By ZOE LAWRENCE
I once had a medical issue that was so embarrassing that I avoided going to the doctor for three months.
Even when I finally did get to the doctor, I was nearly too embarrassed to tell her what was going on. It was a problem, um – “down there” – so it wasn’t exactly a topic I was willing to speak freely about.
But when I finally did spit out the problem, my doctor was so, so nice about it. And she told me that I’m really not the only one who’s ever had trouble telling her about such problems.
Women seem to be genetically engineered to be embarrassed about their bodies.
Anything that’s even slightly awkward – a rash, a pain in a weird location, strange discharge – is something we’ll rarely mention to anyone but our closest friend.
What’s even more concerning is that we’ll often rush to Dr Google to look up our symptoms, rather than actually going to a real doctor to divulge all relevant information. And that’s a dangerous – and, frankly, really silly – habit.
Just as an FYI, you should know that this post is sponsored by Allergan. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100% authentic and written in their own words.
Here are the health issues that we all tend to ignore, but really shouldn’t – even if they might be embarrassing, they really need to be checked out and evaluated further.
1. An overactive bladder.
Believe it or not, there are more than three million Australians who have an overactive bladder – but they often don’t say ANYTHING about it because they’re embarrassed or think the issue is uncommon.In reality though, many Australian women aged between 20 and 60 suffer from this condition. It can affect people of all ages and life stages and is different from other bladder issues, like stress incontinence – where you leak when you cough or sneeze, which can be caused by ageing or pregnancy and childbirth.
Symptoms include involuntary leakage and a need to pee all the time. Are you ALWAYS looking for the toilet and sometimes not making it in time? Do you have a fear of standing in long queues at the shops in case nature calls? If you’re going more than eight times per day, there may be something up…
I know it’s awkward – after all, bladder issues are not exactly the most fun topic of conversation – but there are ways to help and if you’re living with this problem, you don’t have to be. Really.
The solution could be as simple as booking an appointment with your GP and asking for a referral to see a urologist or urogynaecologist.
Top Comments
"Women seem to be genetically engineered to be embarrassed about their bodies."
I would dare say that's got more to do with society than genetics.
And it's not just women.
Just sayin'.
Yes I've had it and the doc said it could be bacteria causing it from the way I was wiping, or chlamydia. I had a test and luckily it came back negative.