Index:
Who should be doing it?
When should you do it?
Step 1
Step 2
Thanks to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we remember to have a check-up every October, but this is not enough. We should be doing self-examinations every month. If you find a tumor when it’s only 1cm big, you have a 90% chance of getting cured. Awareness and regular checks can really help save lives.
Everyone. Yes, even men! Their nipples also have a small amount of mammary tissue and so they should get checked too (even if breast cancer in men is only 0.5/1% of all cases).
It's important to self-examine your breasts as soon as possible and carry out this routine for the rest of your life. Just over 10,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 50 every year in the UK. Of these, around 7,600 women will be in their 40s. Around 2,300 women in the UK are diagnosed aged 39 or under, or just 4% of all cases. Even if the majority of breast cancers are diagnosed in women under 50, the chances of developing it are higher post menopause. So it’s incredibly important to set a monthly reminder.
In the UK, the NHS Breast Screening Programme is available free for all women aged 50 or over. Women aged between 50 and 70 are invited for screening every three years.
Here are the 3 golden rules for self-examination: to know your body, to touch your body and to be consistent in doing it.
Right after having your period. If you are in menopause, it doesn’t matter - just remember to check every month.
If you are not used to having a look at your boobs, start today! Get to know their shape, colour, texture and dimensions. Also pay attention to the colour and shape of your nipples and areola. How can you spot changes if you don’t take a closer look?!
Stand with your arms on your sides and then with your arms behind your head. Are they symmetrical? Is one bigger or smaller than the other? Remember every detail.
Don’t panic: boobs are always different from one another. The important thing is that each boob hasn’t changed.
There are only 2 simple actions: for one you’ll need your eyes, for the other your hands.
Now you are ready to use your hands. You can do this part standing up, laying down or in the shower. You need to touch your whole boob; including your nipple, armpit and the area between the breast and the armpit.
If you are standing, place the arm of the boob you want to check first, behind your head, as if you were trying to touch your shoulder plate. If you are laying, again place the arm behind your head.
The best way to start touching your breast, is to keep your fingers together, stiff.
You can move in circles around all the areas you’ve already checked with your eyes, or you can do it up and down or side to side - the most important thing is to concentrate on understanding if there are hollows, protuberances, roughness or thickening.
Then switch to your nipples: if you press them, does anything come out (this could be a watery, milky, or yellow fluid or blood)?
If everything’s fine, you’re good to go! If you’ve spotted something different, reach out to your GP and talk to them.
Remember that this self-examination is fundamental but it shouldn’t be a self-diagnosis that will create more anxiety. If you are consistent, you’ll better understand your body and know exactly how to check and detect changes.
A recent survey among our community where1200 people took part, showed 75% of you have a look at your pee - well done!
Let’s take a closer look: Does your pee come out straight? Twisted? As a spurt? In drops? Does it change depending on your position or on shaving/not shaving?
Normally, your pee should come out in a constant, straight flow, without pushing. In the end, you should have the feeling that your bladder is empty. If something’s not right, welcome to the club; 63% of our community said their pee is not straight.
One of the main reasons why your pee comes out like this, is because you may have a small contracture involving your pelvic floor. If this is the first time you are hearing about the “pelvic floor” or wondering how your pee affects it, then please read our articles on this topic.
If your pee does not come out straight, don’t panic - I’d suggest that you go and see a specialist. A small contracture can develop into more serious issues. In most cases, getting a pelvic floor evaluation and some rehabilitation, can help you to relax your muscles and be more aware of your own pelvic floor.
If, when sitting on the toilet, with a small bench under your feet to raise your legs and without pushing (this is the correct way to pee), your pee doesn’t come out straight (it’s totally twisted, maybe it touches your thighs), spurts everywhere, comes in drops or with difficulty, there’s a contracture.
Sometimes certain situations can influence the behaviour of your pee, such as standing whilst using a public toilet; standing doesn’t help relax your pelvic floor so your pee will come out “more twisted” than usual.
In some cases, having a wrong menstrual cup or having a cup inserted incorrectly could push on your bladder, causing pee to spurt out. Neither a bigger or smaller labia can influence the spurt.
The feeling of not being empty, heaviness or finding drops of pee on your underwear after peeing, are warning signs that something’s not right with your pelvic floor and it’s time to get it checked.
Our survey showed 65% of our community found when they clean shave, the behaviour gets worse. Let’s debunk this myth: our midwife, Rita Anna di Molfetta says, "Pubic hair has nothing to do with it. Hair will only 'mask' the contracture but, once it’s gone, we can simply see the contracture more clearly."
So the next time you visit the bathroom, remember to always use a small bench to raise your leg and not to hold your pee for too long. Holding your pee on a regular basis can increase the risk of UTIs or other complications.
Index:
Myth #1: sex and vaginal tightness
Myth #2: Tightness = purity
Myth #3: Child birth will ruin your vagina
Myth #4: Tight vaginas = better sex
Myth #5: Kegel exercises
The term “loose vagina” has historically been used to shame women who had many sexual partners. But the truth is, your vagina cannot get looser from having a lot of sex and is not central to sexual pleasure.
One of the biggest problems for sexual satisfaction is painful intercourse, which can happen when the vagina is too-tight. This could be due to hormonal changes caused by most types of birth control, which can lower a woman’s level of estrogen, creating vaginal dryness and reducing elasticity in your vagina. Or it could be your pelvic floor health.
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Laurie Mintz Ph.D., a certified sex therapist and author of Becoming Cliterate illustrates just how untrue this is in the easiest possible way: We move our mouths constantly when we talk, eat ,drink and make expressions. For example, when we stretch our mouths to smile or yawn, it returns to its normal shape. These muscles work in the same way as your vagina and pelvic floor.
The material that comprises the vagina is very elastic and the surrounding muscles of the pelvic floor help with vaginal tightness. This means it can stretch to accommodate things entering, like a penis or sex toy or coming out (a baby). But it won’t take long for your vagina to return to its earlier shape.
People who believe this are very much misinformed and influenced by a patriarchal and sexist attitude towards female sexuality. Nothing about your vagina/vulva/ body defines your worth as a human being or sexual partner.
Giving birth is an incredible feat and reminder of the capabilities of the female body. Yet, we like to focus on the toll it may take on our vaginas and our sex life.
Before you give birth the pelvic floor muscles prepare by stretching and weakening to allow your baby to pass through the birth canal and out of the vagina. Gentle exercises before and after delivery can help increase circulation, reduce swelling and help the healing process.
Just as the rest of our body requires toning, so does your pelvic floor. And your vaginal will go back to being your “normal” again.
It’s in fact, the exact opposite. A vagina that is too tight will most probably end in a painful sexual intercourse.
The feeling of "tightness" during sex is not based on the width of the vagina, but the motion of the pelvic floor muscles. And this is something we can learn to control.
I’ve said this a million times before; Kegels are not for everyone. We can’t assume that because you have given birth or are in menopause, that your muscles are hypotonic and need toning.
Some pelvic floor disorders are a result of the pelvic floor being too active or tense. When this happens, it makes it hard for the pelvic floor to relax and rest completely. This may lead to the pelvic floor being in a continuous overactive state. Which is why it is important to know the status of your pelvic floor before doing any exercise.
If part of your pelvic floor rehabilitation is with a pelvic floor therapist, kegel exercises are a great way to tone your pelvic floor and improve blood flow to the genital region, which helps with arousal and lubrication. Kegels can also help with bladder functioning, reducing incontinence.
The speculum is a useful tool: it’s a duck-bill-shaped device that doctors use to see inside a hollow part of your body to diagnose or treat disease. Most of the time it’s used by gynecologists to open the walls of the vagina and examine the vagina and cervix. Without a speculum we couldn’t perform many gynaecological exams.
The first speculum was most likely invented during Roman times - the oldest was found in Pompeii. During this time, the tool had not been updated, as they believed “it did the job”. However, the painful “speculum experience” that women endured had been completely disregarded.
If we compare the “Pompeii” speculum (discovered around the1800’s) to the one we use today, there have been a few improvements. The speculum we use today was invented by Dr Sims. Sims’s idea came from a rudimental speculum he created with 2 spoons; he was inhumanely experimenting on female slaves, to find a way to reach the cervix and treat problems.
Have we made any progress since the 1800’s? In the 60s, the brand Welch Allyn created the more hygienic plastic speculum; thanks to its transparency, it can be used to better illuminate the vaginal canal. Plus, there is no cold sensation like the metal model. The second innovation was creating different sizes (today they range from extra small to large) because all vaginas vary in shape and size and gynaecological examinations can happen at any age.
We have come a long way since Sims’ time, where looking at female intimate parts was inappropriate for a male doctor (a time where only midwives dealt with vulvas) and people thought performing medical examinations could lead women into prostitution.
The plastic speculum is also an important feminist symbol; in the 70s, a few years after its invention, Carol Downer was the first woman to do a self-analysis and invite women to do the same. This involved using a speculum and a mirror to look at their vulvas and see up to the cervix. This act of empowerment and reappropriation of the female body, spread across Europe.
The speculum has always been a hostile, noisy, invasive tool. But has anyone ever tried to change it? Finding a different shape would be the first step. In 2005 an American company created a speculum called FemSpec. Their particular model worked by inflating, but the idea failed rapidly, just like the others who tried to free us from the duck-bill shape.
What if the speculum was not the problem itself? What if the reason we find it so uncomfortable is because of the way we used it? What if the procedure to insert it in our vaginas was consensual, informed and not something that happens when you are suddenly naked on an examination table? What if doctors paid more attention to the dimensions of the speculum or the feedback of discomfort or pain from the patient?
When a doctor uses the speculum everyday it becomes a daily routine for them, but this is not the same for the patient. The doctor should always ask for consent before inserting the speculum or performing any other procedure on a person. If consent has not been given it is gynaecological/obstetric violence.
Many doctors are not updated on the most recent guidelines when talking about consent, relationship with the patient and the right dimensions of the speculum to use, during a gynecological exam. If you find a doctor that pays attention, is well-informed and up to date with the latest guidelines, the exam can work out well, but that’s not always the case.
It is important to know that the width of the vaginal opening must also be taken into consideration when choosing a speculum - there is not one speculum that fits all. The smallest size (also know as “for virgins” for people who have never had penetrative sex) is as long as a finger. The medium sizes are like a finger and a half. The large sizes, for specific or surgical situations, are larger than two fingers.
Always remember that if you are uncomfortable or in pain you have the right to ask for a smaller speculum or to ask how it was chosen.
In order to insert anything in your vagina during an exam, doctors should use a lube - and remember that water does not lubricate.
If you think about your gynaecological examinations, how did the procedure go? How was the relationship between you and the doctor? Let’s think about it: how about if the hated design of the speculum was just a really small part of the issue? What if the elephant in the room was the doctor/patient relationship that needs modernising?