The Gynae Geek summary

According to a recent survey by ActionAID UK, one in four women in the UK don’t understand their periods, and 20 percent feel embarrassed to talk about their period with their friends. This needless dearth of information results in people not knowing what’s normal or abnormal – and a lot of suffering that could be easily avoided. Let’s put an end to this by educating ourselves about periods once and for all. 

First, as we learned in the last blink, your period occurs when the lining of the uterus falls away. Your menstrual cycle begins on the first day of your period, and it lasts anywhere between 21 and 35 days. 

Blood isn’t the only fluid that comes out of your vagina. There’s also vaginal discharge! Let’s say it again: vaginal discharge. You might cringe at the word, but actually, discharge is perfectly healthy. What’s more, it’s packed with what gynecologists refer to as “natural antibiotics,” which protect you against sexually transmitted infections. 

Your vagina discharges fluid when you’re sexually aroused and when you’re ovulating – but also just as part of its normal duties to keep itself clean. Healthy vaginal discharge comes in a variety of colors: white, yellowish, gray, and clear. 

Sexually transmitted infections are alive and well in the community of sexually active people. The bottom line is: if you are having sex without a condom, and either you or your partner has not been recently tested for STIs, you are at risk of giving or receiving one. No contraceptive except condoms protects you from STIs. Women should be especially concerned with catching one because they experience the greatest health consequences. The general advice for sexually active people is to get screened yearly, or every time you change sexual partners. 

The most common STI in the UK is chlamydia. Chlamydia is a bacterial infection that shows no symptoms in the majority of women. If you do experience symptoms, they can be hard to recognize: a bit of pain or bleeding with sex or during urination. Gonorrhea is less common, but it often comes along with chlamydia. Antibiotics effectively treat both infections.

Maybe you’re thinking about having a baby in the next few years. Maybe you’ve never even considered the possibility. Either way, it’s important to be aware of how fertility functions. Someday your situation and priorities may change. And in any case, you should have a plan regarding it.

Many women experience a lot of fear around the idea of pregnancy. They may spend the first decade or more of their sexual lives doing everything they can to avoid getting pregnant. And then when they do decide they want to tap into their fertility, there’s fear that it’s too late.

You probably know that many diseases have a lifestyle component. You might not know that the same is true for gynecological conditions, including cancer. Actually, 34 percent of cases of endometrial cancer, the most common gynecological cancer in the UK, could be prevented with lifestyle modifications. 

What are the most common lifestyle factors impacting gynecological health? Many of them are the same factors affecting overall health. Stress is the most common one. You might feel stress from a looming deadline or a fight with a partner or friend. But medical stress stems more frequently from lack of sleep, overexercising, too much caffeine, and unhealthy food choices – which includes undereating.