NHS - 8 out of 10 people under 40 will get pregnant within a year...

A silly reply. It doesn't remove the ambiguity.

Good God, that reply is so stupid. If they're targeting the "majority reader who knows they(!) can get pregnant" why don't they use the pronouns that the "majority reader" uses?

Whoops, x-post

I complained about the wording at the top of this thread via a feedback form, together with others it's probably why they changed it to the new version. Here's what they replied to me:

Dear User,
We have removed the line “8 in 10 people under 40 years old will get pregnant within 1 year of trying by having regular sex without using contraception” as there has been feedback about the word “people” people misleading.
The page is written to be inclusive and uses plain, easy to understand language. Our content is tested to make sure it can be understood.
This page is written to be directed at the person who is trying to get pregnant and knows they can get pregnant. We learnt through user testing that this person is the majority reader of this page.
For more information about how we write, please visit service-manual.nhs.uk/content/how-we-write

Just got this response to my comment:

“Dear User,

“We have removed the line “8 in 10 people under 40 years old will get pregnant within 1 year of trying by having regular sex without using contraception” as there has been feedback about the word “people” people misleading.
The page is written to be inclusive and uses plain, easy to understand language. Our content is tested to make sure it can be understood.
This page is written to be directed at the person who is trying to get pregnant and knows they can get pregnant. We learnt through user testing that this person is the majority reader of this page.”

Even their reply is appallingly written. Who tests their content and by whom do they make sure it’s understood?

And whoever wrote the reply still can’t bring themselves to type the word “woman”.

I gave them feedback about this not making sense and got the following reply:

"We have removed the line “8 in 10 people under 40 years old will get pregnant within 1 year of trying by having regular sex without using contraception” as there has been feedback about the word “people” people misleading. 
The page is written to be inclusive and uses plain, easy to understand language. Our content is tested to make sure it can be understood.
This page is written to be directed at the person who is trying to get pregnant and knows they can get pregnant. We learnt through user testing that this person is the majority reader of this page.
For more information about how we write, please visit https://service-manual.nhs.uk/content/how-we-writee_"

They have changed it, but it still isn't 'inclusive' of women, and it's not easy to understand either.

And the 8 out of 10 figure certainly doesn't apply to "people" because that would imply the whole human race. Maybe qualified as "people with uteruses", but certainly not a blanket "people". That just makes the author look like a fucking eejit. In fact I think it's quite likely that the author looks like a fucking eejit because they are in fact a fucking eejit.

Plus there should be additional information written appropriately for a different audience. The rewritten advice isn't really fit for anyone.

I'd also suggest any transman reading an NHS website or leaflet about getting pregnant isn't quite as triggered by being referred to as a woman as some would have you believe.

I don’t understand the whole men can’t pregnant thing. If I’m a trans man with female sex organs then I can still get pregnant?

The original makes sense.

This is the original which has been fucked about:

Gcnq a google of "NHS getting pregnant" brought it up as the first hit.

www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/trying-for-a-baby/trying-to-get-pregnant/

Bloody idiotic, whoever wrote it.

To be fair I cannot actually find this upsetting page at all, despite trying.

I have however found a load of stuff on NHS website about the coronavirus vaccine for pregnant women or women trying to conceive and the information uses the words woman/women throughout.

It reads as though the NHS content writer assumes the only type or people who will look at that page are the type of people who ovulate, which is extremely sexist.

Essentially they are incapable of bringing themselves to use the words woman or female in an NHS info piece about conceiving a baby :/

8 out of 10 people having sex?
All people?
Including same sex attracted people?

Yep - still BS. How do you complain? I don’t see a link on the page.

It’s very difficult to know who this is aimed at - apparently people who know enough about sex to know who might ovulate, but not enough to be aware of sperm.

Have warned my brother.

He cast aspersions on the sense and sanity of the caring team who wrote this, and has offered to demonstrate the realities of male biology if this would help.

It’s worse.

At least before they could hide behind the assumption that the person’s attempt to become pregnant was informed by prior knowledge.

Now it’s just 80% of people who have sex without contraception.

Looks like they've changed it. It's still incorrect.

Have provided feedback to the NHS.

Whilst browsing I noticed this NHS style guide:
service-manual.nhs.uk/content/inclusive-language

Sex, gender and sexuality
The language around sex, gender and sexuality changes all the time and it's an area that people hold strong and differing opinions about. We try to make sure that we are in touch with the communities we are writing for and we update this guidance regularly. This section should help you get started but the best thing is to test your content and services with the people who use them.

Only mention sex, gender or sexuality if they're relevant, for example, to signpost people and help them get the health information and access to treatment they need.

When to use "sex" and when to use "gender"
Many people think that sex and gender are the same but they mean different things. It's important to be clear about the difference.

Sex
Sex is biological (male or female). It's based not only on the genes we inherit, but also on how our external and internal sex and reproductive organs work and respond to hormones. Sex is the label that's recorded when a baby's birth is registered.

We use "sex" or, better still, the body part associated with biological sex when we're writing about things like screening that is sex specific, for example, breast and cervical screening.

Sex assigned or registered at birth
We use the phrase "sex assigned at birth" when we're talking about trans health and gender dysphoria, as this is the language our audience uses. In other cases, we use "the sex someone was registered with at birth" because user research shows that most people understand this better as it refers to an actual event.

Intersex
We use "intersex" in some content about people with differences in sex development (DSD) because some people prefer it to DSD.

DSD involves genes, hormones and reproductive organs, including genitals. A person's physical sex development, internally, externally or both can be different to most other people's.

Most people with DSD have a clear sex that is registered at birth.
Some adults with DSD prefer the term "intersex" to DSD but they may want to keep their legal sex as male or female. Other people see "intersex" as distinct from male and female.

Gender
Gender is more complex. It refers to our internal sense of who we are and how we see and describe ourselves.

Someone may see themselves as a man, a woman or neither (non-binary). Being non-binary can mean having no gender, a different gender, or being in between genders. Gender can be fixed or fluid. Some people identify with a gender opposite to the sex they were registered with.

We use the word "gender" when we're:

• discussing the social idea or identity as opposed to the biological sex, for example, if we're writing about gender dysphoria or transgender health and social care

Gender neutral language
We make content gender neutral as far as possible. In general, we word our content to avoid masculine and feminine pronouns ("he" or "she"). Instead we use "you" where appropriate and sometimes "they" when we need a gender-neutral pronoun (unless this is confusing).

Avoid asking users for their title, such as Mr, Miss, Mrs, or Ms.

Transgender
We use "trans" as an umbrella term to describe people whose current gender identity or way of expressing their gender differs from the sex they were registered with at birth. Some, but not all, trans people want to transition (change) socially or medically or both.

We use "trans woman" for someone who was registered male at birth and now identifies as a woman and "trans man" for someone who was registered female at birth and now identifies as a man.

We use "trans woman" or "trans man" in content about the particular health needs of trans people - for example, screening or treatments that trans people need to be aware of, like advising a trans man about cervical and breast screening.

Otherwise, we leave out the word "trans" and just refer to men and women, if relevant.

Note: we use "sex assigned at birth" when we're writing for a trans audience. Read more about sex assigned or registered at birth.