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| kicsiicsi via Getty Images |
Half the population has one,
and yet vaginas and gynaecological issues are rarely spoken about at
home. A recent survey conducted by The Eve Appeal (2016)
found that 65% of the women surveyed were uncomfortable using the words
“vagina” and “vulva”, while a shocking 50% of women aged 26-35 were
unable to correctly label the vagina on a diagram.
“Vagina” is not a dirty word, and treating it as such can be damaging
to people who then go on to believe that they have something shameful
between their legs.
Encouraging people to talk about their genitalia is incredibly
beneficial to sexual health, but can also build confidence. There are
great artists celebrating the diversity of vulvae, from Hilde Atalanta
and the Vulva Gallery to The Great Wall of Vagina by
Jamie McCartney. Highlighting and celebrating the uniqueness of vulvae
is a wonderful way to promote body positivity, while talking about the
anatomy with correct terminology is beneficial to sexual education.
Educating people to become proactive about sexual health issues is critical as it can save lives. March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month,
the biggest gynecological killer of women in the UK; knowing the
symptoms of ovarian cancer is incredibly important as once the disease
has spread it is harder to treat.
Symptoms can include fatigue, pelvic and abdominal pain, bloating and
difficulty eating due to feeling full and changes in bowel and urinary
function.
Talking more openly to people of all ages regarding gynecological
cancer can help to protect women, particularly those aged 46-55. The Eve
Appeal highlighted that this “danger zone” age range were also the most
likely to ignore gynecological symptoms, with 38% hoping that they would disappear on their own.
What’s more, over one in ten 16-35 year olds admitted avoiding going
to their GPs about gynecological concerns all together due to embarrassment, which is why we need to get the conversation started.
With SRE being made compulsory in schools by 2019, hopefully people
will become more aware of gynecological conditions at a younger age. By
normalising the way we discuss gynecological issues and talk about
vaginas, hopefully people will feel more confident and will be proactive
about taking control of their sexual health.
Good sex education is not just a British issue either; online resource Gynopedia has been set up by Lani Fried to provide people with access to sexual and reproductive health information on a global scale.
Much like Wikipedia, anyone can make a contribution to the site,
which Fried created when she realised that she didn’t know how to access
birth control when travelling through Asia. This is perhaps something
that people take for granted or don’t consider when going abroad, but
different countries have different health care laws due to religious,
political, historical and cultural issues.
Gynopedia also has information about STIs as well as reproductive
health care, making it a fantastic resource for anyone. As it stands, 77
countries are currently featured on the site, offering information
about social stigmas and even recommendations of which clinics to visit.
The bottom line is if we don’t talk about vaginal and sexual health
in the mainstream, people are going to suffer as a result. Pushing a sex
positive message in schools, through health care professionals
and online resources will benefit many people in the long term and will
hopefully encourage people to speak more openly about gynecological
issues in the future.
HuffPost UK is running a month-long project in March called All Women Everywhere, providing a platform to reflect the diverse mix of female experience and voices in Britain today
Through blogs, features and video, we’ll be exploring the
issues facing women specific to their age, ethnicity, social status,
sexuality and gender identity. If you’d like to blog on our platform
around these topics, email ukblogteam@huffingtonpost.com
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