Welcome to MY she-shed
A woman was created to spiritually, physically, and psychologically protect the next generation. But once we outgrow our own mother’s protection, who is protecting us? I know we can argue that we may out grow our mother’s lap, but we can never outgrow her heart…. this isn’t where this blog is going, we’re going physical and medical in this conversation. Who takes care of our bodies, when our mother no longer does? Who’s scheduling our doctor’s appointments, making sure we don’t sit in front of a screen too long, making sure we eat our vegetables? The answer should be well ourselves. Many women don’t take care of themselves because they are too busy taking care of others; taking care of our kids, our significant other, our parents, our pets, our jobs, our possessions. But what about the other reason we don’t make the necessary appointments to take care of ourselves?
“I put my legs up in the stirrups and said, welcome to my she-shed…my gynecologist said please stop calling it that.”
In 2019, 43.5% of American women between the ages of 18-44 did not see a doctor for a women’s wellness checkup, you know our favorite annual checkup where EVERYTHING is exposed, asked about, poked, prodded, tested. And while is it now said that women should only get a pap smear once every 2-3 years between the ages of 21-65, it is still suggested to have an annual women’s wellness visit every year. Why are almost half of us not doing this? Is it because of the time, the money, the lack of desire to have a doctor’s face all up in your “she-shed?” But what about the other reason that I hear so often, my doctor doesn’t seem to care, they just want the paycheck, my doctor doesn’t listen to me.
“Why do we say grow a pair, we should say grow a vagina, that thing can take a pounding”
My personal passion is natural women’s health care, I have always been fascinated with the woman’s reproductive system. Why do I think vaginas and uteruses and hormones are so fascinating? Because we can create, carry, and feed another human. Pretty bad ass if you ask me. But why don’t we take care of it? I know we wax it, shave it, tan it, pierce it, tattoo it, whatever your jam is to make it look aesthetically pleasing; but why don’t we take care of our reproductive system medically? When I talk to women about my passion for women’s health I get so many of the same response, “that’s great, we need more people like you because my doctor….” Followed by some horror story about their gyno. I have my own personal hell experiences where I have been taken advantage of by my trust of my doctors and received unnecessary treatments and a surgery because he wanted a pay check.
“I just love going to the gynecologist, said no woman ever”
Women often tell me that they don’t connect with their doctors. We don’t feel heard by our doctors. We don’t feel like our doctors are explaining and educating us, about our own bodies. We don’t feel comfortable asking our doctors questions. We feel intimidated by their white coat and fancy letters by their name. But I’m here to tell you, that is NOT okay. Why does our hairstylist connect with us more than the person that is helping us make decisions about our health? Your vagina is attached to your body, you have a say in your health care. You have the right to understand these big long scary words that doctors use. You should bring up that google article you read. Feel empowered when asking about your health. A doctor should be able to look at that article and explain to you without feeling threatened or rolling their eyes.
Our doctor shouldn’t only ask about our symptoms, were more than cramps, heavy bleeding, or infertility. You are human, made up of many systems, that may or may not have symptoms. Your doctor should be concerned with how your concerns affect your life; are you sad? Are you unable to participate in things you once enjoyed? Your doctor should be concerned with you as a whole human with their own mind. These are all things that I hear from women that they don’t feel their doctor cares about. It’s okay to fire your doctor.
“There is no such organ quite like the uterus, if men had one, they would brag about it. So should we.”
Now you can ask, “Lauren, you sound like a doctor hater, why are you going into health care?” Let me clarify, I am not a doctor hater, I am not a medicine hater, I am not a hippy by any means (not knocking that either). I take more Advil than I should, I love a shot or four of Don Julio, and fiery hot cheetohs are my one true love. There are absolutely terrible doctors, and wonderful amazing doctors. What I hate is that women don’t feel heard in their medical experiences and that female health has been pushed on the back burner for years and years.
Let me spit out some facts to see if this angers you too…It takes 6-10 years to get a proper endometriosis diagnosis, and once you get the diagnosis its explained as “there isn’t enough research” or “we don’t know why.” Post-partum was called “female hysteria” in the medical industry until 1994. Only 6% of doctors’ offices have a post-partum screening in their clinical manual. These facts anger me, and it is explained by the medical industry based on gender. The medical field was a male dominated industry for decades, only recently have we seen gynecology that is has become a woman driven industry with the AMA reporting that 85% of OBGYNs are now females. So, what does this mean; it took women advocating for women to make changes, to get our issues to represented in the medical world. In all the horror stories I have heard, I have also heard “if it wasn’t for this one doctor, I would have given up” or “I had one doctor that finally listened, and I finally had hope.” I hope for you that you find that doctor.
“How can we not know what causes endometriosis?”
I don’t want to bore you with stats and facts on the research that has been done recently about the connection of endometriosis and trauma but if you are interested, this article is fascinating. Article click me
Throughout my “natural medical schooling” (I use quotes because I don’t think chiropractic school is on the same level as medical school, I didn’t have to take the MCAT thank god) I’ve done hours and hours of research on women’s health and I’ve talked to multiple women about their own experiences, the stories I hear are just as shocking as the data I research. And as when I finish school I want to open a natural women’s health care clinic. Don’t be afraid to look for natural options or ask your doctor about them, if your doctor gets defensive about it, this may be a red flag. Look into diets for PCOs treatment, pelvic floor rehab for post-partum pain, chiropractic care for pregnancy pain, acupuncture for infertility. My personal goal is to educate women on their options, and feel empowered enough to seek out those options. So advocate for yourself, be a woman that advocates for yourself and in doing that you are advocating for other women. If I can inspire one person to ask their doctor a question they weren’t comfortable asking before, this blog did its job. Ask questions, and make sure you get your answers.
Warmly,
Lauren M.
brand ambassador
