Women are constantly changing. Through puberty to motherhood and on to menopause, our education and medical profession offer a simplified version of what it is like to be a woman. But we change. We evolve. And we all have the same question…Am I normal?
A recent survey conducted by The Women’s Health Clinic found that 57% of women do not feel comfortable talking about their female health to the medical profession. From general health to childbirth and menopause, women and their families do not always understand the lifecycle of female health which leads to embarrassment and confusion.
The survey found that although 87% went through sexual education at school, the majority agree that better awareness of general female health complaints, common problems with fertility, childbirth and the menopause would have greatly benefited their education.
Limited access to female health professionals, nurses and the general appointment system we have do not always fit around the life of a working woman or mother who can feel vulnerable in a ‘treat-all’ GP surgery that tries to solve her changing concerns within a 10-minute appointment.
Then, upon turning to the internet, women often find themselves censored from looking for this information as search engines deem our questions ‘adult content’, restricting the expertise of the medical community out there.
By signing this survey we hope to open a conversation not just on female health through education but also in the media. Our petition calls for wider representation of women’s health issues within education, the NHS and the press.
Please click to download Am I normal?