Jenny Higgins

Associate Professor

College of Letters & Science l School of Medicine and Public Health

Trained in both gender studies and public health, Jenny conducts research on women’s sexuality and reproductive health. At UW-Madison, she teaches the oldest and largest women’s health class in the country, reaching hundreds of students each year.

Talks:

• The Intimate Link: Birth Control's Connections with Sexuality

  This talk describes Jenny’s research on contraceptive methods and how they can affect women’s sexuality.

• What's love got to do with it? Reflections on pleasure, gender, and sexual and reproductive health

  This talk describes “the pleasure deficit” in how we tend to approach reproductive health in the US. Jenny provides evidence from a number of studies showing how women’s sexuality influences overall reproductive health in important ways.

• The power of pregnancy ambivalence: Surprising ways that pregnancy intentions shape people's reproductive health

  Some people are extremely clear that they want–or want to avoid–a pregnancy. However, a surprising proportion of people have mixed feelings about whether or not they want to be pregnant. This pregnancy ambivalence shapes women’s reproductive health behaviors in powerful ways. This talk shares the latest research on pregnancy intentions, pregnancy ambivalence, and reproductive health.

Additional Resources:

• Jenny Higgin's Website