Women’s Health and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) teamed up on an exclusive survey that revealed how much women know about their own anatomy. The answer, sadly: Not a whole lot. To help you better understand your nether regions, we created an all-inclusive guide to your private parts in our November 2014 issue. This article is part of that package.
A sketchy pelvic-area situation can have far-reaching repercussions: Female hormone imbalances, for instance, can affect your weight, mess with your love life, disrupt your future family plans—and give you (no!) chin hair. Yet 64 percent of women can't pick a cervix out of a lineup, and that's just for starters, according to our exclusive Women's Health–American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) survey. More than 7,500 peeps weighed in—and, to put it mildly, a whole lot of women know a whole lot of nothing about their reproductive health.
Now, we understand it can be easy to blow off your below-the-belt region. It's not like you can pop into your uterus to say hi, or ask your ovaries how they're holding up. Then there's the fact that, when it comes to anything "vagina," even the most jaded can act both captivated and prudish. But what you don't know could hurt you (or, at the least, make you look clueless).
Cases in point: Nearly a third of survey respondents thought an ideal hoo-ha is an odor-free hoo-ha (in fact, a little musk is practically a must, and trying to remedy the sitch by douching can introduce gnarly pathogens). Thirty-three percent of others said red wine is great for the vag (not—alcohol can cause hormone havoc). Nearly two-thirds of women did not know how big the average vagina is...and a disturbing number of people could not locate their urethra orifice, a.k.a. the pee hole.
Don't believe it? Top experts back up our results: Per new Yale School of Medicine research, 40 percent of women think their ovaries continue creating eggs throughout their twenties and thirties, when, in reality, you're born with all the little suckers you'll ever have. And according to a study inFertility and Sterility, 40 percent of women don't know the ins and outs of ovulation.
"When it comes to down-there health, many women don't know what 'normal' is," says Meadow Maze Good, D.O., a pelvic medicine specialist at University of Florida Health Jacksonville. This typically leads women in one of two directions: They either ignore potentially important symptoms for years on end (50 percent of the gals in our survey do this or attempt DIY treatments), or they spaz out at every single twinge or harmless cosmetic change (see: "corrective" vaginoplasty surgery, up 44 percent within one year).
What's worse, 54 percent of women copped to keeping secrets from their gynecologists, a particularly risky strategy in the face of super-stealth girl-part problems. Diagnoses of certain repro ailments—such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)—are spiking in recent years, and sexually transmitted infections are running rampant. Such conditions—along with myriad others—can lead to minor discomforts, major pain, surgeries, or baby-making hurdles far down the road.
So, bottom line: When you're short on info or avoiding your M.D., it's tough to keep your nether regions in good working order. Which, like anything in ill repair, can lead to all kinds of problems. On the awesome flip side, a healthy, happy vaginal vicinity means a calmer, more energetic, even younger-looking you. Oh, and hotter sex. Did we mention hotter sex? Give us a chance to get into your pants and we promise, all that (and more!) can be yours.
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