ONE in five women think you pee through your vagina – and doctors warn the confusion could lead to delays in cancer diagnoses. A worrying new survey by YouGov found that 18 per cent of women didn’t know that menstruation and urination involve different holes. Medical professionals said that helping patients to express their thoughts […]
ONE in five women think you pee through your vagina – and doctors warn the confusion could lead to delays in cancer diagnoses.
A worrying new survey by YouGov found that 18 per cent of women didn’t know that menstruation and urination involve different holes.
Medical professionals said that helping patients to express their thoughts or clearly describe their symptoms results in better care.
Yet women don’t have the right language to talk about their bodies with doctors – and can often be embarrassed during consultations.
Not knowing the correct terminology to describe the female anatomy could also lead to confusion with other conditions, such as endometriosis, STIs or thrush, medics say.
It could also lead to delayed diagnosis of gynae cancers, which include womb, ovarian, cervical, vulval and vaginal.
The Eve Appeal, the UK’s leading gynaecological cancer charity, is working to make conversations between patients and healthcare professionals easier.
Today they launched their Get Lippy campaign to provide women with the right information and confidence to talk clearly about their anatomy to better diagnose key health concerns.
Athena Lamnisos, chief executive of The Eve Appeal, says: “Doctors have on average 10 minutes with a patient.
“We want to make sure those minutes are well used to diagnose cancer at the earliest stage.
“Women should feel comfortable to talk about their health and confident to have a conversation with their doctor.
“To do this, we need to make sure women have the information and confidence they need to have a conversation about their symptoms.
“That’s what GET LIPPY is here to do: get those conversations going and make them count.”
Health minister Jackie Doyle-Price said that it is vital something is done to shake the stigma and help women feel more comfortable.
She said: “Awareness of the five gynaecological cancers is very low but, together, they are the fourth most common cancers affecting women, with 58 women receiving a diagnosis each day.
“Research the Eve Appeal is doing into early detection and prevention is incredibly important but it can only be effective if women feel comfortable talking with their medical professional.
“It’s vital we do something about this culture of stigma now and we help women feel comfortable in that situation and can identify their anatomy correctly.”
For more information visit the eveappeal.org.uk
Dr Ellie Cannon, NHS GP, says: “Some gynaecological symptoms can be vague and hard to describe and it’s easy to see why some might be embarrassing to talk about.
“But we want to get the most out of the time we have with a patient in primary care.
“Come on everyone, get clued up on the right vocabulary to explain your problem.
“A lump in your vagina is very different to a lump on your vulva – make sure you can explain the difference.”
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.
