Could we please have a gynae/women's health section?

[Graphista]

I was surprised to find recently when wanting to start a thread on issues surrounding difficulty getting referrals/diagnosis that there isn't a women's health/gynae section.

I know there's a 'family planning' section but many gynae issues cause infertility/inability to stay pregnant so people with these issues may not want to be dealing with seeing that title or using that section?

Plus there's so much more to women's health than pregnancy/fertility.

Yes yes yes

Yes, absolutely. Currently facing the choice between hysterectomy, ablation or other stuff due to my very faulty/fucked up womb (years post babies). Totally past any interest in fertility or conception but would love to chat to others in a similar situation.

Most of my issues were resolved by my hysterectomy, but I feel angry that they got so far without being properly diagnosed and treated. I lost so much of my 30s to pain that I feel quite passionate about supporting other women to get an early diagnosis and treatment, to avoid the same experience.

Sharing symptoms and experience is valuable in giving women the confidence not to be fobbed off; if MN can support them by creating a place where we can easily find information about others' experiences, I really believe this will be empowering.

Yes to this. Would love somewhere to go for stress incontinence. Possibly need specialist physio who posted earlier. Went looking - nothing. Would assume loads of women have the same issues.

Good idea!

Yes please, I've had huge amounts of support from threads here in the past (gynae issues separate from fertility/pregnancy/menopause). I think a separate topic would encourage more people to start threads, and General Health moves quite fast so its easy to miss threads in Most Active and not always easy to find them by going direct to the topic. The more awareness of these issues the better as far as I'm concerned.

Absolutely!

Yes and no.
The General Health forum is always 50% 'wimmins stuff' anyway. There is also the Menopause forum so there will be a conflict because posters will go to Gynae and then by told to put it in Meno, just like posts on meno in General health are moved to meno now.

Good plan

Yes please

Another yes. I have Fibroids and other issues - I was really surprised to not find a gynae topic when looking for advice a year or so ago...

Please. Great to post about prolapse etc

QueenoftheNights MNHQ could add a note at the top of Meno/General Health letting people know that there was now a specific Gynae topic if they felt it was more suitable. I think there will always be potential overlap in topics, and instances where posters don't choose the most suitable topic, but it's easy to get a thread moved if you later realise it would sit better elsewhere.

Absolutely

Definitely interested. I've often looked for PMS and it can fall in family planning or menopause. Neither is entirely relevant.

Yes please

Most definitely. Am currently looking for advice and more hesitant about blocking up a general health board.

Great idea

Yes please

@graphista
Endo won’t specifically cause disc prolapse but there may be an indirect link in 2 ways.
1- you may just be predisposed to having less robust discs. Unfortunately some people are in a way that some people have endo and some don’t. There may be a link but we cannot be sure. So fact that you have endo might make you more likely to have crappy discs but it’s not a direct cause and effect.
2- because endo is such a horrid thing to have it can mean people are less active or move differently compared to if you didn’t have it and your pelvic floor and core muscles might not be quite as supportive and ‘active’. This could be a factor but isn’t necessarily so.
HTH

I'm interested. Thanks for this!

Yes please!

Yes please. I work in health service and this would be v relevant to me

Good idea!

about I started a thread in AIBU about exactly this last year and was largely told "no" as it was a magnet for trolls and perverts. Also that it could easily be fit into the current sections, however I think there is currently an overlap with General Health/family planning/menopause, but those sections are either so specific or broad that it would be difficult for women with sexual health to find information.

So yes, yes please!