“I think something’s wrong with my vagina.”
How many of us have ever tried to have conversations about vagina or vaginal health? Imagine yourself in a brown setting. If you are a woman who happened to use the “v-word,” you will elicit disdain and discomfort. If you are a man, you will be ridiculed for your concern in such matters. The simple answer to the question in the title would be “NO.”
People in Bangladesh are not remotely aware of gynecology let alone gynecological healthcare. The only time people get momentarily concerned about a woman’s gynecological well-being is when she says, “I am pregnant.” Because in our country, gynecology entails being pregnant and giving birth.
Gynecological Healthcare
Gynecological healthcare is a field of medicine that specializes in the female reproductive system. It includes diagnosis and treatment of gynecological diseases, preventive care, family planning, and more. Preventive care involves regular check-ups to diagnose potential reproductive issues. Women take pap tests to screen for cervical cancer and mammograms to detect breast cancer. Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), Endometriosis, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, and many other conditions can affect the female reproductive system. So, diagnosis and treatment of such diseases are predominant. In addition, family planning falls under the umbrella of gynecological healthcare, where contraception, vasectomy, and other birth-related concepts are included.
How did gynecological healthcare become only a pregnancy thing?
Most of our perception about anything stems from its representation on media and the internet. There are two layers to this issue- firstly, we do not voluntarily look for educational content on gynecological healthcare, and secondly, there is not enough effective content either. The root problem remains the sheer ignorance toward such matters.
Furthermore, let’s try to dissect the generic population of Bangladesh. On one hand are the Gen-Zs, who have no clue about gynecological healthcare because they have been strictly instructed by their parents to refrain from discussing such taboo topics. Consequently, the teenagers have no source of information other than their parents, who refuse to educate them themselves. On the other side of the coin is the older generation, who still get their information from television media. These people are heavily influenced by Indian daily soaps and Bollywood movies. Whenever a woman visits a doctor in these tv shows, it is either because she vomited/ fainted after marriage and of course she is immediately pregnant or is distressed about the possibility that she can’t get pregnant. Apparently, those are the only two gynecological conversations a woman can have with her doctor. The cycle of ignorance is doomed to repeat if the responsibility to teach our teenagers about gynecological healthcare is left to these people.
Signs of Lack of Improvement
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Ignorance
People in Bangladesh are not familiar with the concept of gynecological healthcare. We should treat a woman’s body with special attention and care because it undergoes certain physical changes at every phase of their lives. Besides, hormonal changes engender different mental issues as well. However, these are not well-acknowledged in this country at all. We are not literate enough in this field to know the implications of these changes. Consequently, women tend to receive less care and more dismissal from their partners or family members during such stressful periods.
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Stereotype
The general idea prevalent in society is that women needs to visit a gynecologist only during pregnancy, if at all. With such stereotypes shackling them, women are skeptical about sharing any issue other than pregnancy. They feel shy because such discussions are not normalized in society. To go to a gynecologist would confirm to the society she is pregnant- this fear completely cuts off all the unmarried women in need of gynocological attention.
The lack of discussion and normalization induce shame in women because of the changes in their body. The absurd conventions about the female body and “etiquette or character” are so deeply entrenched in their lives that women would rather suffer in silence than share their problems with anyone. They are horrified of being either ridiculed or rebuked.
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Availability and Disposal
Women use tampons, cups, sanitary pads, and other common products that to manage their menstrual period. Yet, the availability of such products is very low. Women in many regions have to depend on their families or male counterparts to get access to such products. In addition, Bangladesh lacks a proper disposal system for such products.
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Public Sanitation
There are not enough public washrooms in our country let alone such facilities for females exclusively. The unavailability of clean washrooms creates many problems for the bladder and bowels of women. The menstrual cycle of women is highly unpredictable. Most of them feel hesitant while traveling during periods because of the lack of proper sanitation. The unavailability of clean washrooms poses a serious health hazard for women.
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Taboo
We live in a patriarchal society, which has many unwritten conventions. One such stereotype discourages open discussions about gynecological health. If a girl has a problem, she has to let her parents know, and they will deal with it in secrecy. It’s funny how the entire thing is treated as something that cannot be disclosed. Most parents instruct their daughters to put a lid on such problems until they get married. The idea is to discuss such matters with their husband. But how can the husband solve or even comprehend these issues if he is trained by the same patriarchal society? How can he help without having any inkling about what gynecological healthcare is or what changes occur in a woman’s body?
What Could be Done
Big reforms in the gynecological healthcare sector, such as bringing in the latest equipment or building better lab facilities, and more can help. However, the issue at hand is to educate people about gynecological healthcare. Our education curriculum broaches the topic of sex education in Grade-6 in a subject called Physical Education. To be blunt, the subject does not add much unique value to the students. Most schools do not even bother to teach it to the students. Some take a very orthodox approach that makes the topic a joke to young boys and girls. If the introduction to sex education and gynecological well-being is this amateurish, we cannot expect teenagers to understand the significance of these topics.
The idea is to promote healthy conversations among people about gynecological healthcare. If we are hesitant or shy to talk about it, young boys and girls will never muster the courage to share their problems. The curriculum needs to incorporate better course materials on comprehensive sex education. Conversely, we should understand that everyone will not become literate in gynecological healthcare. We cannot change everyone. So the goal is to START the conversation and normalize it so that kids are not ashamed while talking about their sexual well-being.