Popular knowledge about women’s health

90% of women encounter gynecological discomfort, endocrine disorders, and breast health problems on a daily basis. They do not need to consume health supplements or be overly anxious. As long as they avoid the three most common pitfalls - excessive cleaning of private parts, blind supplementation of estrogen, and avoidance of routine gynecological examinations, more than 80% of daily health risks can be covered. This is also the most practical conclusion I have drawn from having been in a gynecological clinic for 5 years and seeing thousands of cases.

Don’t believe it, I met a 24-year-old girl last week. She used antibacterial private parts lotion every day when taking a bath. Occasionally, she also inserted a private part care gel, which she said could “detoxify” her. However, she was itchy for a week and was checked. The leucorrhea showed that the bacterial flora was imbalanced and the pH value was 2 points higher than the normal value. I asked her to stop all lotions when she went back and only use warm water to wash her vulva every day. When she came back for a review in half a month, everything was normal. There have been different opinions on care before. It is believed that women’s private parts are in a weakly acidic environment and need to be cleaned with lotions corresponding to the pH value. However, the latest clinical guidelines have clearly stated that the private parts in a healthy state have a self-cleaning function. Blind use of lotions and gels will destroy the original balance of flora and make vaginitis more likely. Of course, it doesn’t mean that lotion cannot be used at all. If inflammation is really detected, the doctor will prescribe the corresponding medicinal lotion for you. Just follow the doctor’s advice and don’t buy the Internet celebrity model blindly.

Speaking of this, I have to mention another pitfall that many girls step into in order to "anti-aging" and "regulate menstruation" - indiscriminate supplementation of estrogen. If you search online now, you will find many bloggers saying that you should eat more soy isoflavones, drink royal jelly, and eat deer fetus ointment. They say that if you supplement enough estrogen, your skin will be better, your menstruation will be smooth, and your menopause will be delayed by a few years. Some people even buy hormone-based health supplements just to enlarge their breasts. Let me say something objectively here: Estrogen is not a scourge. If hot flashes and insomnia symptoms are particularly severe after entering menopause, after a doctor’s evaluation and elimination of contraindications, you can follow the doctor’s advice for hormone replacement therapy, which can greatly improve your quality of life. But healthy young women must not make up for it on their own. I once had a 32-year-old patient who drank a cup of fresh royal jelly every day in order to resist aging. After drinking for more than three months, she went for a physical examination. The original 1cm breast nodule directly grew to 1.8cm. Fortunately, it was benign. After stopping, it shrank back after half a year when I checked again. It is perfectly fine to drink soy milk and eat some tofu every day. The content of phytoestrogens in food is very low, so it will not be a burden. But don’t eat health products as food. If you really feel that your menstruation is irregular and your skin is bad, first check the six sex hormones on the 2nd to 3rd day of menstruation. If you are missing something, you can make up for it. Don’t guess.

In addition to daily care pitfalls, many people also have deep misunderstandings about gynecological physical examinations. I often meet young girls who say, "I haven't had sex yet, so I don't need to have a gynecological examination." Others find it particularly embarrassing to have a gynecological examination, and would rather endure the discomfort than go for it. In fact, not all gynecological examinations require internal examinations. For girls who are not sexually active, it is enough to have an abdominal B-ultrasound to check the uterus and ovaries and a breast ultrasound every year. If possible, get the HPV vaccine as early as possible to avoid most risks. I met a 19-year-old girl before who had not had her period for three months. She was too embarrassed to go to the gynecologist for a check-up. She drank brown sugar and ginger tea at home for more than a month to no avail. Finally, she was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome. Fortunately, she found out early, adjusted her diet and work schedule, and got back without taking medicine. If it had been delayed for three or four years, it might really affect subsequent pregnancy. Girls who are sexually active don’t need to do excessive physical examinations. They should do TCT+HPV joint screening once a year. If they are negative for three consecutive years, just change it to once every three years. You don’t need to check once every six months, but it will scare yourself.

By the way, there is another question that is asked a lot: Can I drink ice when I come to my aunt? In fact, there is really no unified answer to this. It all depends on how you feel in your body. If you have been accustomed to drinking ice since you were a child, and it doesn’t hurt at all to drink iced milk tea from your aunt, then you can drink it. There is no need to wrong yourself. If it hurts so much that you break into a cold sweat when you drink ice, then definitely don’t touch it, and don’t listen to others who say “it’s okay to drink ice.” Your body’s feelings are more accurate than any standard. Some people say that underwear must be thrown away once every three months. In fact, it is not so absolute. As long as you change the underwear every day, wash it with your hands, and the underwear does not become hard, yellow, or smelly, it will be no problem to wear it for half a year. On the contrary, if you throw underwear and socks together in the washing machine, even if you throw them away once every half a month, it is easy for bacteria to breed.

In fact, after so many years of exposure, I have found that many girls’ health anxiety is caused by online marketing. Sometimes they say you need to detoxify, and sometimes they say you need to supplement estrogen, as if you will get serious illnesses if you don’t buy their products. You really don’t need to be so nervous. Paying more attention to how your body feels will be more useful than eating ten boxes of health products. If you really feel uncomfortable, go to a regular hospital. Don’t frighten yourself by searching blindly, and don’t be embarrassed. Health is the most important thing.