In the late 1960s, public discussions about sex, pregnancy, and childbirth were highly sanitized. Recognizing a profound lack of public knowledge, the West German Federal Ministry of Health commissioned Helga as an educational initiative.

In 1967, a film titled "Helga" was released, which would go on to become a cultural phenomenon and a staple of educational cinema. The film, directed by Tinto Brass, was a groundbreaking documentary-style drama that explored the life of a young German girl named Helga Lutten, and her daily struggles and experiences.

The 1967 West German film Helga – Vom Werden des menschlichen Lebens