women's health journal

80% of the health anxiety that plagues contemporary women is not essentially a real physical problem, but is kidnapped by a unified health template and fragmented online information, ignoring "individual differences" as the first criterion for judging women's health. **

Don't tell me, I just met a 28-year-old Internet operator girl in my clinic last week. She sat down with a thick stack of examination sheets and cried, saying that she had "endocrine disorders and was about to go through menopause." It took her a long time to figure it out. She came across a short video that said, "A woman's normal cycle must be 28 days, and it cannot fluctuate by more than 2 days. If it exceeds, it is a sign of premature ovarian failure." She was born with a 32-day cycle. In order to adjust her cycle, she drank menstruation medicine prescribed by an unknown Chinese medicine clinic for three months in a row.

The issue of estrogen supplementation during perimenopause is the most controversial issue nowadays. I have come across two completely different views: Most of the senior directors of public tertiary gynecology departments believe that as long as the high-risk factors of breast cancer and endometrial cancer are eliminated, if severe hot flashes, insomnia, and emotional loss occur during perimenopause, supplementing estrogen in small doses according to the doctor's advice can greatly improve the quality of life, and there is no need to bear it.； Friends who practice natural medicine insist that exogenous hormones always have potential risks. Symptoms can be relieved by doing aerobic exercise for more than 30 minutes a day, supplementing natural soy isoflavones, and adjusting work and rest, without relying on drugs. In fact, both statements are correct. Last month, I met a 48-year-old sister who could only sleep for one hour a day for half a month. She even showed signs of depression. There was no history of cancer in her family. So I suggested that she take estrogen supplements as prescribed by the doctor. After half a month, she had a follow-up visit and she was told that she could sleep a full night and her overall condition was better. ； If you have a family history of breast cancer, or the symptoms are very mild and only have occasional hot flashes, then it is certainly safer to choose natural adjustment. There is no standard answer at all.

Many people are so frightened when they hear the words "cervical erosion" that they even run for laparotomy or microwave treatment. In fact, this term was deleted from obstetrics and gynecology textbooks as early as 2008. The essence is cervical columnar epithelial ectopia, which is a normal physiological phenomenon. As long as TCT and HPV screening are normal, there is no need to treat it at all. There is also HPV infection. I have met too many girls crying with a positive report sheet, saying that they are going to get cervical cancer. In fact, 90% of HPV infections are transient, just like cold viruses. If the immunity is normal, it will clear up on its own in 1-2 years. Those gels and health products on the market that claim to be able to "turn negative" are all IQ taxes. There is really no need to spend that wasted money.

Oh, by the way, something funny happened last week at a bestie gathering. A 35-year-old university teacher was diagnosed with grade 3 breast nodules during a physical examination. She stopped drinking milk tea and coffee for half a year, and even dared not touch her favorite soy milk, saying she was afraid that phytoestrogens would aggravate the nodules. I read her the latest "Breast Cancer Prevention Guidelines for Chinese Women" on the spot. The isoflavones in soybeans are two-way regulated. If the estrogen in the body is high, it will help you lower it, and if it is low, it can help you supplement it. Drinking 300ml of soy milk every day can actually reduce the risk of breast cancer. She went home that night and soaked a pound of soybeans, saying that she would make up for the soy milk she had not drank for half a year.

There is another point that people often argue about: Can lotion be used on private parts? Many bloggers say that you can only use clean water, and using lotion is an "IQ tax" and "destroys the bacterial flora". In fact, it depends on the situation. When there is no inflammation in daily life, it is enough to rinse the vulva with warm water. Do not flush the vagina blindly, which will destroy the acid-base balance. ； But if you have been diagnosed with fungal vaginitis or bacterial vaginosis, you must use the medicinal lotion prescribed by the doctor. Don't hold on to it, otherwise it will become chronic and repeated, and you will be the one to suffer.

After 12 years of gynecological clinical practice, my biggest feeling is that there are really not so many "must" and "certain" standards for women's health. Don't use the templates on the Internet to apply to yourself. If you really feel uncomfortable, don’t go to Baidu to check your symptoms, don’t watch short videos to review your symptoms, go directly to a regular tertiary hospital to register. The 10 yuan registration fee is much more effective than watching three hours of videos. Oh, by the way, if you encounter someone who asks you to do a bunch of unnecessary tests and prescribes a bunch of health care products, just turn around and leave. Don't be embarrassed. You have the final say about your body.