Sex Ed for College Student?

[asoulunbound]

Yeah, so... a very close girlfriend of my came to me very freaked out because she said she had some sort of bump by her urethra, and was wondering if it could be some sort of inflamed gland. She had just gotten off antibiotics and was wondering if that would affect anything. She said it was painful (like a zit), and it had gotten larger since she noticed it was hurting. She went to the doctor, and found out that she is a normal woman (it was her clitoris).
I want to help this girl, she is a very close friend of mine. She is a virgin whose mother will not speak of anything remotely sexual. Since I want to be a midwife, and I'm also a person she trusts, and one who has had sex, I think that's why she came to me (besides that she is a very dear friend of mine).
I was wondering... how do you give healthy and accurate sex ed to a peer? I don't mind talking about sex, but she is a VERY private person. I want to respect that and make her feel comfortable. I don't want her to feel I look down on her because she doesn't know anything or what-have-you. I also really don't want to lecture at her.
Sooooo... any ideas? PM if you feel more comfortable.

[CalebsMama05]

she's in college and *just* noticed her clitoris?

[texaspeach]

give her a copy of our bodies, ourselves and a copy of taking charge of your fertility. OBOS covers womanhood through the entire lifespan and touches topics like body image, violence against women, and aging, but also anatomy (it includes instructions for self exam which she really needs to do to get to know her body) and the rundown on different conditions, procedures and treatments. TCOYF has a brief section on anatomy but it is more detailed than OBOS when it comes to the physiology of the menstrual cycle.

If she's very private, books might be better for her than face to face time on the subject.

[UberMama]

I agree, TCOYF and a book explaining the female reproductive organs - specifically the genitals and showing where everything is.

Oh, I feel for the girl. It reminds me of when my Mom told me she got her period at 11. She thought she was dying and her Mom was too embarassed to explain what was happening. Finally her Aunt had to tell her. So sad..

[mommycakes]

Originally Posted by texaspeach

give her a copy of our bodies, ourselves and a copy of taking charge of your fertility.

I was going to suggest the same thing, especially "Taking Charge of Your Fertility"--that book will give her a crash course in the female body/system. I love it.

[charmander]

Most colleges and universities offer at least one course in Human Sexuality. (My boyfriend and I took one together during my freshman year ).

Maybe that's something she ought to look into.

[asoulunbound]

Yes, she just noticed it.
There's definitely NO human sexuality class here- it's a very small Baptist school I'm one of the liberals here (which is funny because); everywhere else I'm usually considered one of the conservatives. Go figure.
She's seen the size of my TCOYFs- I own two editions, and I love them very much! - and been a bit intimidated. I guess I could like bookmark/highlight the basics? I wish I had given it to her before this week (it's Spring Break) so she could have flipped through it or something... hindsight is 20/20, I suppose.
I think a book will prob. be the best idea for her, since she's a pretty private person and she LOVES to read.
I'm honestly still getting down with my bad lady self. My mother never said anything about anything to me, I still don't know why I didn't have the whole "I'm dying!" experience when I first had my period. Maybe one of my sisters mentioned it to me? I can't remember. I made up for that lack of knowledge by going the book route myself. My mom was a childbirth educator for years, so I just took one of her books and figured out what was what. Anyway, I can identify with the lack of communication.
I believe it really is bothering her that her mom either doesn't know or doesn't want to talk about it. IMHO, there's been some abuse (both her and her mom), but I'm not sure if she sees that or not. Like I said, very private person. I get the feeling (could be wrong) they might think it must not be abuse unless someone raped me in a dark alley kind of thing. I could be wrong though.
I just love her like a sister and want her to be able to come to me anytime about anything. I also want to give her as much information as possible so she can go through it on her own at her own pace. She's so smart and just a great lady to hang out with!
I need to read "our bodies, our selves" before I give it to her, though. I don't give/recommend books w/o reading them, especially on this type of topic.
Thanks ladies, any more ideas are ALWAYS appreciated.

[texaspeach]

if she's intimidated by tcoyf, our bodies, ourselves will send her running to the hills! If you don't own a copy though I really suggest getting one for yourself. Through the years it has served me well