health
From the ovaries, outward, all about female-focused health and medicine.
"Oh It'll Be Okay, You're a Girl, It's Suppose to Be Like This."
I curled up in the middle of the living room floor at 16 years old and clutched my legs to my chest in pain that felt like the Evil Queen Regina grabbed my uterus and squeezed it into dust. Actually, that might have hurt less than what I really felt. I remember my eldest little brother was worried trying to find my mom while my youngest was worried trying to make sure I was okay. I passed out shortly after that and woke up to my mom trying to get me into a wheelchair at the urgent care down the road. We sat in there for two-and-a-half hours before final being taken to a waiting room for another hour. When the nurse and doctor finally arrived and took my blood, even though it took three people and six tries before someone succeeded, they found nothing wrong. The recommended that because my pain was coming from my lower abdominal area that I seek advice from my gynecologist.
By The Grammar Police7 years ago in Viva
My Periods After Stopping Birth Control
I have been on the pill for five years, the same amount of time as my current relationship. But I have been wanting to get off them for nearly two years now because I was with the same boy since college, moving in with him, and now currently engaged to him.
By Heather Wilkins7 years ago in Viva
Infertility Does Not Define Me - Go Find Someone Else
Hearing the doctors talk about you outside of the room when they think you can’t hear is the worst feeling you could ever possibly have. For me, this has been the 24th time. 24 times I have been told that there is nothing. I have seen three doctors in the last two years and nobody has come this far. Dr. Y (she shall not be directly named) has made a difference in my life. Infertility is not something that I will ever take lightly for the rest of my life.
By Elena DeCristino7 years ago in Viva
Earning My Red Badge of Courage
Believe it or not, the picture above is on the property of a hospital. It's actually really pretty, and hundreds of people could enjoy the beauty of the river from their hospital rooms. In fact, it was my father's view. Obviously, a view doesn't make a hospital visit any better, but it can provide a bit a beauty and comfort. I just wish that's how I could've remembered my first trip.
By Chelsea Ambrose7 years ago in Viva
How to Get Birth Control (When Your Doctor Refuses You)
With the laws on women's body autonomy getting worse every day, it's becoming increasingly difficult to find doctors who actually advocate on behalf of women. We live in a time when both pharmacists and doctors have the right to refuse service "on religious grounds," despite it putting women in harm's way.
By Ossiana Tepfenhart8 years ago in Viva
Hysterectomy and the "Hysterical" Woman
Hysterectomy is a word that often strikes fear in the heart of a woman. It is plagued with a history of heartbreak and pain and even now isn't something taken lightly by many. The word hysteria and that of hysterectomy are not coincidently coordinated, but are stemmed from something that was one in the same. Women who were considered to be emotionally unstable were considered "hysterical," and in order to cure their hysteria, they were often put into asylums. Some of these places put women through a procedure that removed what they believed was causing all their emotional distress—the uterus. Thus the surgical term for hysterectomy was born and paved the way for many medical shortcomings for women for years to come.
By Becca Volk8 years ago in Viva
Changing the Stigma of a Woman's Period
When I first started my period, I was horrified to walk on the path to womanhood. The women around me talked big about how painful the NORMAL life process was. At a young age, I already had a preconceived idea that being on your period was something to dread. “You're moody today. Are you PMSing?” is a common phrase used by men and women. It seemed to me that a normal part of a woman’s monthly process has become an excuse for men and woman to blame unrecognized emotion.
By Sadie Ansen8 years ago in Viva
PMDD & Perimenopause
I entered perimenopause about four years ago. It not-so-coincidentally was accompanied by an intensification of my PMDD that eventually made me realize I had PMDD. Up to that point, I thought I was just the lone grumpy bitch everyone thought I was once a month for most of my life and that, for some reason, I had turned into a bigger grumpy bitch at the age of 45.
By Cheeky Minx8 years ago in Viva
Pro-Choice, Pro-Life, Pro-Feel
A sleeve of chill bumps wavers across my body as I exit the waiting room. The chilling reality of how cold it was hadn’t unnerved me until now. The nurse ushers me into the next room and urges me to take off my jeans. I was instructed to leave on my shirt.
By Micky Thinks8 years ago in Viva
The Scalpel That Changed It All
"Why didn't I bring my husband?" was the thought running through my head. My Dr. stared at me, waiting for me to respond. "Did you hear what I said? I am going to cut you from hip bone to hip bone to remove the tumor. The MRI shows that the tumor is growing in your abdomen wall. You will lose your belly button in the process. My colleague will then come and perform a tummy tuck and close you up. Do you understand?" I nodded my head, not trusting my voice.
By Nanette Tenpo8 years ago in Viva
