And now. Let’s talk about women’s health.
Gents – you’re soooo invited to listen in as well.
After all, for every chap we have out there, we have a mum, a nan, a sister, an auntie, a daughter, a granddaughter… You are so very important in their care.
I know, you might be saying: but there’s a lot of attention on women’s health just at the moment.
Good! Exactly as it should be.
And we need more!
What exactly is ‘Women’s Health?
First off then, what do we mean exactly when we say: ‘Women’s Health’?
Well, we can mean those messy, painful periods that crop up each month. Ever since we were little girls. Imagine that. Children as young as 10 years old coping with the embarrassment of bleeding every single month, worrying about leaking through underwear or clothes. Or the pain of heavy, heavy periods that sometimes mean you can’t even stand up because it’s so excruciating. And these little girls are often told that it’s just their body adjusting – only for many of them, those little girls grow up to become women who are still in pain, still haemorrhaging each month (and more often for many) and worrying about how it affects their life.
- 🌻Pain from periods is not acceptable.
- 🌻Since when did we accept that pain is OK?
- 🌻Since when did we say that our girls and women should just put up with it?
Those monthly periods are the body’s way of getting rid of tissue (endometrial cells) that has built up inside the uterus in preparation for a possible pregnancy, so that the fertilised embryo has a place to grow. But this pain can also be a sign that other, more sinister, things are going on.
Endometriosis
For reasons that are not yet understood (because of limited research), that tissue from the uterus can be deposited on all sorts of other places in a woman, such as the outside of the uterus, the ovaries, the bowel and the bladder. This is Endometriosis. It can even get into the chest or brain. Although they shouldn’t be there, those cells still behave as they would do inside the uterus: they swell, causing even more pain, and fill with blood, but the blood has nowhere to go – so it’s stuck there, causing more problems. The severity of this disease can vary, but the impact on the other structures can be devastating. Ovarian cysts might develop – sometimes, huge ones – and things get twisted and stuck together. Fertility can certainly be compromised. An ugly, miserable, agonising mess of a once beautiful structure.
- 🌻1 in 10 women worldwide suffer with Endometriosis.
- 🌻That’s about 176 million of our girls and women.
- 🌻It can take an enormous 7-8 years before diagnosis.
And the pain? Well, that’s more than a bit of abdominal cramping. Or a bit of back ache.
Hot water bottles and paracetamol do nothing.
Depending on the severity of Endometriosis, this pain can be crippling, excruciating, burning, twisting, dagger-like, poker-like, vice-like, like being wrapped in barbed wire, like being sawn in half… the horrendous descriptions go on and on.
Alongside everything else, women might also seek comfort by shifting positions, such as being curled in a ball or getting on all fours – as a former A+E nurse, we associated this position with the terrible colic-style pain of kidney stones, generally considered to be one of the worst kinds of pain to experience, in a man or woman.
To ease this terrible condition, women might have surgery to remove the Endometriosis deposits, though all too often this has to be repeated because they’ve grown back there or elsewhere. Each surgery raises the risk of adhesions, where layers of tissues stick together, add to the pain and reduce function.
… And then, since no cure or definitive treatment is available, some women – young women – resort to hysterectomy. Not just removal of the uterus, but removal of the fallopian tubes and ovaries as well. And it might help to ease the pain, but only if every single tiny deposit of endometriosis has been removed at the same time.
So, you must be cured now. Off you pop! But hang on – any help out there as you play a very slow catch up with your life and watch everyone else nurture the little family that you are now denied? Hmmm.
It’s not just Endometriosis of course.
That tissue we’ve been talking about can infiltrate the muscle inside the uterus and cause adenomyosis.
More pain. More fertility issues.
And what about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), Fibroids, Prolapsed Uterus, not to mention our dear friend, the Menopause? And how about the mental health concerns that accompany all of these conditions?
It can all sound so grim.
Recent surveys suggest that 84% of women do not feel listened to regarding their feminine health and that medical specialists admit that “Health services miss opportunities to ask the right questions, prevent illness and ensure the best outcomes for girls and women.[1]
And sadly, only 8% of women feel they have enough access to information about gynae issues.[2]
So – Question:
What else can be done to support:
- Women who are struggling with gynae conditions?
- Women who are likely to face gynae surgery or gynae procedures?
- Women who are recovering from gynae surgery or gynae procedures?
- People who are supporting loved ones through this process?
Answer:
Let me share some reasons why hypnotherapy can do so much for you!
- It helps you to understand what is happening in your mind and your body – and to learn how the mind DIRECTLY influences how your body works.
- It allows you to accept that you are not a fraud, that you’re not weak, that you don’t need to just pull yourself together, thank you very much.
- It helps you take back control from that bossy brain and its effects on your body – yes, really! It’s a thing.
- It offers you calmness and peace.
- It can help create a joyful little rewiring of your brain (neuroplasticity) so that it becomes more positive and helpful to you.
- It can help lower the release of angry chemicals (the boo hiss neurotransmitters) in your body – and these are the ones that increase your perception of pain.
- It can help raise the release of lovely, happy chemicals (the sunshine neurotransmitters) in your body that make you feel brighter.
- And when you feel brighter, these sunshine neurotransmitters have a significant role in healing and recovery.
If you or someone you love is suffering, don’t struggle alone.
There is help, compassion and love out there. Contact me or head over to my lovely Blossom Club on Facebook for more support.
The Blossom Club: hypnotherapy support for women’s gynae health | Facebook
Contact me to see how we can work together.
[1] Better for Women – Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, December 2019:
[2] Women’s Health – Let’s Talk Survey – published Dec 2021