Gynecological health science

Common gynecological problems have nothing to do with "improper private life" or "uncleanliness". Most of the triggers are fluctuations in immunity, hormonal changes, and failure to pay attention to daily habits. There is absolutely no need to be ashamed of it.

I just met a 22-year-old girl in the clinic last week. She came in with her head buried almost to her chest, clutching her medical record and crying for a long time. She said that her private parts had been itching for a week. I looked up on the Internet and said it was a "disease caused by promiscuity." She didn't dare to tell her roommates or come to the hospital. I bought various lotions and washed them for several days, but it only became worse and worse. After checking, it was found to be common fungal vaginitis. After further questioning, I found out that she had stayed up late for ten consecutive days to work on a project. She sat for 12 hours a day without moving. She also likes to wear tight denim pants. When she was busy, she would only change sanitary napkins for four to five hours. It would be strange if she didn't come to her door.

Having said this, someone must want to ask, can I wash my private parts if they are itchy? There are indeed differences in the treatment ideas of different disciplines: Western medicine generally does not recommend daily vaginal douching. The vagina itself has a flora dominated by Lactobacilli, which is like a small ecology that maintains balance. If you rinse it with water and use various antiseptic lotions every day, it is equivalent to "killing the good and bad bacteria at the same time." Instead, the barrier is broken, and harmful bacteria take advantage of it. However, for patients whose syndrome is characterized by damp-heat syndrome and whose itching and odor are particularly obvious, Chinese medicine will also recommend short-term use of mild herbal lotions for sitz baths and fumigation of the vulva. Pay attention to only touching the vulva, not flushing the inside. This is a targeted treatment and is completely different from daily washing.

Let’s talk about “cervical erosion”, which many people have stumbled over. The name of this disease has long been deleted from our textbooks. It is essentially cervical columnar epithelial ectopia, which is a normal physiological phenomenon under the influence of hormones. It is neither rotten nor inflammation, and it has nothing to do with private life. Two years ago, a patient came to me with a report from a private hospital, saying that they asked her to undergo minimally invasive surgery otherwise she would become cancerous. She almost had it before she got married. The TCT and HPV tests were all normal, and no treatment was needed at all. Not to mention the examination fee of several thousand was wasted, and she was so scared that she could not sleep all night long.

Speaking of HPV is even more interesting. Many people feel as if the sky has fallen as soon as they are found positive. They either quarrel with their partner and suspect that the other person is cheating, or they feel that they are definitely going to get cervical cancer. It’s really not necessary. HPV is not only spread through sexual contact. You may be exposed to contaminated towels and bath towels when staying in hotels, or even public swimming pools and hot springs. 80% of women will be infected with HPV at least once in their lives, and 90% of people will get rid of it within 1-2 years through their own immunity. As long as you do TCT+HPV combined screening regularly, even if you are found positive, it will only remind you to have a regular routine to improve your immunity and stay away from cancer.

A while ago, my distant cousin sent me a message, saying that her menstrual flow had been light for the past two months and that she needed to take some donkey-hide gelatin to replenish her qi and blood. When I asked, she was losing weight recently. She had lost 20 pounds in three months. She didn't even dare to eat rice. Her hormone levels were messed up. It was strange that she had a lot of menstrual flow. In fact, there is really no need to check your menstrual flow according to the standards on the Internet. As long as you can soak 2-3 daily sanitary napkins during each menstruation, and the cycle is between 21-35 days, it is not a problem to occasionally delay or advance it by three to five days. Taking supplements to supplement estrogen may actually stimulate the growth of uterine fibroids and breast nodules, which is not worth the gain.

By the way, don’t think that you don’t need to have a gynecological examination if you don’t have sex. Last month, I saw a 19-year-old girl who suffered from menstrual cramps and went into shock. She came to find out that she had a ruptured ovarian chocolate cyst. If she had been diagnosed half a year earlier, she would not have suffered this problem at all. Girls who are not sexually active can undergo abdominal B-ultrasound and anal examination. The hymen will not be touched at all, so there is really no need to be afraid.

In fact, after working as a gynecologist for so many years, the most lamentable thing is that many people feel more shame about gynecological problems than the problem itself. It is obviously a common disease like colds and fevers, and they have to hide it, either by themselves or by bad institutions. Really, if you feel uncomfortable, just go to a regular tertiary-level hospital to get a check-up. It costs more than ten dollars, which is a hundred times better than scaring yourself by searching for yourself on the Internet. After all, your body is yours, so there is nothing to be ashamed of.