The V-Word

You are your own best advocate. Some people feel more comfortable speaking up than others; especially when wearing a paper gown and sitting on an exam table. From a healthcare professional’s point of view, here are some suggestions on how you can talk about your health with a provider.  

Request to Talk to the Provider

You can always request to talk to a healthcare provider before you are asked to change into a gown for an exam.

If you are changing providers, let the potential new provider know why you are changing. For example, “my last OB/GYN was great for my pregnancies, but now I feel I need someone with more of a focus on gynecology.”

Wait to hear their response and if they feel they are the right provider.

Struggling with low libido, as one-third of women do at some point in their lives, can make you feel left out and down on yourself. While low libido is often associated with middle age and menopause, there are actually a variety of reasons that women suffer from it, including normal hormonal changes, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, certain medicines and contraceptives, and a history of trauma. (It’s important to remember that “low” just means lower than you want. If you are happy with your libido level, then there is nothing wrong with it.)

One of the key ways to access our inner sexual selves is through sensory exploration. We all know that touch is the primary sense we yearn for when sexually aroused, and it’s common practice to “set the mood” with sensual music or lighting when initiating sex. But what about taste and smell? The answer: flavor. 

Our cultural conceptualization of gender as a society is changing. Most of us are aware of the rise in the use of gender-neutral pronouns, as the cultural visibility of others who do not feel identified within the gender binary has increased in recent years. About one in five Americans personally know someone who prefers a pronoun other than ‘he’ or ‘she’. Many of us may not understand what preferred gender pronouns are and why they are crucial to many.