Does semen contain vitamin K?

Does semen contain Vitamin K?

Last week, I hosted a fellow VSO volunteer, for two nights, my first stay over visitor since moving into new house. As we ate and conversed about life in Malawi in general  and the challenges faced as volunteers in particular, she shared the following strange stories with me.

The story goes something like this; a woman goes to see a clinician (doctor).  The clinician informs her that the reason why she’s unwell is because she is lacking in vitamin K, and the best way to get vitamin K is to go and have sex! The explanation given by the clinician is that semen contains vitamin K. On hearing, the story I must confess I was both confused and baffled to the point I asked my guest if it was indeed a joke! To which she replied ‘No’!  The story led on to another story of young girls on starting their periods are tried by men in their community/village to ensure fertility etc.. A jaw dropping moment, and very frightening stuff!! .

This story took me back in 1999, when a colleague told me of a similar story, Malawian women (elders), teaching girls on reaching puberty as part of their initiation on how to perform in bed, satisfy and keep their husbands. Even then, I thought it was a joke and found it hard to believe, that there was such a practice going on. Out of sheer curiosity, I decided to do a bit research on the subject, semen and vitamin K and to my surprise I came across a blog written by a volunteer in 2012, relating to the subject matter, properly another VSO volunteer.  

Young girls on starting their menstruations are encouraged by the elder women of their village to have sex “to be tried” and to get vitamin K.  My colleague also informed me that there are men in these communities/villages whose job it is to go around trying these girls, girls as young as 11 years old.  A must read blog – Google Menstruation, Nutritious Semen and Vitamin K

To end this blog I want to share two further stories of concerns on sexual intimidation and abuse;

A Malawian nurse from one of the regional hospitals visiting the NMCM to submit her Continuing Professional Development, (CPD) logbook told me her story of sexual harassment in the community, men sexually harassing young girls as young as 11years old. These men are very open and not hiding their intentions, are inappropriately touching school-aged girls and coercing them into having sex as they make their way to and from school. On hearing this disclosure, I decided to do a bit more digging and learnt that this is a tribal thing, practiced by some Malawian tribes. The men in these communities are fully aware of the initiation of girls on starting their menses and want to ‘try them’.

 My final story a sad and very traumatic story of a boy aged round 8 years old, gang raped by a group of men! As volunteers, we see and we hear stories, upsetting stories that leave a feeling of numbness and sadness. 

What Malawi needs is a good robust system educating communities where such practices are apparent to eradicate this degrading practices aimed at young girls. In the same way, education has brought knowledge to parts of Africa, where FGM is practiced to eradicate the inhuman practice of ‘female genital mutilation (FGM).