Stop telling women their suffering is normal. Pain should be treated | Heba Shaheed

Pelvic organ prolapse, incontinence and period pain are all common but none of these conditions is ‘normal’

Women’s health is in major need of disruption. For too long women have suffered alone and in silence. Pelvic floor issues are normalised “because you’ve given birth, so what do you expect?” It’s time to break the taboos surrounding pelvic health so that we can enable women to access the high-quality healthcare that they deserve.

Pelvic issues like incontinence, prolapse, period pain and painful sex are common but they are not normal. Just because a woman menstruates does not mean that period pain is normal. Period pain could be a sign of endometriosis, which affects 10% of women, and has a ridiculously delayed diagnosis of seven to 10 years, leading to chronic pain and infertility.

Related: Women have the right to know about injuries of vaginal birth beforehand | Sascha Callaghan and Amy Corderoy

Related: Vaginal mesh implants: 'If I lift my leg my whole body shakes'

Continue reading... October 23, 2017 at 10:30PM