Doctors concerned about women’s health due to the names of body parts
Welsh health specialists have warned that women’s health could be at risk due to the embarrassment women feel when speaking about their private body parts.
Dr Aziza Sesay, an NHS GP Doctor who also creates social media content to help educate women and break down barriers around the language surrounding the female body, has claimed that women’s health could be in danger if nothing is done to combat the ‘hyper-sexualisation’ of women’s bodies which makes them ashamed to talk about it, leading to them not getting the help they need.
Dr Sesay recounts her experience of promoting the female body online and has said that she has experienced censorship after spelling words such as ‘vulva, vagina or clitoris’ in captions as the digital algorithm automatically assumes that it’s something inappropriate or pornographic.
She added: ‘Your lady bits – your vulva, your vagina, your clitoris, your labia, your inner labia, your outer labia – is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s just party of your normal anatomy, just like your head, shoulders, knees, and toes.’
In Wales, there are currently 8,000 women who are waiting to receive their first gynaecology appointment – an examination to assess the female reproductive system – however, this number was much higher during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a bid to encourage women to talk more about their bodies, Dr Sesay will be one of the women’s health specialists appearing at Cardiff’s Everywomen Festival on 24th June, where topics will range from periods to the menopause.
Dr Michelle Olver, an NHS Consultant in Sexual and Reproductive Health will also be speaking and has said that she has seen a major issue with women who are starting the menopause not seeking treatment.
‘One of the symptoms of the peri-menopause and the menopause is vaginal dryness, vaginal itching and reduction in libido,’ she said. ‘Women who have very sore vaginas are not going to want to have sex. But there are studies to suggest that healthcare professionals find it difficult to discuss sexual intercourse and exactly where in the vagina it hurts.’
Against this backdrop, a hormone replacement therapy has been made accessible in England for women going through the menopause by £19.30 a year. Health officials say the prescription pre-payment certificate could benefit around 400,000 women by saving them money.
Image: Jasmine