’ sexual education.

Unfortunately, a rather large group of parents consists of those who do not know about the contents of sexual education – 13%. I.e. it may be supposed that this is the part of parents who are not interested in sexual education and consequently they don’t consider it. Taking into account the above-mentioned it is possible to say that the issues of sexual education should be considered together with parents and doctors at school meetings where it would be possible not only to educate them but consult them, make use of their experience and relations with their children.

The next diagram proves that the greater part of parents would like to learn about sexual education – 85% from 2130 respondents. And only 15% expressed their unwillingness to have any information in these issues. Hence the position of the greater part of parents shows the existence of a need for information on sexual development and education of their children. Consequently, the efforts of educational institutions and health care bodies may turn not to be vain and may achieve their results not only in educating teenagers but their parents as well, if this activity is begun in time. And a significant support may be received in the face of parents.

The opinion of parents about those who must perform sexual education is no less important. There are different opinions as far as this problem is concerned. A part of parents consider that this work should be done by joint efforts of both school and a family. As is seen from the diagram their number is 40%. In our opinion this position is right and realistic and it gives the most effective results. Teenagers in families will discuss information received at school from teachers and invited doctors since the problems of sex relationship always stirs up their great interest. At this time teachers’ and doctors’ information needs to be added by parents in the course of its discussion with them and should cause no opposition on their part. Besides parents themselves should educate their children in the issues of sex relationship.

A part of parents still consider that sexual education is parents’ concern and must be conducted only in the family – 26%. This position is not quite justified since not all parents have a good command of this problem and some of them have difficulties while explaining them to their children, moreover the older children the more difficult it is to do it. So neutral people – teachers and doctors, might explain these themes.

10% of parents hope that there is no need in sexual education and teenagers themselves will learn everything when the time comes. But this position is at least precipitate. Firstly because it is difficult to define when “the time will come”, since physiological processes can’t be stopped, development of children is going on very quickly, they become inquisitive very early and try to know everything. It is very important who they will learn about this from, what information they will receive and how they will understand it. Secondly, they getting no information from their parents try to get it in the street and it reaches them in general in a vulgar form. Having no idea about the consequences they may have an early sexual intercourse this way creating a threat to their reproductive health and get a psychological trauma. Alongside with this there is a danger of involving them into companies consuming alcohol and taking drugs. In connection with this we consider that it shouldn’t be waited for teenagers to get their sexual education this way but on the contrary they must be prevented from such steps.

A part of parents as the diagram shows pass the issues of sexual education onto school – 10%. It’s perfectly obvious that this will not result in a positive way since to solve these problems school needs parents’ support and understanding. In cases of parents’ conservative attitude an absolutely negative result may be achieved.

In the course of the further analysis there occurred parents’ position when the issues of sexual education were supposed to be concentrated only in the mother’s hands thus trusting no one else. There were 5% of them. The same number of respondents stated that the mother and school must perform sexual education. To concentrate these problems only in mothers’ hands is not quite justified for it is very difficult for her to contact sons and sometimes this upbringing contains “female” traits.

Unfortunately, 4% of parents haven’t ever thought about this. They must have let this question slide. Teenagers are our future and to let the issues of their sexual and reproductive behavior slide doesn’t meet the requirements of parents’ rights for upbringing of their children.

In the course of a further parents’ opinion analysis there has been revealed a relative difference between positions of mothers and fathers. As for the fact that school and the family should perform sexual education their opinion coincide: 40.8% - fathers and the same part of mothers 40.9% are for such implementation of this activity.

However in the course of the further analysis it has been discovered that women are zealous advocates of sexual education since among them the part of those spoken out in favor of the family’s authority over this problem is more – 26.7% than that of men. The part of women spoken out in favor of only a mother to perform sexual education (6.5%) is also significantly large in comparison with men, among whom the advocates of this position present 1.8%. Their part in position “mother and school” is 5.1%, while that of men is only 2.9%.

But men are more passive in this question and try to pass this work onto others. Thus, for example their part is considerably larger in the position ‘they will know everything themselves’ – 13.1% while with women this index is 9.4%. And in the position “only school” the part of fathers is also large – 13.2% while that of mothers is only 9.3%. And as is seen from the diagram among those who haven’t pondered over this problem there are twice more fathers than mothers: 4.7% and 2.1% accordingly.

It is very important to come to common understanding and support on the part of parents towards sexual education. To achieve this it is necessary to conduct a regular work with them, to inform them of a performed work and consult about further topics. In a word parents’ interest in the result of this work needs to be raised. Only then it is possible to work over a further removing of existing problems in sexual education itself. And problems exist. For example sexual education is marked by real “pedagogic shyness”. To ask teachers to remove these important obstacles is at least untimely. They themselves need to be professionally trained for this work. Sexual education can’t be reduced to some lectures on sexual behavior and education of teenagers. The matter in question is a regular targeted activity to form sexual and reproductive cultures including the whole complex of knowledge on sexual behavior, contraception, birth space, STDs’ prevention etc. This may be achieved through a long – term painstaking work beginning from an early teenage period. Naturally, teachers must get an appropriate training in removing psychological and emotional barriers and establishing contacts with their students. It’s very important to become aware of the fact that teenagers’ sexual development can be neither stopped nor hampered, so the matter in question is who will be a real and effective instructor: a chance or those who are called to educate.

On the other hand there exist medical aspects which can be comprehensibly explained neither by a teacher nor by parents. This function should be undertaken by doctors. Though not a single parent has accentuated his/her attention to that.

Doctor’s participation in sexual education can’t and mustn’t be only a doctor’s responsibility “proscribed” and imposed from outside. Both the doctor’s own ability and his willingness to a productive dialogue with teenagers, teachers and parents are of great importance. So, in sexual education there should be foreseen both doctor’s participation and his purposeful training for communication with teenagers’ audience as well. Only by joint efforts of teachers, parents and doctors it is possible to achieve desirable results in teenagers’ sexual education and their comprehension of reproductive health protection issues.

But parents’ attitude to education of teenagers to reproductive health protection issues as the data show is positive. Thus the number of parents considering it important to educate teenagers to the issues of contraception is 84% from 2140 respondents, while 16% of the respondents adhere to a contrary opinion.

Also a majority of parents stick to the position of support of teenagers’ education to observance of a birth space. As the diagram shows they are 80%. A little bit more parents than in the previous question adhere to a negative position – 20%. It is most likely conditioned by the fact that parents themselves are not quite informed of birth spaces, so for some of them it is difficult to assess their significance.

Among the issues of reproductive health protection there is one that presents a more indisputable assessment of parents. It is the necessity to educate teenagers to the issues of prophylactics of sexually transmitted diseases. Parents have been suggested a question: “Do you think it is necessary to educate teenagers to the issues of prophylactics of sexually transmitted diseases?” And the overwhelming majority has answered positively. Among 2422 respondents 93% or persons consider it very important. Only 6.9% or 147 persons treat the idea of getting such information by their children in a negative way. Most of the parents fully appreciate the significance of such information in connection with the STD danger to the health of their children and their future offspring that can’t leave adults unconcerned.

As has already been mentioned abortions bring negative consequences for women’s health in general and their reproductive health in particular. However, today a procedure of an abortion goes on to preserve its importance as an extreme measure of fertility regulation. Abortion preservation in medical practice is a forced and objective measure. In a community, especially in a civilized and democratic one a woman is guaranteed freedom of a reproductive choice and her wish to terminate her pregnancy at set terms is exclusively her right. Besides, an abortion may be necessary according to medical and social reasons; for example, in case of rape, serious somatic pathology or sexually transmitted diseases with a high risk of fetus infection. Even in the countries where abortions are banned they are performed in the cases listed above with the authorities’ consent. So, abortions go on to remain an objective necessity.

Doctors’ activity in connection with this must be directed at the reduction of abortions through suggestions of alternative methods of fertility regulation and extended information – educational activity among population to clarify advantages of other means of contraception. At the same time, taking into consideration the necessity to perform abortions in some cases doctors’ activity must be concentrated on the development of less traumatic and painful ways of pregnancy termination with a low degree of risk of negative consequences for the reproductive system.

The necessity to preserve abortion as an emergency way of pregnancy termination is understood by adult population, too. In the course of the conducted survey to find out parents’ attitude towards abortions they have been suggested the following question: “Do you think abortions should be banned?” The results show that 52% among 2211 of teenagers’ parents have spoken out against their banning. It is perfectly obvious that life experience of the most parents prompts them to appreciate the necessity of abortions today. However, a rather considerable number of parents have turned out to be advocates of abortion banning – 45%. And 3% haven’t expressed their point of view at all.

Further research interest was focused on the study of correlation influencing parents’ viewpoint according to abortion banning.

One of important factors determining adults’ attitude to abortion banning and as a result to an abortion itself may show the level of parents’ education. It is well – known that the higher the level of education the more knowledgeable a person and his assessment of the problems surrounding reality may be more objective than mundane opinions of it. In this case analyzing the amount of data according to the level of education with regard to the attitude towards abortion banning the search was focused on confirmation of this statement. As has been found out there exists a certain dynamics of dependence of the attitude to abortion banning on the educational level.

The diagram reflects a growing tendency of increase of the number of opponents of abortion banning with a decrease of their educational level: with high education – 51.7%, secondary and secondary – special – 54%, incomplete secondary – 55.2%. And on the contrary reduction of the educational level cuts the number of advocates of the banning: with high education – 48.3%, secondary and secondary – special – 46%, incomplete secondary – 44.8%. The fact, that the largest number of advocates and accordingly the smallest number of opponents of abortion banning have been revealed in the group of parents with high education, attracts great attention. Especially clear this dependence is displayed in a male group.

As is seen from the given diagram men with high education have spoken out their attitude to abortion banning more categorically – 60.7% from the subgroup with high education have appeared to be advocates of banning. And only 39.3% have remained in the camp of opponents. Men with secondary and incomplete secondary education have spoken out more moderate attitude to abortion banning – 52.1% expressing their positive attitude and 47.9% have spoken out against it. It is quite obviously, that men’s high education expanding their broad – mindedness let them foresee and assess one side of abortions – a threat to a woman’s reproductive health and dangerous consequences for her health.

An absolutely opposite tendency is noticed with women.

As is already seen from this diagram, women’s attitude to abortion banning is more loyal and a higher level of education reduces the number of banning advocates. Thus in the subgroup with high education there are only 38% from 413 of them and 62% of those presenting banning opponents. Approximately an equal part of women have spoken out for banning in the group with secondary and incomplete secondary education 44.4% from 871 and 43.8% from 276 accordingly. The numbers or opponents in these subgroups are 55.6% and 56.2% accordingly. This tendency is rather a reflection of the second side of the problem more available for women. It supposes alongside with the knowledge of alternative and safe methods of fertility regulation also real ideas of contraception use as well, many of which do not fully guarantee and a risk of unwanted pregnancy still remains. Moreover women with high education are most likely to better imagine all consequences of contraception use and that’s why their attitude to abortion banning is less categorical and free of errors.

So, through the attitude to abortion banning negative or positive attitude to abortion in general is defined moreover the level of education of men and women influence formation of this attitude in different ways, depending on sexual peculiarities. This circumstance testifies the necessity of differentiation of information on abortions for men and women accentuating consequences for some and giving contraception details to other. It should be pointed out that in the course of analysis of the knowledge level on means of contraception in the previous diagrams it has been revealed that there are only 5.8% of informed women from the respondents and almost twice less than men. So the attitude to abortion banning of the women knowing about women contraception presents great interest, since they make a general group of users of pregnancy protecting means.

As seen from the diagram women informed about contraception in great majority are abortion banning opponents – 58% from 1463 respondents. And the less part of them are banning advocates. I.e. knowledge on pregnancy prevention supposes treating abortion as a necessary means of fertility regulation. At the same time a rather considerable part of women though knowing about contraception still come out as banning advocates. It’s obvious that this attitude results from contraceptive assessment as a rather reliable protective means and its use creates a protection against unwanted pregnancies. In this case the quality of got by them information on means of contraception stirs up doubt. So, for effective information work towards reproductive health protection more wide – ranging information on possibilities and consequences of contraceptive usage should be provided.

Taking into account a traditional lifestyle one of the indices of which is a family with many children the following analysis has been performed according to the number of children in the family. From the whole amount of the respondents there have been distinguished 3 groups: 1 group – parents having 1 – 2 children (554), 2 group – parents having 3 – 4 children (902) and parents having 5 and more children (678). As a result of the survey it has been revealed that with the growing number of children the number of parents whose opinion come round to abortion banning increases.

As is seen from the diagram among parents having 1 – 2 children there are less abortion banning advocates – 37.5% and on the contrary the main part of them speak out against banning – 62.5%. In the group of parents with 3 – 4 children the percentage of those being for banning is a little bit higher – 46.1% and accordingly those against it present a less figure than that of the first group – 53.9%. The largest number of banning advocates has been revealed in the third group of parents with 5 and more children – 54.9%. And also accordingly 45.1% are banning opponents. It is possible to say that families with many children are quite traditional and a baby’s birth is viewed as Allah’s will and his gift but pregnancy termination contradicts a set oriental belief in impossibility of a man as an earth being to interfere into a natural process of emergence of life. All this perhaps is reflected on forming an attitude to abortion banning. Apparently the data obtained is a result of a similar belief widely spread in our country.

To confirm the supposition put forward that a negative attitude to abortion is interconnected with traditional lifestyle there was undertaken a deep analysis of the above mentioned groups, where the hypothesis was tested on the basis of parents’ value objectives for a desirable number of grandchildren and in their children’s families, according to the region of residence and their own wellbeing assessment.

In the parents’ questionnaire there was a question “How many children would you like your children to have in their future families?” that defined parents’ value objectives for a desirable number of children in their offspring’s families. Obviously adults experience under the influence of circumstances or traditional lifestyle formed their value opinions of a desirable number of children. This opinion can’t stand away from the attitude to such fertility regulation means as abortion. Thus a question has been raised: how two categories – a desirable number of grandchildren and their attitude to abortion banning interrelate with each other? Do they reflect their views on a child’s birth formed on the basis of a traditional lifestyle with the belief that an abortion is sinful? This question has become the main one in the course of the analysis in defining this interrelation. There has appeared a supposition that in the case of a firm objective on childbirth as a reflection of religious believes then a desire to have a big number of children doesn’t depend on socio – economic factors. As is seen from the given diagram in all three groups of parents there are subgroups wishing there children to have both 1 – 2 children, 3 – 4 children and 5 and more children. The fact, that in the course of increasing parents’ desire to have more grandchildren varies their attitude to abortion banning, attracts our attention.

Even in the first group where parents seem to have experience in upbringing only 1 – 2 children there are subgroups wishing their children to have 3 – 4 and moreover 5 and more children. Perhaps this circumstance is connected with the opportunities that haven’t been realized by parents themselves. Thus with their wish to their offspring to have many children there increases the number of advocates and decreases the number of abortion banning opponents. This dynamics is reflected in the first part of the diagram.

The second part of the diagram testifies that in the parents’ group with 3 – 4 children there are also subgroups with wishes of a different number of grandchildren from 1 – 2, 3 – 4 up to 5 and more. Besides the attitude to abortions also changes due to the quantitative wishes. In quantitative wishes the number of advocates increases, too, but the index of opponents of abortion banning falls.

And at last, the third part of the diagram shows that in general in the parents’ group with 5 and more children the percent of banning opponents is lower, than that of the advocates. Besides with the wish to have a large quantity of their offspring to their children differences in their opinions become significant and come round to the side of abortion banning advocates. Thus, the diagram reveals the existence of a general tendency towards the increase of advocates and decrease of those who are against abortion banning depending on the number of children in the family and value objectives for children already to their offspring.

The fact, that such wishes to their children for the number of children in the family still are based on the experience of parents and their firm set convictions, attracts our attention. That is why a certain dependence between whishes about the quantity of children with the number of children in their own family. For example, in the group of parents with 1 – 2 children the same quantity of offspring is wished to their children by 63.2% from 554 in the group with 3 – 4 children 56.7% from 902 wish their children to have the same number of children. And only in the group with 5 and more children the main wishes are to have 3 – 4 children – 64.3% from 678 parents. This doesn’t contradict to the fact that parents pass onto their children their experience, since a family with 3 – 4 children may be called a family with many children. Moreover in the third group more parents than in the previous ones express their wish to their children to have 5 and more offspring – 14.4% while in the first and the second group 6.7% and 5.9% accordingly. However as already has been mentioned in the groups of parents there are subgroups who have expressed different from the majority wishes. For example, in the group with 1 – 2 children 30.1% wish their children to have 3 – 4 children, and in the group with 3 – 4 children 37.4% of parents wish 1 – 2 children. In the group with 5 and more children 21.1% of parents wish their children to have 1 – 2 children. It should be pointed out here that in the society there might be revealed only tendencies, and not strict mathematical regularity, amenable to a statistical account. In this case we deal with unrealized opportunities of parents who are most likely were connected with medical, social – demographic or economic problems that they wouldn’t like their children to have.

In connection with the fact that value objective for a desirable number of children and attitude to abortion banning are rooted in beliefs based on a traditional lifestyle, the region of residence of the respondents exercises little influence over the attitude to abortion banning. Even in town there are families with many children that hold these views.

Regardless of the region of residence with the growing desirable number of grandchildren there is noticed a growing number of abortion banning advocates and cutting of the number of opponents in spite of the number of their own children. I.e. traditional opinion remains in the consciousness of the population higher than regional and social differences. The diagram demonstrates the tendency described, revealing itself in the regions. Every group of columns means a separately taken region. And every column separately means a group of parents with a different number of desirable grandchildren. The first column in each region presents parents wishing 1 – 2; the second column those wishing 3 – 4; and the third column presents parents wishing 5 and more children to their children.

Attitude to abortion banning and a number of children in the family is a display of a stable life concept that may be influenced by social and economic problems. Families with 1 – 2 children, where financial difficulties, for example, increase the percentage of abortion banning opponents, are more subjected to such influence. Perhaps arising financial difficulties incline the given category to the conviction about the necessity of a small number of children, and abortion in their opinion is a means of a childbirth restriction. So, the data obtained reveals the dynamics where in the families having 1 – 2 children with growing financial difficulties there increases the number of opponents, too, but the number of abortion banning advocates falls.

In the families with 3 – 4 children a somewhat clear dynamics towards increase or decrease of advocates and opponents of abortion banning hasn’t been revealed. There is observed a stable parents’ attitude to abortion banning and this tells about domination of traditional view and weakening of the influence of the economic factor on adults’ convictions.

As the further analysis shows more convinced adherents of traditional views i.e. those perceiving a child birth as a message from the heavens and considering an abortion as a great sin, are parents of 5 and more children among whom there are more advocates of abortion banning and less of its opponents. Even 57% from them constantly experiencing financial difficulties are unshakable in their convictions on the necessity of abortion banning. It looks like a big number of children in their families has been conditioned just by this position.

Indisputable is the fact that abortion performance is not only reproductive system traumatizing but also a big emotional and moral trauma since a hardly emerging helpless life is to be terminated. To avoid this and create conditions for each pregnancy to be wanted and a woman to be full of happiness from future maternity there must be performed a broad information – educational activity to clarify different contraceptive methods to the population taking into account all national peculiarities and traditional lifestyle. In our country such work may be performed in different socio – demographic groups differentially. The part of population with predominating traditional views and lifestyle may be wider provided with the method of lactation amenorhea, that is a result of exclusive breast – feeding. This method is the closest one to the national tradition, more physiological as compared to others since it doesn’t break the processes taking place in a woman organism. So taking into account all the advantages of this fertility regulation method all information about it must be included into educational programs for youth and teenagers. The best-detailed and deep information should be presented through reproductive health centers and family doctors to the girls of a reproductive age and women of first years of marriage.

Despite the fact that a rather considerable number of parents have come out against abortions they speak out a positive attitude towards getting information on abortions by teenagers. The question: “Do you think young people need information on abortions?” has been answered in a positive way by 83.3% from 2171 questioned parents and negative answers have been given only by 16.7%. These figures testify that this information is of great importance and adults being supported by their experience consider it necessary to timely inform young people of it to protect them from hasty steps.

As the further analysis shows the most concerned about this problem are women – 84.9% from the respondents have emphasized that young people need this information. While among men 78.6% of the respondents have given positive answers. Naturally the whole burden of consequences falls on women and a woman suffers the bulk of emotional stress after an abortion. Perhaps many of the questioned have undergone an abortion and know about it not by hear – say so, their worries for their daughters’ health and a good chance to fulfill their maternal duty is above all. But fathers also are aware the importance of information on abortions and a rather big number of them adhere to a positive position.

Parents’ awareness of the meaning of abortions has been also revealed in the questions about the types of information young people have to be given. Most of parents have marked that young people need information on abortion consequences – 82%. This speaks of a high degree of parents’ concern about their offspring’s reproductive health and understanding of those irreversible consequences an abortion may lead to. Still a small number of responses are focused on information concerning terms of abortion. The rest answers of statistic importance haven’t been revealed.

A great parents’ concern about the problems of their children’s reproductive health protection has been revealed through the answers to the question: “What is your attitude towards gynecologist prophylactic examination of girls and andrologist examination of boys?” Prophylactic gynecologist and andrologist examination is one of the means of preventing and revealing reproductive system disorders. Timeliness of examinations especially of teenagers will allow early revealing of this or that pathology, prescribing adequate treatment and thus increasing chances to avoid more serious complications affecting proper reproduction. But the delicacy of the issue is the fact that in a teenage period any prophylactic examinations should be performed with parents’ consent. So there has emerged a research interest to how parents themselves perceive prophylactic examinations, which factors influence parents’ positive or negative attitude. The data obtained show that the main part of parents have a positive attitude to such examinations – 56.1%. Insignificant part of parents have a barrier of fear to cause a psychological trauma to their children – 13% and 30.9% of the respondents believe that it is not worth consulting a doctor without a special need or in other words their attitude towards prophylactic examinations is negative. The matter is that one of the peculiarities of a teenage period of an individual development is modesty in the issues of puberty. This results in keeping quiet about appearing genital problems by teenagers and accordingly inflammation or other disorders may remain disregarded by adults. That is why a negative position of almost one third of all parents remains hard to be explained.

The analysis of parents’ attitude to prophylactic examinations of boys and girls hasn’t revealed any essential differences according to the age. In all age groups in relatively stable proportions there are both positive and negative attitudes. Attention is attracted only the position of the parents who are over 50 among whom there is a considerable number of those who have a positive attitude to prophylactic examinations – 60.2% from 166 respondents while in other age groups this index doesn’t exceed 57%. I.e. awareness and assessment of reproductive health care importance are based on experience prompting them that health protection can’t be in captivity of ignorant attitude and must be above all psychological barriers. It is significant that the number of those negatively oriented towards prophylactic examinations from them is less – 25.3% while in other age subgroups of parents this index doesn’t drop lower 30%.

There haven’t been revealed any significant differences due to the gender. Both men and women treat examinations equally positively. In other words both mothers and fathers equally show their concern about their children’s health. There are noticed only slight differences in the degree of psychological fear of causing a moral trauma to the child. There are a little bit more women than men experiencing this feeling – 13.8% and 10.9% accordingly. But men display a more categorical negative approach still higher than that of women – 32.8% and 29.3% accordingly. This may be explained only by emotional peculiarities of men and women that have no statistically expressed links in this question.

More interesting interconnection has been revealed in the course of analysis of parents’ attitude towards prophylactic examinations depending on the number of children in the family. It has been turned out that parents having 1 – 2 children have more positive answers – 63.1% from 547 respondents and the number of negative answers is less than that of parents with more children – 28%. And parents of this group having a fear barrier for psychological condition of their children make 9%.

But parents possessing 3 – 4 children have a less number as compared to the previous group positive attitudes toward prophylactic examination – 56.4% and still less of them are in the group of parents with 5 and more children – 51%. On the contrary, if in the previous group there are 28% of parents negatively oriented towards prophylactic examinations, in the following groups there is a tendency towards an increase of their number. Thus, in the group with 3 – 4 children there are 30.4% of them, in the group with 5 and more children – 32.4%. In the marked groups there is also a tendency towards some growth of the number of parents having a fear barrier for their children’s psychological condition depending on the growing number of children in the family. For example, in the first group this index is 9% and accordingly in the second one it is – 13.2% while in the third group it is 16.6%. This is most likely to be explained by several arguments. Firstly, parents with 1 – 2 children have more opportunities to pay much attention to up – bringing of their children and much space in this process is occupied by their health care. So, awareness of the importance of timely prophylactic examinations comes to them quicker and they have less psychological obstacles all the more a negative attitude.

Secondly, a rather considerable number of parents having many children and displaying a negative attitude towards prophylactic examinations probably assess their children reproductive organs as good ones due to healthy heredity of their parents, capable of giving birth to so many children. And at last, thirdly, a negative attitude and a psychological fear barrier that parents with many children experience before prophylactic examinations are deeply rooted in patriarchal foundation when family affairs mustn’t be open to the public and intimate organs of children especially those of girls before marriage must be inviolable.

A negative attitude of a part of parents towards prophylactic examinations may be connected with the existing religious views of predestined human fate and there is no need to interfere in it trying to make changes. If an individual is fated to be healthy he will be, but if not then no medical interference and influence is able to cure him/her. In connection with this parents themselves need to be educated in the issues of possible functional and organic disorders of a reproductive system of a boy or a girl to make adults not to leave without their attention a possible manifestation of disorders and behavioral abnormalities connected with them. On discovering any symptoms of these diseases parents must know where and to whom to address for help.

In the course of informational – clarifying activity among parents the accent should be made on overcoming familiar stereotypes about the fact that prophylactic examinations of reproductive organs of boys and girls may cause a psychological trauma to them. In the course prophylactic examinations and treatment in case of any disorders strict anonymity and secrecy are observed. Besides, experienced specialists possessing enough knowledge in psychology and education sciences and necessary skills in communication with teenagers perform these activities.

The diagram reveals parents’ attitude towards prophylactic examinations of children gynecologists and andrologists in different regions. As the diagram shows the attitude depends on the combination of social factors of the region including accessibility and a broad range of medical service, the quality of medical aid and carrying out information – clarifying activity among the population. So, in the city of Ashgabat there is a considerable majority expressing their positive attitude – 68.1% from the parents of schoolchildren from the capital and there is the smallest group of parents with a psychological barrier of fear – 4.7%. This evidently illustrates that in the capital teenage acceleration processes run faster and reproductive health issues aren’t secret for them. Parents’ awareness of these processes let them understand that prophylactic examinations don’t cause any serious psychological trauma to their children. On the contrary, the part of parents having a fear barrier for the consequences of the examinations in every region is more than three times higher as compared to that of the capital. Here is a large area for the activity of health care and education system workers in the field of convincing parents in harmlessness of the examination procedure.

A rather stable part of parents in all regions that fluctuates between 27% – 31% are those whose attitude to prophylactic examinations is negative. Seemingly these figures reflect the whole combination of differentiation factors. In cities may be a part of parents evaluates their potentials to provide medical aid to their children higher and so they do not need any prophylactic examinations. But in a rural area a part of negatively oriented parents is conditioned by a traditional lifestyle, where views of noninterference in intimate affairs of the family on the part of medical workers are dominated. This category of parents is targeted by medical workers, teachers for a broad information – clarifying activity among them and possible socio – medical factors of teenagers’ reproductive health threat in the case of untimely consulting and advantages, in connection with this, of prophylactic examinations. To increase parents’ interest in prophylactic examinations the whole combination of knowledge about possible consequences of teenagers’ reproductive system disorders needs to be brought to their attention. Then hardly ever parents will speak out a negative attitude towards a prophylactic examination of a children gynecologist or andrologist.

The present diagram characterizes the tendency of increasing the number of positively oriented parents towards prophylactic examinations of their children by gynecologists and andrologists with the increase of their education level. Parents with high education have the index of 62.8%, parents with secondary education have 54.3% and parents with incomplete secondary education only – 46.4%. The diagram also makes it possible to follow the tendency towards increasing the number of parents with a psychological barrier of fear for the consequences in the form of moral traumas depending on a lower educational level. Thus with highly educated parents this barrier is presented in 9.8%, with secondary educated parents it is in 14.7% of cases and parents with incomplete secondary education have the index of 21%. Also, a relatively stable part of negatively oriented towards prophylactic examinations parents is noticed in all groups: it varies from 27.8% of parents with high education to 32.7% of parents with incomplete secondary education. It is perfectly obvious that a higher parents’ educational level allows evaluating the role and importance of prophylactic examinations in preventing their children’s reproductive system disorders. Moreover, these parents are aware of the fact that prophylactic examinations are held by qualified specialists with the use of all modern medical achievements. That is why among them the proportion of those with a psychological barrier is quite low. At the same time unawareness and ignorance of the procedure of examinations on the part of parents with a low level of education, naturally strengthen a psychological fear for consequences or increase the proportion of a negative attitude. To achieve effective work in teenagers’ reproductive health protection it is necessary to focus information service about prophylactic examination procedure and teenagers’ reproduction threat factors on the parents with a lower level of education.