For all 'birthing people'

I couldn't actually understand what they wanted me to do: was it terms I have a problem understanding? Is it aimed at healthcare professionals? Can you imagine a lecture where everyone's personal fave for their bits has to be used and how long that could go on for? You could forget your lunch break. Also, I'm not too sure about the breast cancer options as I have a memory of not all tumours being in the ducts - someone I know died of inflammatory breast cancer and I don't think that would be covered by that location.

I’ve given the original names as my ‘other’ preferred option 🙄

I know we are adrift in the Sea of Illogic, but how can TRAs ignore biology to focus on 'gender', and then talk of 'a person with labia'? Isn't that totally defining a whole person by a small part of them?

There should at least be an 'I don't care' option.

Ex midwife here. Vulva only means the external female genitalia, so encompasses clitoris, clitoral hood, labia minora, introitus (entrance to the vagina). Forgotten if it includes anything else, I did say I am exMW - the urethra is enclosed within, obvs the labia majora are the outer aspect. There is something called the 'vestibule', can't recall if that is the same as the introitus or not, but is also wonderfully home-like. Think I may get the downstairs maid to dust mine out too, Mamaryllis. Chuck the flowers away. The clit isn't usually involved in delivery unless you get a tear leading up to it (ouch), labia minora can also tear. It does drive me potty the way people now think vagina = vulva when it only refers to the passage from the cervix to the introitus.

WTAF!

I’m a midwife and I will guarantee you that I will NEVER refer to a woman as a ‘person with labia’ or to breastfeeding as ‘chest feeding’

Maternal mortality

We can't even fucking die as women now

I enjoyed filling in that survey. Hilarious. I tried to use the correct medical terms that reference my female biology as a result of the XX phenotype throughout, but I couldnt resist "mummy juice" as an alternative to breast milk (though technically that's beer in our house)

Trying to re-label breast cancer incences me😠. Are trans women really jealous that they ate far, far less likely to get breast cancer?

'Other' is just ripe for mischief - better, even than taking a fake hand into the labour room.

Breasts and uterus were pretty much the only ones of those terms used during my two pregnancies. Can't remember the word vagina even being mentioned, even though I had a sweep and internal exams.

Ah, no, remembering now that during labour the word cervix was used a lot!

Me neither, Pratchet, but neither did they say vulva or female genitalia. They certainly said perineum - though I guess that's inclusive, as men have one, too. But they said labia. I don't recall labos being mentioned on the survey, and certainly not as part of 'female genitalia'.

My vaginal chamber is a little cobwebby currently. I’ll get the below stairs maids onto it immediately. Just can’t get the staff.

My midwife and consultant literally never mentioned my clitoris.

I think this deserves a few Tweets....

Apparently only vulva and vaginal canal are female genitalia. So I'm imagining that I have a clitoris and labia, too?

I'm tempted to fill it in with terms like 'boobies' and 'front botty' and add a comment that as I identify as a seven year old all this grown-up medical stuff is confusing and scary to me.

Ffs I will never be 'a person with ovaries', I'm a woman! And TRAs claim focusing on body parts and genitals is fetishistic and reductive

I've just done another one. For vagina I put 'sugar walls' , for uterus I put 'magical baby nurterer'. I urge everyone to fill this survey in, and be imaginative ladies !

I don't understand why using medical terminology such as cervix should be problematic. It directly refers to a specific part of the body that exists. Saying it exists does not diminish the personhood of someone who has not got one unless they are a narcissist who needs everything to be about them.
Also, my father has breast cancer and the part of the tissue which was cancerous was the breast tissue, not specifically the mammary ducts as I don't think he was lactating. Language used in medicine is usually precise enough. These suggested changes are obfuscatory actually.

Berkin - uterus is Latin, womb Old English. I think as we move to Brexit we should be making sure our language reflects Taking Back Control