Photo Credit: Roberto Condado via Compfight cc
Comfort is something I am really big on. I very rarely stray from my favourite jeans, I always have a pair of fluffy slippers on my feet and if I can be wearing pyjamas, I will be. The postman is used to seeing me in pyjamas now, it’s fine.
If you talk about being comfortable most people will mention things such as soft pyjamas, fluffy new socks, a duvet day on the sofa or a pair of shoes that cushion your feet even after hours spent Christmas shopping. But comfort goes deeper than that – comfort starts with the bodies underneath the clothes.
Now I have never been one to feel totally comfortable in my own skin. As a teenager, I had the usual discussions with my friends – how to get rid of spots, the best hairstyle for my face shape, how to get away with wearing that short skirt to school. But would I have talked to them about my private parts? Would I heck! There may have been giggling references to period pains, but never anything more than that. I guess that’s considered ‘normal’ at that age – but really, should it be? Or should we actually be encouraging our teens to discuss their vaginas as they would any other part of their body? Is it really any different to our arms, legs or boobs?
Things changed a bit when I had children. Growing and birthing 4 children has meant I have had to be a lot more open about my feminine areas. I have had people stick their hands and surgical instruments up there – and in all honestly why should that be an issue? It’s a part of my body that is designed to birth a baby. That’s the primary function. That’s what it was made for. I am a big advocate of breastfeeding, and allowing women to feed uncovered and un self-consciously whenever and wherever they choose. So why should talking about a vagina be any different? 50% of the human race have one. Most of those have, or will have, a child. As nature intended.
Post birth, it’s also something we don’t talk about – but this maybe the time when we really should. Supporting other women who need advice about stitches, episiotomy scars, bleeding, thrush, post birth sex, and all the other things that go hand in hand with childbirth and the recovery. If we all just admitted that we were struggling, that childbirth is a major trauma, that we all need some advice about remedies and cures that could help us, maybe we would all feel a lot more comfortable.
It’s a part of our body. It’s a part of our body that has a very important function, and yet we still forget that, and shy away from talking about it to anyone – parents, siblings, friends, even healthcare professionals. I am as guilty as anyone else of not being open enough, but I want that to change. It’s important. A smear test could save your life. A chat about symptoms could save someone elses.
On that note, remember how important it is to keep your vagina clean and healthy – why that is such a taboo topic I don’t know. We clean the rest of our bodies without a second thought, we recommend shower gels and moisturisers, but we don’t recommend vaginal care products do we? Well now I am. Wear cotton underwear, don’t use perfumed products down there, and keep a stock of the new Canesten products – they have a great range of feminine care products to help you take care of an important part of your body at all times. #GetComfortable
Do you think you have enough knowledge about how to take care of your intimate health on a daily basis? Do you, as a woman, feel awkward about discussing feminine intimate health?
What are your best tips for not feeling embarrassed about discussing your intimate health? If you feel able to leave me a comment below, you could be in with a chance to win a £50 John Lewis voucher – good luck!
This post has been supported by Canesten, but all thoughts are my own.
Terms and conditions. Giveaway runs from 17/12/2015 to 7/1/2015. To enter the Prize Draw, entrants must post a comment in response to this Canesten ‘Get Comfortable’ post, via the
Rafflecopter Widget. Only one entry per person will be accepted. Multiple or third party entries are not permitted. The Prize Draw is open to UK residents aged 18 or over, excluding employees of the Promoter, their families, agents or anyone else connected with the Promoter. One winner will be selected at random from all valid entries received on or before the closing date.The winner will be notified by email from the promoter, within 28 days of the closing date. The winner must notify the promoter of their postal address for delivery of the prize within 28 days of being notified that they are the
winner. If the winner does not respond within 28 days a new winner will be selected at random from the remaining valid entries. The prize is not transferrable or exchangeable and cannot be taken as cash. Competitions at ThePrizeFinder
Just treat it as any other part of your body. There’s nothing shameful about your vagina it doesn’t need a special way of talking about it.
It is definitely something people would need to talk about but it is somehow not easy. So I’m waiting for some good advices here. 🙂
My close group of female friends have no problems discussing issues “downstairs”, I think its because we all have children. This kind of takes away the embarrassment. To anyone else I would say that we all have the same issues,…its completely natural and nothing to be scared of talking to with a female doctor.
Realise that we are al pretty much the same . I recently came through three years of treatment for pre cancer of the cervix just happy to be cured never be embarrassed again
I think I would be comfortable talking about anything as long as it was a female I was talking to!
Get together with a bunch of your friends and just be open and honest as there is nothing to be embaressed about
Remember that you won’t know if anything is wrong if you don’t talk to someone, so it’s better to be safe than sorry, even if it feels a little awkward at the time
just say it, i find talking to my best mate or close family about these things I find we often have the same concerns or able to offer advice
I don’t feel embarrassed. I talk quite openly with friends.
I think it’s almost like practise makes perfect. The more you openly talk about these things the easier it is, and the people around you feel easier about mentioning it. A bit like me being ‘plus size’ once I realised I can take ownership of any word or sentence or subject, I don’t feel awkward talking about me size. I think the same goes for intimate health 🙂
Gosh, I don’t think I could ever cope with the idea of being pregnant. It literally terrifies me and makes me feel so horrible 🙁 I hate the idea of medical instruments or lots of doctors being ‘down there’
If you feel uncomfortable speaking with the doctor, you can usually chat to one of the nurses instead. Just book as appointment as soon as you notice a problem.
I think reading blogs on the subject with comments from real women makes you realise that you are definitely not the only person out there with these concerns. Knowing you are not alone can really give you the confidence boost you need to discuss it in the ‘real world’.
The main thing I feel makes intimate talking talking about our vaginas is that we need as a person to understand the gravity of not talking about it. During my teenage years I vividly remember the night my sister had her first period. This night will forever stick with me. She was terrified. Really truly terrified that something was wrong with her she was younger than the average age to hit puberty and she had no idea what was happening. She would only talk to me and I was only a teenager. In those few moments I realised that through not talking to her or my mum or teachers that I really had little knowledge of how to care for your vagina other than a basic clean daily and how to ‘deal ‘with your period blood. i have learnt a lot since that night and still regularly talk to my sister about our intimate care and the latest products there are. I never want her to feel she has no way to talk about it or no confidence to tell someone about an intimate issue. She is this person for me too. I am forever grateful for that one night of terrified childhood changes that taught me how to talk about about a taboo issue we all are affected by as women.
I just try to remember that I’m not alone with my worries and that by sharing a problem it will make me feel so much better
I find that using the correct terms for intimate areas, eg vagina, is much less embarrassing than using euphemisms.
I had a job that involved reading lots of medical notes. I realised the doctors really do see and hear it all , regularly
The more you talk about it the less embarrassing it becomes & remember everyone has the same bits and they need looking after.
Im not embarrassed about my intimate health at all. I suppose being open to questions and discussing issues more often with your friends, etc would help break the taboo a little. You would make sure that you keep a babies genitals clean and healthy, so why should it be any dfferent with an adults genitals?
Just be yourself