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| Thu, 03-09-2006 - 4:45pm |
Fewer than half of women on average are comfortable talking to healthcare professionals about vagina-related issues, according to findings from an international survey.
A total of 9,441 women aged 18-44 years from 13 countries in Europe, North America, and South America completed online interviews as part of the International Vagina Dialogue Survey, funded by the pharmaceutical manufacturer Organon. The aim was to find out more about women’s perceptions and knowledge of the vagina, and vaginal health.
The women who took part in the survey were from Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and UK.
“Staggering†findings
Reporting the survey findings in the journal Contraception, the researchers from centers in Italy, Belgium, and Germany say that, overall, about three-quarters of the women had experienced a vaginal health problem. The proportions ranged from 60 percent of women in the Netherlands and Spain to 86 percent in Finland.
Overall, 47 percent of women said the vagina was the part of the body that women know least about, and 87 percent of women said a better understanding would help improve sexual satisfaction.
Women generally reported being comfortable talking with female friends or with partners about the vagina and vaginal health. In contrast, women were much less comfortable talking to healthcare professionals: overall, fewer than 50 percent said they were comfortable, 25 percent said they were uncomfortable, and the remainder said they were neither comfortable nor uncomfortable.
When the women were asked whether they would prefer talking to a male or female healthcare professional, 60 percent said female. This varied from 41 percent in Belgium up to 79 percent in the UK and 80 percent in Finland.
Overall, 79 percent of the women said they relied, at least partly, on advice from healthcare professionals when choosing a form of contraception. This proportion varied greatly by country, ranging from 45 percent in Spain to 99 percent in Brazil.
In an extensive discussion of the survey findings, the researchers say women’s knowledge of the vagina can clearly be improved: “Although the majority of women know that a tampon cannot get lost or trapped in the vagina, a staggering 29 percent of the women either believe that it can, or are not sure, and in the UK almost half of the women interviewed believed this.â€
They conclude: “A more open and informative approach is needed with regard to the subject of the vagina in order to empower and educate women about their bodies and in matters such as choice of contraception.â€

