Educational Lecture for 9th- and 11th-Grade Female Students on the Topic “Your Body Is Your Personal Space”

Within the framework of implementing the New Ukrainian School reform and developing a network of academic and specialized lyceums, the long-standing and productive cooperation continues between I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University and Lesia Ukrainka Medical Lyceum No. 15.

As part of the cooperation between TNMU and the lyceum, a set of educational, preventive, and practice-oriented activities has been approved on the following topics:
“Puberty and Adolescent Girls’ Health Issues. Contraception”;
“Lyme Disease: Prevention, Clinical Features, Diagnosis, Complications”;
“Childhood Injuries and Burns. Prevention, Treatment, Complications”;
“Diseases of the Endocrine System: Diabetes Mellitus, Obesity, and Prevention Strategies”;
“PTSD: Challenges in the Realities of War.”

The program also includes a guided visit for graduating students of the lyceum to the Department of Human Anatomy at TNMU; an educational trip to the I. Ya. Horbachevsky Memorial Museum-Estate (Zarubyntsi village); training and preparation of first aid instructors from among the medical lyceum teachers at the TNMU Simulation Training Center; as well as training sessions for teachers and students of grades 10–11 of the lyceum conducted by certified trainers at the TNMU Simulation Training Center.

On January 29, 2026, Natalia Petrenko, Associate Professor of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology No. 2 at TNMU, delivered a lecture for 9th- and 11th-grade female students entitled “Your Body Is Your Personal Space.” During the lecture, the following topics were discussed:

the importance of having a backup plan and understanding that “an obstetrician-gynecologist is not scary.”

anatomy and physiology of the reproductive system as an “instruction manual for one’s own body”;

features of puberty, or how to manage the “chaos of sex hormones”;

sex as an expression of love, while “pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections” are also possible consequences of love;

refusal of sexual activity, where saying “no” is final;

contraception as a “reliable body armor in the adult world of love”;

Thanks to the university’s cooperation, graduates of Medical Lyceum No. 15 receive not only a solid theoretical foundation but also direct access to professional training, which significantly facilitates their admission to a medical higher education institution.

It should be noted that with the appointment of the new principal, Oksana Mazurenok, the processes of implementation and practical realization of all key provisions of the New Ukrainian School reform have been intensified, particularly in terms of upper secondary school specialization, expansion of partnerships, and strengthening the practical component of education.