Unii’s award-winning obstetrician and gynaecologist encourages open conversation about periods, smears and more.

Millions of women around the world face pain, shame, and isolation as a result of their periods or chronic female health problems like fibroids. In addition, they may be discouraged from attending a smear test appointment by anxiety about the process or fear of abnormal results. Feeling uncomfortable speaking about these most personal aspects of female health can keep pregnancy red flags and other problems from being identified early. As Dr. Shree Datta pointed out in a recent episode of the Unii Babies podcast, all of us can benefit from more open conversation.

"I think the biggest factor for us is not just that we're raising awareness of women's health problems, but making it normal to be able to talk about them in the public arena. You know, we talk about high blood pressure and heart attacks. Why can't we talk about period problems? Why can't we talk about abnormal smears? There's still a stigma attached to that. And I think there's still a long way for us to go to make sure that every woman feels comfortable raising these issues in the same way as they raise other health care issues. So part of it is us and the way in which we talk about healthcare problems as well as women, then being able to discuss these problems in any setting."

"I think that's going to take time and a change in culture. It is happening. We're seeing it with Davina McCall, who's done more for the menopause in a year than I could do probably in ten. And we need to see that happening with the rest of women's health. And I hope by doing podcasts like this, by speaking more and more within the general public, people do start to feel comfortable about what can be quite an intimate subject."

Dr. Shree was also keen to reassure women that there’s little they can share that she won’t have encountered daily as an obstetrician and gynaecologist, and she’s trained to make things easier. "Quite often what I end up doing is speaking to people about the nature of their periods and how heavy their bleeding is within five minutes of meeting them, which is not the easiest topic to talk about the best of times. So you really have to make people feel comfortable very, very early on. And developing that rapport and being able to listen to them is a key part of my everyday job."

And remember, open conversation also ensures that you get the best possible care and make the most of any antenatal or routine gynaecological appointment. "Obviously, as doctors, we know that earlier that something was brought to our attention. You know, the less troublesome possibly the management can be. So it's really important that you've given that reassurance to your patients because it makes everyone's job a little bit easier,” said Shree.

Learn more from Dr. Shree Datta on Unii’s Preconception and Pregnancy Journey video courses.

Unii Babies is created and owned by London-based family wellbeing educational platform Unii.com, which offers hundreds of episodes of expert-led video courses and a library of medically reviewed articles devoted to improving both baby and child health and your parenting journey. We can also have your parenting questions expertly answered. Contact us with what you want to know, and you may see one of our experts discuss it on our podcast or Unii.com: Because Family Matters.

This podcast is for reference and entertainment purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice and should not be relied upon as such. Specific medical advice about your specific circumstances should always be sought separately before taking or deciding not to take any action.

Dr. Shree: Why can’t we talk about women’s health problems?

Dr. Shree: Why can’t we talk about women’s health problems?