Women's health: Body part names taboo a risk to health

Doctors are warning that embarrassment about naming parts of the female anatomy is putting women's health in jeopardy.

Dr Aziza Sesay said the hyper-sexualisation of women's bodies and anatomy "perpetuates the taboo, stigma and embarrassment".

She said it could lead to women not getting the medical help they need.

She said a lot of women's health conditions are often considered benign - meaning they're not life-threatening - but that she disliked the term as it minimised "how much it will affect someone's life".

Dr Sesay is one of a number of women's health specialists who are due to appear at Cardiff's Everywoman Festival on 24 June, where topics will range from periods to menopause.

The festival is the brainchild of colorectal surgeon, Julie Cornish, who works for Cardiff and Vale health board.

She said "embarrassing" symptoms are all too often never discussed.

"It's not uncommon to see patients who waited 10, 15 years with symptoms," she said. "It's got to the point where they've had to stop working, or their relationship has broken down.

"People retire early, they stop working or stop socialising. And that delay often means it's more severe. They might need surgery rather than simple physiotherapy, dietary tricks or modifications that could've worked so easily early on."

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Source: BBC News, 3 April 2023