Parents are being urged to stop using words such as “bits”, and “front bottom” when referring to their daughters’ genitals.
Charity Eve Appeal said both male and female body parts should not be shrouded in secrecy and called on mums and dads to use the correct terms.
A poll for the charity found 44% of parents regularly use euphemisms, with less than 20% frequently saying “vagina” and only 1% often using “vulva”.
Around one in five parents said they never refer to female body parts in front of their daughter.
The survey of 1,175 parents also found almost a third felt it was only appropriate to use anatomical language when their daughters were aged 11 or older.
Actor Nigel Havers, who supports the campaign, said: “It is so incredibly important to have honest and open conversations about our children’s bodies.
“So many people don’t use the proper words for female body parts in their own homes.”
