01/20/2024
I took this post from a woman in one of my groups, but, I think it's important for all females to read this and educate themselves.
EDIT: I’ve had several inquiries about copying and sharing this post. Please, please, please share away! Thank you all for your support. I love this group so much.
I know there has been a lot of debate about Gillian Anderson’s v***a dress and I’ve been reading the comments. I am a v***ar cancer survivor and I’m here to tell you why it’s important that attention be drawn to v***as and why it’s important to refer to a v***a as a v***a and not just refer to the entire area as the va**na.
When people find out you have cancer, they want to know where the cancer is. When I say it was in my Bartholins gland, they ask what that is. Nurses have asked me this. When I explain that it is a kind of v***ar cancer, they ask what that is. Or they ask, “so in your va**na?”. No, that’s a different kind of cancer. When I was undergoing radiation and had burns on my entire inner and outer v***a and l***a, I asked the nurse where I should be applying my burn cream. She said”just don’t put it inside”. I had to ask a nurse caring for a v***ar cancer patient to please identify the parts that I could and could not put the cream. Inside where? Inside the lips? Inside the va**na? A nurse could not even give me clear directions on medication application.
I joined Facebook groups for women with v***ar cancer. Some had never told anyone, even their partners, about their cancer because they didn’t want to mention their v***a to another human. Many of them live in deep shame because of the location of their cancer. I began educating the women around me about their anatomy and the importance of regular v***ar self exam. Women have told me they didn’t realize we have 3 holes. They didn’t know that their HPV exposure in the 90s put them at risk. They didn’t think they should see a doctor for a persistent itch because it’s “embarrassing”.
I say all of this because language and destigmatizing our bodies is not only important, it is a matter of life or death. We are going to see a huge increase in HPV related cancers among Gen X women because lots of us were having a really good time before Gardisil.
I know there will be differences of opinion but my experience is that knowing my body and how to talk about my symptoms saved my life. If I can help even one of you do the same, it’s all good. Please check your v***as and don’t ignore a bump or itch. After what I’ve been through , I’ll wear a v***a dress every day if it helps change attitudes about women’s bodies. Breast cancer used to be a dirty secret too. Now it’s the most researched cancer there is. Vulvar cancer is the least researched. Because it happens to women and no one wants to talk about v***as. That won’t change until the conversation starts. Just my opinion as a survivor. Thanks for joining my TED talk. If any of you are fellow survivors of gynecological cancers, I’d love to hear your experiences!
