I used to think I had a good idea of what went on inside the human body, and with the advent of Google, there was no symptom I couldn’t diagnose or home remedy I haven’t tried. Doctors, of course, were there to provide second options. But recently I’ve been reading about Natural Family Planning, and can I just say…there is A LOT I didn’t know.

You might think the goings on of the female body would be important information for women, but really there isn’t much emphasis placed on that kind of knowledge, not in our education systems, not in the media, and sadly not even by a woman’s doctor. So what is emphasized? Contraception, hygiene, and generally anything that conceals what a woman’s body does, naturally. Young girls then grow to be women who are left in the dark. They aren’t aware of what is normal and what is abnormal, even though detecting abnormality is exactly what leads to successful early diagnosis for things like cancer and infertility.

Dr. Diane Woodford, a fertility specialist at CRE, said that many women are often unaware they even have PCOS until they try to get pregnant and cannot.

“While PCOS is a leading cause of infertility, it is also associated with many other serious, long term health issues such as diabetes, heart disease and endometrial cancer,” […]

“If over the last 12 months, a woman has had six or fewer periods, she should see a physician and be evaluated for PCOS,” Dr. Susan Trout of CRE said. “An earlier diagnosis means complications like diabetes, heart disease, infertility, and hypertension are more easily managed.”

With the contraceptive Seasonale, you’ll only have one. With newer pills like Lybrel, you may never have one again. Are there so many products designed to keep our bodily functions concealed (and sometimes altered altogether) that we’re out of touch with ourselves? Have women conceded to the expectation of physically manipulating ourselves, even if it puts us at higher risk for disease?

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