Is it normal? Thoughts & reflections on women's intimate health
It is an early Sunday morning in December and I have the kitchen to myself as the rest of the family is still sleeping. Leaning over the kitchen counter, I am absorbed in a gingerbread cookie recipe and when I look out the window, it has just started snowing again. Christmas is approaching and the scent of white hyacinths together with cloves in oranges spreads throughout the house. I have always loved this time of year but this year a different feeling creeps under my skin. Because in a month I will turn 50 and it has started to bother me. Seriously. From never having cared about my age, I am now almost obsessed with this number. I can't quite grasp what it is really about but it revolves a lot around an increasingly noticeable menopause but also a lot of vanity. It's as if the woman in the mirror is no longer myself, because I have always been young? I suddenly miss the regular body clock of menstruation that reliably ticked on. It still visits now and then but is more like a quick coffee with a neighbor who never stays very long. With my gaze still fixed on the snowflakes slowly falling outside the window, I wonder if everything I feel is normal? Because what is really normal when it comes to the female body?
THE "NORMAL" FEMALE BODY
"Am I normal?" This question is asked by so many women in so many different situations and at all ages. It can be anything from questions about menstrual cycles to feelings about sex and desire or general physical concerns about the body related to discharge, urinary tract infections and PMS. Not to mention the huge topic of menopause or just the need to simply understand our body that is constantly present. The striking thing is that this is just as common among younger as older women but it all boils down to one and the same thing – the female body with all that it entails ❤
HOW COMMON INTIMATE PROBLEMS ARE
During a woman's life, a variety of intimate problems arise with different "symptoms", which makes us ask ourselves if we are "normal". It can be anything from yeast infections, foul-smelling discharge caused by bacterial vaginosis, urinary tract infections and dry mucous membranes but also our attitude towards desire and our own orgasm. Here are some of the most common problems that clearly show that most women's intimate problems are actually very common:
🌺Yeast Infections in the Genital Area: About 75% of all women get at least one yeast infection during their lifetime and about 40–45% experience two or more yeast infections.
Read blog about yeast infection here
🌺Urine Leakage: Urinary incontinence is common, especially among older women, with estimates varying but often around 30–50% in women over 50 years.
🌺 Foul-smelling Discharge and Bacterial Vaginosis: About 30% of all women suffer at some point in their lives from foul-smelling discharge caused by bacterial vaginosis.
Read blog about bacterial vaginosis here
🌺 Urinary Tract Infections: About 50–60% of all women will experience at least one urinary tract infection during their lifetime.
Read blog about urinary tract infection here
🌺Dry Mucous Membranes: Up to 70% of women after menopause experience dry mucous membranes, which can also affect younger women. VagiVital AktivGel is a non-sticky, Swedish hormone-free vaginal gel that soothes and cures symptoms in the intimate area such as dryness, irritation or itching in the intimate area, discomfort during intimate intercourse, or pain during urination.
You can find VagiVital AktivGel here
🌺Vulvodynia/vestibulitis: These painful conditions in the vulva area affect up to 16% of women at some point in their lives.
Read Rebecka Kaplan Sturk's, senior physician gynecology/obstetrics blog about Vulvodynia here
All these numbers and statistics of course vary depending on source and population, but they provide an overview of how common these problems actually are among women. So why is it that so many women still feel alone and wonder if they are "normal" ❤?
OWN YOUR BODY & STAY PUSSYTIVE
Maybe it's actually time for us to learn to say "vulva" without blushing and maybe all women should actually regularly study their genitalia? Because how can we truly understand something that we neither know what it looks like nor dare to mention by name? It's not just about knowledge but is actually also an act of empowerment. Where women can strengthen themselves by knowing and understanding their body, which is the first step towards feeling safe and "normal." A "pussytive," wonderful intimate care must also include everything from foul-smelling discharge and yeast infections. Today, many women seek knowledge themselves, they read up on each subject, google, and listen to podcasts. The question is how much of all our knowledge do we actually share with each other? Or how much of our experience do we share between generations? Women in their 50s have already gone through most of the intimate care problems that the younger generation struggles with, and those who have passed menopause obviously have lots of knowledge about, for example, menopausal symptoms. There is a goldmine of experiences that tell one and the same story. You are very much normal ❤
GOOGLE WOMAN'S BEST FRIEND
World Values Survey 2017-2022 is part of a global research study aimed at examining people's values and beliefs, how they change over time, and what this means for social and political life in different countries. The study collects data on a variety of topics, including economic, social, political, and cultural values. In Sweden, values such as self-determination with the right and ability to make one's own decisions and control one's own life are prioritized, where self-actualization also plays a central role. This can of course also affect how women view and handle their own intimate problems, where women may feel alone in their experiences and also hesitate to share their experiences with others, especially when it comes to intimate-related issues, where Google becomes the "friend" they turn to. This may partly be due to the strong emphasis on independence and personal integrity common in Swedish society, but it does not mean that there is no longing or need for community and exchange of experiences across generations.
KNOWLEDGE ACROSS GENERATIONS
The latest research, revealed in studies from universities such as Karolinska Institutet and the University of Gothenburg, highlights how important it is to have open conversations about women's health and sexuality. It is not just a matter of physical health, but also psychological and emotional well-being. The research points to how important knowledge exchange between generations is to break down taboos and misunderstandings about the female body.
NEW PRODUCTS & VAGIVITAL CLUB – FOR COMMUNITY AND EXCHANGE OF EXPERIENCES
During 2024, VagiVital plans to launch many new products and already at the beginning of next year we can reveal that there will be, among other things, a menopause self-test and a urinary tract infection test, which is just the beginning as we fill our portfolio with products for women that can diagnose – treat and prevent intimate care problems. In addition, we will increasingly offer our subscribers exclusive offers and the opportunity to be the first to try our new products in our VagiVital Club. We also want to create a forum where women can share their experiences and also take part in exclusive webinars (sorry, I mean VAGINARIUM 😊) where we will offer both lectures with experts and gynecologists as well as information on how VagiVital products can help women of all ages maintain a healthy and pussytive intimate health ❤ Here we also want to reach out a hand and listen to our customers' needs and hear more about what their ideal intimate care looks like and what they would wish from VagiVital Club
🌺 How would you have wished the VagiVital Club to look?
🌺 What topics would you like to know more about?
🌺 Are there experiences you yourself would like to share?
Please email your thoughts and suggestions to fanny.falkman-grinndal@peptonicmedical.se
Take care & Stay Pussytive!
/Fanny
Ps. Regarding my 50-year crisis. I know it will pass, probably the day after my birthday, but I simply needed to share my thoughts with you ❤
THE "NORMAL" FEMALE BODY
"Am I normal?" This question is asked by so many women in so many different situations and at all ages. It can be anything from questions about menstrual cycles to feelings about sex and desire or general physical concerns about the body related to discharge, urinary tract infections and PMS. Not to mention the huge topic of menopause or just the need to simply understand our body that is constantly present. The striking thing is that this is just as common among younger as older women but it all boils down to one and the same thing – the female body with all that it entails ❤
HOW COMMON INTIMATE PROBLEMS ARE
During a woman's life, a variety of intimate problems arise with different "symptoms", which makes us ask ourselves if we are "normal". It can be anything from yeast infections, foul-smelling discharge caused by bacterial vaginosis, urinary tract infections and dry mucous membranes but also our attitude towards desire and our own orgasm. Here are some of the most common problems that clearly show that most women's intimate problems are actually very common:
🌺Yeast Infections in the Genital Area: About 75% of all women get at least one yeast infection during their lifetime and about 40–45% experience two or more yeast infections.
Read blog about yeast infection here
🌺Urine Leakage: Urinary incontinence is common, especially among older women, with estimates varying but often around 30–50% in women over 50 years.
🌺 Foul-smelling Discharge and Bacterial Vaginosis: About 30% of all women suffer at some point in their lives from foul-smelling discharge caused by bacterial vaginosis.
Read blog about bacterial vaginosis here
🌺 Urinary Tract Infections: About 50–60% of all women will experience at least one urinary tract infection during their lifetime.
Read blog about urinary tract infection here
🌺Dry Mucous Membranes: Up to 70% of women after menopause experience dry mucous membranes, which can also affect younger women. VagiVital AktivGel is a non-sticky, Swedish hormone-free vaginal gel that soothes and cures symptoms in the intimate area such as dryness, irritation or itching in the intimate area, discomfort during intimate intercourse, or pain during urination.
You can find VagiVital AktivGel here
🌺Vulvodynia/vestibulitis: These painful conditions in the vulva area affect up to 16% of women at some point in their lives.
Read Rebecka Kaplan Sturk's, senior physician gynecology/obstetrics blog about Vulvodynia here
All these numbers and statistics of course vary depending on source and population, but they provide an overview of how common these problems actually are among women. So why is it that so many women still feel alone and wonder if they are "normal" ❤?
OWN YOUR BODY & STAY PUSSYTIVE
Maybe it's actually time for us to learn to say "vulva" without blushing and maybe all women should actually regularly study their genitalia? Because how can we truly understand something that we neither know what it looks like nor dare to mention by name? It's not just about knowledge but is actually also an act of empowerment. Where women can strengthen themselves by knowing and understanding their body, which is the first step towards feeling safe and "normal." A "pussytive," wonderful intimate care must also include everything from foul-smelling discharge and yeast infections. Today, many women seek knowledge themselves, they read up on each subject, google, and listen to podcasts. The question is how much of all our knowledge do we actually share with each other? Or how much of our experience do we share between generations? Women in their 50s have already gone through most of the intimate care problems that the younger generation struggles with, and those who have passed menopause obviously have lots of knowledge about, for example, menopausal symptoms. There is a goldmine of experiences that tell one and the same story. You are very much normal ❤
GOOGLE WOMAN'S BEST FRIEND
World Values Survey 2017-2022 is part of a global research study aimed at examining people's values and beliefs, how they change over time, and what this means for social and political life in different countries. The study collects data on a variety of topics, including economic, social, political, and cultural values. In Sweden, values such as self-determination with the right and ability to make one's own decisions and control one's own life are prioritized, where self-actualization also plays a central role. This can of course also affect how women view and handle their own intimate problems, where women may feel alone in their experiences and also hesitate to share their experiences with others, especially when it comes to intimate-related issues, where Google becomes the "friend" they turn to. This may partly be due to the strong emphasis on independence and personal integrity common in Swedish society, but it does not mean that there is no longing or need for community and exchange of experiences across generations.
KNOWLEDGE ACROSS GENERATIONS
The latest research, revealed in studies from universities such as Karolinska Institutet and the University of Gothenburg, highlights how important it is to have open conversations about women's health and sexuality. It is not just a matter of physical health, but also psychological and emotional well-being. The research points to how important knowledge exchange between generations is to break down taboos and misunderstandings about the female body.
NEW PRODUCTS & VAGIVITAL CLUB – FOR COMMUNITY AND EXCHANGE OF EXPERIENCES
During 2024, VagiVital plans to launch many new products and already at the beginning of next year we can reveal that there will be, among other things, a menopause self-test and a urinary tract infection test, which is just the beginning as we fill our portfolio with products for women that can diagnose – treat and prevent intimate care problems. In addition, we will increasingly offer our subscribers exclusive offers and the opportunity to be the first to try our new products in our VagiVital Club. We also want to create a forum where women can share their experiences and also take part in exclusive webinars (sorry, I mean VAGINARIUM 😊) where we will offer both lectures with experts and gynecologists as well as information on how VagiVital products can help women of all ages maintain a healthy and pussytive intimate health ❤ Here we also want to reach out a hand and listen to our customers' needs and hear more about what their ideal intimate care looks like and what they would wish from VagiVital Club
🌺 How would you have wished the VagiVital Club to look?
🌺 What topics would you like to know more about?
🌺 Are there experiences you yourself would like to share?
Please email your thoughts and suggestions to fanny.falkman-grinndal@peptonicmedical.se
Take care & Stay Pussytive!
/Fanny
Ps. Regarding my 50-year crisis. I know it will pass, probably the day after my birthday, but I simply needed to share my thoughts with you ❤
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