Gynecological health education content

It is not a passive treatment after illness, but active care covering the entire life cycle from adolescence to postmenopause. There is no universal "standard answer". All care, screening, and intervention methods must be adjusted based on personal physique and living conditions. The core principle is "no fuss, heavy screening, and follow doctor's orders."

Last week, a 22-year-old college student was admitted to the outpatient clinic. During the consultation, she was squirming around and couldn't sit still. She said that her vulva had been itching for almost a week. She bought lotion and used it for several days, but it only got worse. It was found that it was fungal vaginitis. After asking, I found out that she had heard from a celebrity blogger that her private parts should be "deeply cleansed" and that she uses a heavily scented lotion every day to clean the inside of her vagina. The lactobacilli in her vagina, which is a natural protective barrier, were completely washed away by her, and the mold took the opportunity to multiply and explode. Regarding the use of private parts care solutions, there have been two opinions in the academic community: one view is that just use warm water to rinse the vulva every day. Any additional cleaning products may destroy the weak acid environment and reduce local resistance. ； Another point of view is that if it is a clinically proven weakly acidic, non-irritating medical-grade care product, occasional use can quickly relieve symptoms in the early stages of mild vulvar itching, odor and other discomforts, but it must not be washed inside the vagina, and it is not recommended for daily use. In fact, you don’t have to worry about which one to choose. Just remember: the vagina has its own self-purification function. Don’t reach in and mess around with it if you have nothing to do. This is equivalent to leaving enough space for the resident “good bacteria security guards” to do their work.

When it comes to the most frequently asked taboos about menstruation, there is no need to stick to strict rules. For example, "Can you eat ice cream during menstruation?" has been controversial for many years. Western medicine generally believes that menstrual discomfort is essentially caused by elevated prostaglandins. As long as you don't feel any discomfort after eating ice cream, it is perfectly fine to eat ice cream to satisfy your cravings in the summer. ； However, from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the uterus is empty during menstruation, and cold and cold foods can easily cause qi and blood stasis and aggravate dysmenorrhea. My general advice to patients is: you will know after you try it once. If you feel pain after eating ice and can't straighten your back, just drink warm water. If nothing happens after eating, there is no need to embarrass yourself for the so-called "health preservation". The same applies to whether you can exercise during menstruation and whether you can wash your hair. Your own feelings always come first. If it hurts so much that you can't straighten your back, don't insist on practicing Pamela. If you are in good condition, take a walk or do gentle yoga, which can help relieve the soreness and swelling of the pelvic congestion.

In addition to these small daily details, regular screening is the first door to prevent serious illness. Last month, a 42-year-old sister came to get a physical examination report, and it was found that HPV16 was positive. TCT showed low-grade lesions. She said that she had not had a gynecological examination in almost 10 years. She felt that she was not uncomfortable or had a chaotic sex life, so there could be no problem. The current guidelines actually make it very clear that sexually active women aged 21-29 can do TCT every 3 years, and women aged 30-65 can do TCT+HPV combined screening every 5 years. Even if you take the nine-valent HPV vaccine, you can't save this money - after all, the vaccine cannot cover all high-risk subtypes, and screening is the real guarantee. By the way, don’t think that you should draw a clear line with gynecology after menopause. I have met several aunts in their 50s who thought that sudden bleeding after menopause was a “rejuvenation”. They took half a year to get checked out. They found that they were already in the middle stage of endometrial cancer. If they had intervened right after the bleeding started, the prognosis would have been much better.

There are even more pitfalls during pregnancy and childbirth. A while ago, a little girl who was trying to conceive came for a checkup. She was diagnosed with hypothyroidism just 6 weeks into her pregnancy. She cried and asked me if it would affect the child. She said that she thought she was in good health before and did not take a pre-pregnancy checkup at all. If she had been diagnosed 3 months in advance and took medicine to adjust to normal levels before getting pregnant, she would not have suffered this problem at all. There is also a 42-day postpartum review. Don’t think that you can skip it because you have cleared the lochia and your belly is small. Last year, I gave birth to a 52-year-old aunt. When she was young, she gave birth to two children without any postpartum repair. Now she leaks when she coughs or dances in the square, so she did the pelvic floor muscle repair. The effect is much worse than the intervention right after giving birth.

After all, gynecological health is really not that complicated. Don’t believe those marketing gimmicks on the Internet that “cold uterus will lead to infertility” and “washing will make you healthier”. Don’t blindly eat those gynecological skin care products from unknown sources. Pay more attention to your leucorrhea and menstrual abnormalities. Don’t be lazy when it comes to screening. If you feel uncomfortable, go to a regular hospital. Any health remedies are more effective. Oh, by the way, a final tip: don’t have sex, don’t rinse your vagina, and don’t insert medicine 24 hours before going to the gynecologist, otherwise the results will be inaccurate and your trip will be in vain.~