How much do you know about your body? Do you know the difference between the uterus, vulva, and the vagina? You ever wish you knew why your hormones go crazy around your time of the month? Do you wish someone could sit you down and explain the ins and outs of contraception, and how it may affect your body?
Well, this book has the answers to all this and so much more! This is seriously what it says on the tin. It is a ‘user’s guide to the vagina’ and covers everything – big and small – you need could ever need to know.
I remember when I first got my period.
It was the summer before secondary school, and while I vaguely remember a lesson or two where us girls got whisked away and shown a tampon and sanitary pad, I had still had no idea what was happening. I remember the stomach aches; it was a kind of pain I hadn’t experienced before. And then the realisation that this was a period. That I was now, seemingly in an instant, a woman.
My mum gave me a book which had a lot of great information. I read and reread it over the years. But beyond that, I didn’t have any more information and I didn’t seek any out myself. I knew what I needed to know – I’d get cramps, acne, mood swings, and then I bleed every month. I just put a pad in my underwear, disposed of it, and life moved on.
It wasn’t until recently (thanks to Orange is the New Black!) that I understood that the urine comes out a different hole entirely.
Over the last few years, my hormones have gone somewhat crazy, and my periods are becoming more and more of a hassle. I started researching online and found a ton of mixed messages. It was all so hard to nail down and, of course, everyone is different, so there was no way of knowing what actually applied to me. And so, it was with these revelations in my twenties, that led me to seek out some real, concrete information finally.
In comes The Wonder Down Under, which I think I came across on Hannah Witton’s YouTube channel. (An excellent resource on this topic, especially her series ‘The Hormone Diaries’). This book has been what I’ve been searching for. Written by two Norwegian medical students and sex educators Dr Nina Brochmann and Ellen Støkken, they take the science and relay the information in a relatable, easy to understand way, without dumbing anything down.
It is crazy how little research has been done on this subject
As they explained in the introduction, it is crazy how little research has been done on this subject. Which goes a little way to explain how many people still get the facts wrong when it comes to vaginas. They have done the research and set about debunking every myth you can think of, in a lovely ‘Big Sisterly’ way.
A few things jumped out at me.
Probably because of my journey with hormones I’m on at the moment. If you have been on contraception, specifically the Pill, you will know about the side effect of blood clots. A few years ago, I remember reading stories in the news of women dying of blood clots as a result of being on the Pill, which really freaked me out. However, blood clots are actually super rare.
Only contraception with oestrogen increases the risk of blood clots, but then again, the risk is still incredibly small. For example, “if 100,000 women take the Pill, somewhere between 40 and 100 will suffer blood clots over the course of a year’s use”. Yet, the oestrogen found in contraception is no more harmful than the oestrogen ‘naturally’ found in the body!
In comparison, “up to 200 out of 100,000 women have blood clots while they are pregnant or in the period after birth”. This is because the increase in hormones during pregnancy is far more substantial than when taking contraception.
As the book neatly puts it: “it is much more dangerous to become pregnant”!
Another section which completely shocked me was how period pains really are as painful as we think they are. In fact, they are literally as bad, or sometimes worse than labour pains!
Here’s a summary of why this is*. Contractions of the uterus cause menstrual pains. The uterus is super strong, and it squeezes so tight that there is a lack of oxygen, shutting off its own blood supply. It’s similar to angina or a heart attack – the pain comes from the lack of oxygen in the tissue but, thankfully, the lack of oxygen isn’t as dangerous for the uterus! But it can be just as painful if you have active COX enzymes, which are involved in producing prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are what is given to pregnant women, to contract the uterus. Women that have more prostaglandins then result in stronger contractions in the uterus during periods.
Now here’s the shocking statistics…
“The pressure during the pushing stage of childbirth is around 120mmHg”, which they have “three to four rounds of every ten minutes”. During periods, women can reach pressures of 150-180mmHg”. And these can be between four and five each round across the whole period. So “in other words, the pressure during awful period pains is at least as high as during birth, and the pains come at slightly short intervals”. Scary stuff!
The book is packed with surprising statistics and thought-provoking studies. I recommend this for literally everyone to read. Whether you have a vagina or not, you are likely to have loved ones with one. This is a super helpful, accessible book, which you can dip in and out of when required.
*For more details on this, and a much better explanation, have a read of the book, and turn to page 184 onwards.
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