A lecture Monday aimed to educate students, particularly women, about the benefits of using contraception and the various types available.
As part of UB's 5th annual Gender Week, Nancy Wilk, Doctorate of Nursing Science and Women's Health Care Nurse Practitioner, gave a free lecture in Kimball Tower on the subject of sexual protection.
"Women have choices, and we need to be giving them the information to make good choices," she said. "There are lots of things out there for their health and protection, as far as contraception."
Wilk focused mainly on the benefits of non-hormonal contraceptive methods, including cervical caps, Intra-Uterine Devices (IUD), female sponges, spermicidal films and contraceptive foams.
The speaker also discussed the usage of oral birth control pills and abstinence during times of fertility, and the comparative points of safety, ease of use, cost and effectiveness of each type of contraception.
"I don't think a lot of women know the options, and that's why it's important that we get the information out to women," she said.
Wilk kept her audience interested, passing around a female sponge, a sheet of spermicidal film and a canister of contraceptive foam. She also used two brief videos - one to illustrate correct fitting and insertion of a cervical cap, and the other to demonstrate IUD insertion.
Also explored were the steps to facilitating a healthy pregnancy, such as taking prenatal vitamins and keeping a diet rich in folic acid.
"I tell all my (female) patients of childbearing age to just take prenatal vitamins, especially if they're young and sexually active," Wilk said. "(They're available) over the counter and are easy to get. They won't hurt you."
A short quiz obtained from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention was given on male health issues, such as prostate cancer and symptoms of serious male medical conditions. Afterwards Wilk provided and discussed the correct answers with the audience.
The presentation ended with a game entitled "Who Wants a Chance to Be a Millionaire," featuring questions created by her, based on both the Nursing School's curriculum and her own lecture.
The audience enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere, and the way in which the lecture was conducted.
"I think it's very good the way (Wilk) incorporates the videos and different pictures and graphs to help us be able to better understand what's going on," said Heather Lekki, a freshman in the Maternal and Women's Health Nurse Practitioner program. "And she keeps the presentation kind of light-hearted, so it's easy to learn."
The audience, comprised mostly of nursing students, seemed to agree that the presentation was well suited for the start of Gender Week.
"I feel this presentation is important because women need to know their options," said Katie Steg, a sophomore student at the School of Nursing. "Their partners need to know their options and about their effectiveness. They also need to know how to use these methods to prevent pregnancies, and more importantly, sexually transmitted infections."
Jin Young Seo, a sophomore in the Nurse Practitioner program, knows from experience how helpful presentations on these topics are.
"I work in the Special Education Center on South Campus," she said. "I see many patients who come there and don't know anything about birth control, and they're scared. I think that this kind of lecture is really important for educating adolescents and college students."
