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Ways To Stay Empowered and Take Care of Your Wellness In College

by Tien Nguyen · Jan 24, 2022

For women, staying in tune with our bodies and managing our unique health needs can be challenging, especially in college. With so much on our plates academically and personally, health can fall to the wayside. However, fostering overall wellness—spiritually, physically, and mentally—is paramount to your ability for success on or off-campus. You can become your own best advocate for yourself and others’ wellness by taking steps to know your body, reach out, share, and discover resources available through your university network and community. Here are three ways to take initiative to be empowered, embrace your needs, and take charge of your wellness in college.

Stay On Top of Your Healthcare Needs

Don’t neglect your wellness check-ins. Becoming wrapped up in the semester may distract you from prioritizing your health and you may forget to keep up with your healthcare visits. Fortunately, there are tools to help keep track of your health needs and make speaking with a healthcare professional more accessible and convenient. Telemedicine in particular can be a great way to consult with a variety of specialists whether you are in your dorm or at home. Speaking with a gynecologist about contraceptives such as an IUD, a dermatologist to help you find a prescription acne medication for pimples, or a therapist to help you with mental health struggles, can all be done via telemedicine. If you happen to feel some anxiety around a health visit, or think that a certain topic may be too taboo to bring up, remember that speaking with a healthcare provider can be empowering and reassuring. A conversation with a healthcare expert can alleviate tension or uncertainty you may be feeling, and talking through your concerns can help you to recognize your stressors and be able to better manage them. Your provider will be understanding and will help you become more confident talking about your health and wellness.

Let’s Talk Stress Management

Stress can be inevitable when the demands of college become a lot to handle. According to a study by The American College Health Association, 48 percent of college women surveyed rated their overall stress levels as more than average. Such stress can have a significant impact on your overall health and academics. The uncertainty introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the process. College can be an overwhelming place for women who juggle multiple responsibilities. From cramming for your next exam to getting involved in community work, athletics, or passion projects, it can often seem like there is so much to tackle at once. However, remind yourself that you are indeed accomplished and that you should not measure success by how much you are doing. Be proud, own your success, and empower yourself by being in control of striking a balance. Pause for a moment, take a breath and remember that stress management is key to your health and happiness. Prioritize working in stress management strategies into your day. Some great strategies to try out include:

Bullet journaling
Deep breathing
Enjoying a podcast
Listening to music
Reading
Trying a self-care box
Watching your favorite YouTube channel

Truthfully, this list could be endless, so what really matters is finding a technique that engages and resonates with you.

Uplift Yourself and Other Women

The impacts of social isolation on mental health are widespread nowadays due to the pandemic. It can be mentally draining to spend most of your time in class just to return to your space at the end of the day. Therefore, it is vital to maintain connections and interact safely with your peers. What better way is there to connect with others than through women empowering other women? Check out your campus groups to see if there are any related to women’s rights or social justice. You can also try to find women’s groups in your field of study. These organizations may meet virtually on a regular basis, or maybe still are able to meet in small groups in person. It can be a great way to champion women’s causes, network, and form meaningful connections with others. On a personal level, getting involved can help you to feel more confident and lift your spirits. We all know how good it feels when another woman compliments us, or how satisfying it is to work together towards a cause. Let’s mentor and cheer each other on.

Empowering yourself to take care of your wellness in college is rewarding. Learning more about your body, wellness strategies, and how to bring positivity into your life can transform your entire college experience. Be an advocate for yourself but also try to empower others as well. Don’t hesitate to share what you know, initiate a conversation, start a new group, and spread awareness on great women’s causes. When it comes to advocating for yourself and other women in your community, college is a great place to start.

Featured Image by showfantasy

Tackling OB/GYN Anxiety

by Lauren Tran · Jan 1, 2022

“I felt like someone was accessing a part of me deep inside that should never be touched,” health media director Kristin Canning recounts when discussing a visit to her gynecologist’s clinic. Fear or anxiety surrounding a trip to the gynecologist is not an uncommon feeling amongst women. There are a variety of reasons why a gyno visit may arise these negative emotions—the most prevalent being discomfort, embarrassment, feelings of personal intrusion, and fear of finding health issues such as cancer. If these fears sound familiar to you, know that you are not alone.

What can be done to help alleviate OB/GYN anxiety?

First and foremost, it is important to find a provider that works for you. Since your OB/GYN will be seeing you in a more vulnerable state, they should be someone that makes you feel comfortable, safe, and heard. You should also consider other factors such as insurance policies (if you have insurance), location, and gender. In searching for the right physician, try reading reviews online or asking friends or family members for referrals. Before scheduling a wellness exam with a potential OB/GYN, you can also see if there is an option to meet with them briefly. Some clinics offer virtual or in-person consultations that would allow you to ask any questions you may have, express any concerns, and generally gauge your comfort level around them before scheduling an exam.

Along with finding a gynecologist that is the right fit for you, communication is essential for creating a positive environment for your wellness exam visit. It is much easier for a physician to modify their approach to procedures and exams in accordance with your needs, if you express those needs with them. However, speaking up can sometimes be a difficult obstacle to break. In order to build up confidence during your physician encounter, try:

Talking to trusted friends (they may even share similar anxieties!)
Reading other people’s stories about their gynecological experiences
Planning out what you would like to say or ask (i.e., coming to the appointment with a written list of questions or concerns)

Remember that you are NOT being a burden by asking for medical care in a certain way. You could ask for the smallest possible speculum to be used during your pelvic exam, for the doctor to tell you step by step what they’re doing, or have them not say anything at all and move through the procedure quickly. You can even ask to place the speculum yourself — an option many people are not aware they have.

Other general tips for reducing or coping with OB/GYN anxiety include:

Bringing a family member or friend with you to your wellness exam – you can decide if this person is simply there to sit in the waiting room with you or if they will accompany you in the exam room. Keep in mind that a provider may ask for a few minutes of one-on-one time if they want to discuss personal or sensitive information with you.
Relaxing your muscles and taking deep breaths during the pelvic exam – this might seem obvious but it can be easy to forget to breathe during your pelvic exam, especially if you are nervous or are experiencing any pain. Deep breathing can help your muscles and your mind relax.
Positioning yourself in a comfortable manner prior to the exam – during a wellness exam, your feet are on stirrups and your legs are bent and open while the rest of your body lays back on the exam bed. Providers state that they often have to ask patients to bring their bodies further down the bed. Doing this actually makes it easier for your muscles to relax. Additionally, try to let your knees fall naturally to the side when you open your legs as this position will aid in preventing muscle strain. Another small but helpful tip is to wear your favorite pair of warm socks if you are worried about the stirrups being too cold.
Finding distractions – most OB/GYNs know pelvic exams are not the most comfortable experiences in the world and will try to distract you in some way during the exam. If your provider does not do this, you can come up with something fun or silly to think about during your exam. It is also completely okay to ask the doctor or a nurse if they have any distractions (eg. music, games on a tablet, etc.) they might be able to provide.

Although it is valid and common to feel anxious about visiting your gynecologist’s office, it is important to not let this deter you from attending your yearly exams. Dr. Chau Nguyen-Tran, a board certified OB/GYN at Memorial Hermann Sugar Land, explains that her specialty is comprehensive, and screening includes mental, physical, and social stratagems. Annual check-ups offer opportunities to adopt instructions towards proactive health practices such as hygiene care, self breast exams, and nutritional recommendations. Physical exams can also be a way to detect certain precancerous lesions and/or infections. These annual visits also allow you to discuss issues related to sexual and/or reproductive health since OB/GYNs are the experts! While medical information is abundant on the internet, it is much better and safer to acquire this information directly from an educated source like your provider. Lastly, the purpose of yearly wellness exams do not always solely focus on women’s reproductive health. Your provider can also assess general health through laboratory tests, measurement of vital signs, and discussions regarding eating, sleeping, or exercise habits. This is highly valuable, especially if you do not see a primary care physician. In summary, your annual well woman exam can serve as a preventative, diagnostic, and educational experience.

There are several reasons why people suffer from OB/GYN anxiety, and it is entirely okay to feel this way. Nonetheless, there are many methods to tackling this fear and working your way up to a safe and stable relationship with your gynecologist.

Hands Off My Hijab: Why Laws Targeting Muslim Women Are Violent

by Divya Nagarajan · Dec 2, 2021

A common thread in lawmaking throughout history has been the policing of what women do with their bodies. From prolific anti-abortion legislation, to the ongoing acquittal of sexual assault perpetrators, to the governments restricting women’s ability to move outside their home, there is unfortunately no end in sight to the list of societal barriers to women owning themselves entirely. Muslim women bear this burden especially heavily, particularly in the realm of religious headwear. For example, earlier this year, an “anti-separatism” bill in France pushed to ban girls under 18 from wearing hijab in public, alongside other discriminatory amendments. This is not the only case of discriminatory law stemming from Islamophobia.

Hijab is the concept in Islam of modesty. While the term is most often used in the Western world to describe a head scarf worn by many Muslim women, it’s truly an umbrella term that also encompasses other forms of modesty in clothing, such as the khimar, another form of headscarf, the niqab, a more complete veil that covers the body, or the burka, a veil that covers the entire body including a thin veil over the eyes. Dressing modestly is an important concept in Islam, and it is first and foremost an act of worship. However, hijab has been the subject of controversy time and time again in the Western world as a result of prolific misinformation and global Islamophobia.

While the U.S. exhibits its fair share of discrimination against Muslim communities, Europe has a special history of oppression. To date, fifteen European states have enacted a full or partial ban on the burqa. France, in particular, has been the site of widespread controversy over this issue. As a nation with an emphasis on secularity, wearing a veil is even banned in public schools. In some cases, these laws have been justified as necessities within certain professions. For example, interpersonal communication and eye contact are argued to be important in a field like teaching, and a face obscuring veil is therefore considered inappropriate in this context. Yet, these arguments lack cultural sensitivity and fail to consider the overstep such legislation takes into the area of personal autonomy and individual choice. And why is it that such laws only ever seem to affect women?

Most recently, in summer 2021, the European Union’s highest court ruled that it was acceptable for employers to prohibit expressions of religion in the workplace, including headscarves. Although the law itself doesn’t mention Muslim women directly, they are the population most harmed. While parts of the world are making strides towards greater cultural understanding, Western lawmakers continue to spin the narrative that Islam as a whole is an oppressive religion. Rulings and laws discriminating against Islamic practices only help this backwards mindset sink its claws deeper into the general public’s perceptions.

Laws like this are a reminder that intersectionality is present in every space, and that the problem goes beyond religious freedom. Just as abortion law in the U.S. persists as one of the most controversial issues, and sexual assault laws continuously fail to uphold an acceptable standard of consequence for perpetrators, Islamophobic laws are another in a long list of systemic structures disallowing women from entirely owning their bodies. These laws also imply that a Muslim woman’s choice to wear hijab is a political one, rather than a personal and spiritual one. In a world where we should be embracing and celebrating our beautiful differences, rulings like this only promote ongoing disunity and discrimination against an already marginalized group.

Fortunately, there is hope. As disheartening as it can be to see parts of the world regressing away from religious and personal freedom, there are always those who will fight back. As a response to the most recent French Islamophobic law banning hijab-wearing mothers from accompanying their children on school trips, burkinis from being worn in public pools, and religious symbols (including hijab) from being worn by competitors in a sporting event, American Muslim women trended the hashtag #handsoffmyhijab in solidarity. Prominent hijabi figures spoke out to condemn the law, including U.S. Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad who reminded the world that had the law been in place when she competed in France, she would not be the successful athlete she was today.

The fight is far from over. While awareness for the issue has spread through social media and news outlets over the past few months, the discriminatory rulings in Europe remain active nonetheless. Recent developments in the Islamic world, such as the Taliban occupation of Afghanistan, have already caused a swell in Islamophobic sentiment in the West. There is always more work to be done. While an individual commitment to decolonizing our mindsets is essential, it is most important to hold our governments responsible for protecting the rights of all their citizens regardless of creed. Only then will we, as a world, be able to offer our Muslim sisters the respect and autonomy they deserve.

Featured Image by Maggie Cole

To Shave or Not To Shave: Tackling Body Hair

by Mckayla Morris · Nov 11, 2021

Humans have been trying to deal with body hair removal since Ancient Egypt. Whether it be a way to demonstrate your social status or keep your body clean, the methods used to remove body hair have varied over the years, with some methods being more questionable than others. And while body hair growth and removal did shape gender roles, some believe that it wasn’t until 1871 when Charles Darwin published his book ”The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex” that removal of body hair was a necessity for women who wanted to be seen as feminine and attractive.

Although humans do not have a need to have as much hair on our bodies compared to our hairy primate ancestors, body hair still serves a purpose. Human body hair no longer has any survival value, but it still retains importance when it comes to epidermal homeostasis (the maintenance of skin tissue integrity), wound healing, and skin tumorigenesis (the generation of tumors in the skin). On the other hand, the removal of body hair does have its benefits — shaving off hair has helped prevent infestations of lice and other parasites, which is certainly not ideal for those living in close quarters and who do not have access to regular showers or baths. Additionally, having a lot of hair traps perspiration, which leads to a breeding ground for bacteria that produce unpleasant odor. However, with more people having access to water on a daily basis and being able to clean themselves, this is not as big of an issue as it may have once been.

The term “clean-shaven” started to become synonymous with “hygienic,” and marketing for men’s personal shaving products emphasized the idea that a man who has a clean-shaven face is a man who is hygienic, modern, and civilized. This idea has roots in racist and classist ideology, wanting to separate white middle- and upper-class Americans from lower-class immigrants from other countries. Additionally, body hair was starting to be linked — with the help of many 19th century medical and scientific experts — to “sexual inversion, disease pathology, lunacy, and criminal violence.” Unsurprisingly, these connotations were largely being applied to women who chose not to shave, rather than males. All of this leads to 1915, when Harper’s Bazaar became the first women’s magazine to run a campaign that portrayed the removal of underarm hair as a “necessity.” Until this point, the removal of body hair — while definitely setting the standards for beauty ideals — was not considered absolutely necessary for women. By 1964, 98% of American women aged 15 to 44 were regularly shaving their legs. Despite these numbers, shaving was not as common as it is today, and many different hair removal methods for different parts of the body exist.

Many young girls and women, being exposed to ads in magazines, social media, TV commercials, and even just peer pressure, feel that there is an expectation to remove their body hair. Some say that the increased emphasis on body hair removal for females after the 1960’s and 70’s came with the rise of explicit pop culture, the increasing popularity of waxing, and more and more pornography that featured individuals who had completely removed all of their hair in the genital region. After over a hundred years of pushing the idea that body hair was not natural and being hairless meant being clean and attractive, hairlessness for the female body has become the norm, and body hair removal methods have only gotten more and more precise over the years.

As someone who identifies as a female, I’m no stranger to feeling the pressure to shave and remove my body hair. I remember begging my mother in fourth or fifth grade, shortly after starting puberty, to buy me a razor so I could shave my arms and legs, after seeing multiple magazine ads that featured these razors designed “specially for tweens and teens.” My parents did not buy me a razor like I wanted, and I was told that I didn’t even have any hair to shave. Despite their efforts, I couldn’t stop feeling like there was a part of me that I needed to hide or remove, especially as I got older and started to grow hair in multiple places.

In the past decade or so, there has been increasing pushback against this norm that pushes girls and women to shave and remove their body hair. Our culture has begun to shift, with people encouraging positive conversation around female body hair and pushing for individual empowerment. We are starting to see more ads that feature women with natural body hair on their armpits, legs, face, and other areas. The companies that produce razors and other hair removal products, such as Billie, are starting to change their narrative, from one that essentially pushes the idea that women have no choice in their decision to shave, to one that encourages the right to choose what to do with one’s body hair.

Shaving. Waxing. Creams. There are many different ways to remove hair permanently or temporarily, and all of them have their pros and cons. Ultimately, no one should ever feel the need to remove their body hair, especially when it is something that is natural and has its own purpose of keeping us warm and even protecting our skin in certain instances. The body positivity movement encourages people to practice self-love, whether or not their body matches beauty and other norms we place on ourselves, and it’s important to present ourselves the way that makes us feel the most confident and empowered.

What SB 8 Means For Texans

by Audrey Gow · Oct 22, 2021

Voices boomed across downtown Dallas, echoing off the skyscrapers. People filled the streets, usually packed with cars on a sweltering Saturday afternoon, waving signs and chanting. Led by two local reproductive justice organizations, Tea Fund and the Afiya Center, these protestors joined thousands in 660 demonstrations across the country on October 2nd to march against Texas’ new anti-abortion law, Senate Bill 8 (SB8).

What is SB8?

Passed by nearly all Republicans in the 2021 Texas Legislative session, SB8 is the most restrictive abortion law in the country. It bans all abortions after 6 weeks of pregnancy without any exceptions, including rape and incest. SB8 hinges on two important concepts: the fetal heartbeat and the private individual enforcement mechanism.

Nicknamed the Heartbeat Bill by conservatives, this law prohibits patients from obtaining an abortion when the ultrasound can hear the “fetal heartbeat,” a term coined by lawmakers and rarely used by medical professionals. The term is misleading for two reasons. First of all, a fetus doesn’t actually exist until approximately 8 weeks into a pregnancy; the correct term is an embryo. Experts speculate anti-abortion advocates use “fetus” incorrectly to “evoke images of babies,” generating a more powerful emotional response from their supporters. Second of all, a heartbeat cannot physically happen until much later in fetal development. A person’s heartbeat is defined by sound caused by the opening and closing of their heart valves. However, heart valves have not developed by the 6 week limit specified in the ban. The sound that the ultrasound machine makes when the embryo is 6 weeks old is not the “fetal heartbeat” that lawmakers claim, but actually electrical activity that the ultrasound machine creates. Providers cannot hear the fetal heartbeat until the fetus reaches 10 weeks. The application of SB8 lacks medical accuracy and instead leans on anti-abortion ideology.

The second part of SB8, the private individual enforcement clause, prevents the court from striking the bill down. SB8 technically isn’t enforced by the state; instead any individual can sue a provider or anyone helping someone seek an abortion for $10,000 if they suspect SB8 has been violated. The private legal actions effectively evade constitutional rule and go around Roe v. Wade, the 1973 court case that ruled against state interference in abortions up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. Because SB8 is the first bill to have this type of enforcement, Texas is the first state to actually enforce such a restrictive abortion ban. Additionally, plaintiffs can win $10,000 and get their legal fees reimbursed, but defendants, anyone accused of helping someone get an abortion after 6 weeks, are not afforded the same rights. This allows for anti-abortion advocates to potentially sue abortion providers out of business and largely acts as an intimidation tactic, preventing people from contacting abortion providers and organizations out of fear of legal retaliation.

How does SB8 affect Texans and the rest of the country?

Labeled as a “full on abortion ban disguised as a limitation,” SB8 affects about 85% of abortions in Texas. Under the 6-week ban, pregnant people only have about one week to realistically get an abortion. Pregnancies actually start from the beginning of a person’s last period, leaving a very small window of a few days to 2 weeks for a person to realize they are pregnant. To get 2 weeks of notice, people would need to have regular periods and watch their periods closely. Additionally, the ultrasound can only detect cardiac or electrical activity near the end of 6 weeks. If a person realized they were pregnant in time, getting an abortion is another ordeal. Someone seeking an abortion has to schedule two appointments with an abortion provider due to the mandatory 24-hour waiting period between a consultation and the actual abortion procedure. Texas already lacks an adequate amount of abortion providers, so people often have to travel hundreds of miles to a clinic if their city doesn’t have a reproductive health clinic. This ultimately means people have to take days off work, which many people can’t afford to do without suffering a financial blow, and pay for travel and lodging costs on top of abortion fees. Due to these logistical restrictions, only people with reliable access to wealth, education, and healthcare can possibly get an abortion before 6 weeks.

Lilith Fund, an organization that supplies financial assistance for people seeking abortions, provides a snapshot of the people most affected by SB8. In 2020, about 75% of their clientele were people of color, 60% had children, 50% were not currently receiving income, and more than 40% were uninsured. The abortion fund also noted that out-of-state abortions for people past 6 weeks would cost them approximately 2.5 times more, which includes lodging, transportation, and abortion fees.

People can self-manage their abortion if needed, but cannot buy the abortion pills (mifepristone and misoprostol) through the mail after 7 weeks into their pregnancy due to SB4, a bill signed earlier this September. Many people cross the border to get abortion pills in Mexico, but because the medication is often bought outside of medical settings, consumers are not instructed on how to properly take the medication. They can miss crucial information about how many pills to take and during what time period. Lack of medical supervision can lead to complications or ineffective abortions, but complications are unlikely if a person does their own research. However, only American citizens or people with visas can cross the Texas-Mexico border for abortion pills. Undocumented people in America are not afforded this option.

Abortion clinics in Texas’ border states, including Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Colorado, are experiencing a huge influx of Texas residents escaping SB8. By early September, the closest reproductive care clinic for people in north Texas, Trust Women’s clinic in Oklahoma City, was booked three weeks into the September. Residents also flock to Louisiana’s only open abortion clinic with the other two closed due to damages from Hurricane Ida. Even Kansas, not technically a border state and the farthest away, has clinics starting to see patients from Texas.

However, Texas residents may lose these states as an option for abortion care. Legislators in other conservative-leaning states have filed similar bills after the courts let SB8 stand due to the individual enforcement clause. Florida was the first state to introduce their own “heartbeat law” in late September, and Arkansas, Idaho, South Dakota and Indiana have followed suit. A potential SB8-like law in Arkansas would drastically affect Texas residents’ access to abortion, forcing many to travel even greater distances to an abortion clinic or removing the option completely.

What’s next for SB8?

One of 50 anti-abortion bills introduced in the Texas Legislative session just this year, SB8 is part of a long history of the Texas government repressing the reproductive rights and bodily autonomy of their constituents. From 2013 to 2016, House Bill 2 reduced the number of abortion clinics from 40 to 19 by requiring them to have specific unnecessary hospital standards. The U.S. Supreme Court eventually struck the bill down, but not before Texans lost a significant chunk of abortion access. Similarly, Texas abortion clinics and organizations brought their case against SB8 up to the U.S. Supreme Court in hopes of the same outcome, but the court ruled 5-4 to allow the law to stand despite their questions about its constitutionality. The Justice Department also challenged Texas in a federal district court over SB8 to maintain Texans’ constitutional rights. A federal judge did overturn SB8, but the ruling was quickly dismissed the next day, allowing the 6-week ban to remain effective.

Many anti-abortion activists in Texas, including Texas Right to Life, are urging people to hold off on suing abortion providers under SB8 until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban. The hearings for Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health began on October 4th, and the conservative majority U.S. Supreme Court’s decision could render Roe v. Wade null, allowing SB8 to stand completely unchallenged and allow states to pass more restrictive abortion bans.

With the judicial branch in jeopardy, the federal government is trying to guarantee access to abortion through the legislative process. The Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA) repeals many anti-abortion laws nationwide, including SB8, by making abortion access a “statutory right” for providers and their patients and by removing logistical and financial burdens to abortion care. Abortion organizations and healthcare providers are pushing for the U.S. Congress to approve the WHPA, but many doubt the bill will pass the Republican-majority Senate.

What can you do?

Protected abortion access in the U.S. is looking bleak, but here are a few things you can do:

Learn more about abortion and who these abortion bans mainly affect: Abortion is one of the safest medical procedures, and there are different methods involved. One of the most common ways to get an abortion is through medication as disscussed earlier. Reading this article is the first step, but there are many other resources linked below that are worth checking out.
Talk about abortion with your friends and family: Abortion is highly stigmatized in the U.S., but it doesn’t have to be. Sharing what you know or learning about abortion with loved ones helps counteract common misconceptions about abortion care and helps others know that they’re not alone if they ever need an abortion.
Donate to abortion funds in Texas: Abortion funds help pay for the cost of obtaining an abortion, including traveling and lodging fees. Some may pay for the actual abortion, but most mainly contribute logistical funds. They also offer free advice over the phone regarding abortion care.

Texas abortion funds:

Additional Links:

Getting the Diagnosis: Endometriosis

by Mckayla Morris · Aug 30, 2021

Endometriosis affects approximately 1 in 10 women, disproportionately affecting women in their 30s and 40s. For most individuals, getting diagnosed with endometriosis is a difficult process. On average, it takes anywhere from 3 to 11 years after the onset of symptoms to reach the final diagnosis. Social media is rife with personal accounts of healthcare failures exacerbating endometriosis. For example, YouTubers who have gone through the diagnostic journey themselves shed light on why it takes such a long time to reach a diagnosis, whether it be doctors dismissing their pain or reaching another diagnosis that might explain the symptoms that they are experiencing. Buzzfeed’s As/Is channel on YouTube uploaded a video in 2019 titled “A Week In My Life With Endometriosis,” which documented one individual’s daily life while they deal with this condition. Clips of her laying in bed with loose, stretchy pants, shopping for “safe foods,” and keeping a heating pad on while sitting at her work desk felt extra relatable to me, as there are days where my pain confines me to oversized sweatshirts and loose leggings but I still have to attend classes or take care of errands. “The extra steps that I have to take every single day just to be comfortable, just to exist in a way that’s comfortable to me, is something that I wish the average person understood a little bit better” is a sentence that still resonates with me to this day.

Like the woman in the YouTube video, my mother ranks among the countless people who have suffered from both the physical and institutional consequences of endometriosis. Since the age of 18, she suffered from bad periods. “My cramps were so severe that I would double-over in pain and take an unrecommended amount of aspirin just to get by,” my mom explained to me. This pain stayed for another 3 years, until she started using birth control pills to prevent an unplanned pregnancy. Four to five years later when my parents started to discuss having kids and my mom stopped the birth control, the bad periods returned and her pain was at an all-time high. When she talked to her gynecologist at the time about her symptoms, she was told that she was just experiencing severe hormone imbalance due to stopping birth control. “Every woman has cramps,” they said to her. It took switching to a new gynecologist and eventually being referred to a fertility specialist at age 27 for my mom to be diagnosed with severe endometriosis.

My story is a little bit different from my mom’s. I started experiencing bad periods when I was around 12 years old, and at age 14, I went to my mom’s OB/GYN so that I could be given the Nexplanon birth control implant. From the next 4 to 5 years, my birth control seemed to work wonders for me. However, in the past two years I’ve noticed that some of my previous symptoms are returning, I’m experiencing new symptoms I haven’t before, and something doesn’t feel right. I am 21 years old, and I am experiencing a lot of the same symptoms my mother was experiencing right before her diagnosis. In addition to talking to my mom, I’ve started to do my own research, and here is what I have found so far.

So… what exactly is endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a condition in which endometrial-like tissue that typically lines your uterus starts to grow outside of the uterus. Endometrial tissue in your uterus thickens each month and will break down and shed with your menstrual cycle. However, the endometrial-like tissue that grows outside of the uterus on your pelvic organs (or even outside the pelvis region entirely) has no way to shed your body, so it becomes trapped and eventually becomes irritated, leading to scar tissue and adhesions. It is the scar tissue and adhesions that often are the source of the pain people with endometriosis commonly experience, and also the source of fertility problems that may only be discovered when one is planning to have children.

What does endometriosis feel or look like?

While endometriosis can vary from person to person, there are many common symptoms that individuals can face. These symptoms include:

Painful periods
Pain with sexual intercourse
Pain with bowel movements or urination
Excessive bleeding during or between periods
Infertility
Fatigue, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, nausea, headaches/migraines, and more

It should also be noted that the stage of endometriosis one may get diagnosed with may not correspond to an individual’s pain levels or experience of other symptoms.

How is endometriosis diagnosed, and why does it usually take so long?

To diagnose endometriosis and rule out any other conditions, your doctor will typically ask you to describe all of the symptoms that you are experiencing and will conduct a variety of tests, such as pelvic exams, abdominal and/or vaginal ultrasounds, and MRIs. With all of that said, laparoscopies are often referred to as the “gold-standard” for official diagnosis, as this procedure allows doctors to see the inside of your abdomen and see if there is any endometrial tissue growing outside of the uterus, which is often removed at the same time. Biopsies are sometimes performed during these laparoscopies so that the tissue can be tested later in the lab and the diagnosis can be histologically confirmed. Laparoscopies also allow for doctors to determine the stage of endometriosis, ranging from stage 1 (minimal) to stage 4 (severe).

Diagnosis often takes such a long time because endometriosis and its symptoms can be confused with a number of other conditions and diseases, including pelvic inflammatory disease, ovarian cysts, and irritable bowel syndrome. Pain can sometimes be dismissed by doctors that think it is “normal,” or the condition may not even be an issue until an individual starts to encounter fertility issues.

How is endometriosis treated? Is there a cure?

Unfortunately, there is no cure for endometriosis. However, there are many effective treatments that are available today, and because endometriosis is unique to each individual, individualized treatment plans are important. Treatment for endometriosis typically involves (but is not limited to) laparoscopic surgeries, pain medication, and/or hormone therapy. Some individuals may continue to experience pain or have pain return years after treatment, which can be the case when endometrial tissue that was not visible and/or removable during initial surgery, in which medication or even a hysterectomy is the next step to manage symptoms.

For my mom, most of her symptoms alleviated three different times – when she became pregnant, after she started DepoProvera birth control, and when she entered menopause. Countless people have anecdotes of their endometriosis symptoms improving after becoming pregnant, but the problem with this is that many are infertile as a result of this condition and have a difficult time conceiving, and there are also many who do not plan on having any children for a while or ever. As for my own journey and my future, I do not plan on ever having children and I think that sometimes my symptoms or treatment options have been overlooked multiple times due to the fact that I am not actively working to become pregnant. Additionally, I am not interested in starting DepoProvera since I am happy with my current form of birth control, and as a 21-year-old, I am not even close to starting menopause. However, after actively advocating for myself at my appointments with my gynecologist, I am in the process of being referred to a surgeon who can do the diagnostic laparoscopic procedure for me at the end of this year. Both my mom and I have our concerns about having the surgery done, but we know that it is important for me to get answers for the sake of my own health and work towards a future with minimal pain. In the past year or so, I’ve learned that not every person’s case of endometriosis is the same, and with that knowledge in mind, I want to be able to share important information and spread awareness so that people like me will know when to start a conversation with their doctor.

For more information, you can visit acog.org or find an OB-GYN here.

The Eating Disorder Epidemic in Women’s Athletics

by Divya Nagarajan · Aug 12, 2021

CW: description of eating disorders, numbers

At only 17 years old, Mary Cain was on the road to being the next Simone Biles, Serena Williams, or Katie Ledecky of track and field. She was a record-breaking athlete, the youngest American to ever join the World Championship team, and preparing for the Olympics. In short, she was a phenomenon. But before Cain had the chance to make history, her career fell into shambles due to the abusive culture of the elite track team she was signed to, Nike’s Oregon Project. During her time with the team, Mary Cain was pushed by her male coach to eat less and less to lose weight. Refusing to diet would mean losing her place on the best track team in the world; for a young athlete with big dreams, her choice was clear. However, instead of receiving the nutrition she needed to thrive as an athlete, Cain was eating so little that she didn’t menstruate for three years, broke five bones during her time with the team, and was having suicidal thoughts.

Mary Cain came forward with her story after leaving the Oregon Project, but she is certainly not the only athlete to have experienced this abusive culture; this is a picture all too common in women’s athletics. Almost any athlete would agree that nutrition in athletics is just as important as training. Great athletes are conscientious of what goes into their bodies, but this conscientiousness can develop into a disordered fixation as a result of intense pressure and performance standards. Eating disorders are a serious issue, and women athletes are at a higher risk for developing them than male athletes or non-athlete women.

There are currently eight eating disorders with diagnostic criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). Of these, the most well-known, and the one that most commonly affects athletes, is anorexia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa, often shortened colloquially to anorexia, is a disorder characterized by intense restriction of food intake which leads to unhealthy weight loss and an unexpectedly low weight. Those diagnosed with eating disorders are often distressed at the thought of gaining weight, and consistently exhibit behaviors to prevent weight gain. There are two subtypes of anorexia nervosa—the binging/purging subtype, in which the affected individual engages recurrently in self-induced vomiting, the use of laxatives/diuretics, or binge eating, and the restricting subtype, in which these binging/purging behaviors are not engaged in. In athletes, heavy restriction of food intake along with intensive exercise is often referred to as anorexia athletica, a specific subtype of anorexia nervosa that affects athletes but has no official diagnostic criteria.

Something important to note about eating disorders like anorexia nervosa is that, contrary to the beliefs of many, they are not choices—they are real, treatment-warranting illnesses. There are many causal factors that can lead to the development of an eating disorder, and like most psychological disorders, the causes are not yet fully understood. What we do know is that genetics, culture, biology, and environment all have a role to play. Athletes are at a higher risk because of the environment they spend much of their time in—one that links low body weight to high performance, thinness to winning, and struggle to success.

When it comes to athletics, another condition, orthorexia, warrants discussion as well. Having no official diagnostic category, this condition is often filed under “Other specified feeding or eating disorder,” the “catch-all” diagnostic category for disordered eating practices that do not fit elsewhere. Restrictive in nature just like anorexia nervosa, orthorexia is characterized by an intense fixation with “healthy” food, with fear or distress being caused by the consumption of any food seen by an individual as too “unhealthy.” Orthorexia, like anorexia nervosa, is likely to lead to nutritional deficiencies and low body weight, and the individual often lacks awareness of the severity of their body’s condition.

The problem with women’s athletics is that symptoms like osteoporosis (brittle bones) and amenorrhea (lack of the menstrual period) are seen as normal in the context of the sport, attributed falsely by coaches and athletes alike to intense exercise when they’re truly a result of nutritional deficiency. This is a dangerous lack of recognition. Weight and size are rewarded an undue emphasis in athletics as well; in sports with subjectively judged aesthetic components, like diving, gymnastics, and dance, there is intense pressure to have a certain body type, and in sports requiring speed like track and swimming, having “less weight to carry” is seen as advantageous. Athletes often weigh in right in front of their coaches and teammates, the number on the scale displayed for all to see. On top of all these added pressures, female athletes are subjected to the same everyday beauty standards that affect us all—things like unrealistic body standards seen on social media and photoshopped magazine covers. It makes sense that there’s an eating disorder epidemic in women’s athletics, but that doesn’t mean it’s acceptable.

The fight against this culture in women’s athletics begins with women like Mary Cain. What happened to her should never have happened, and by making her experiences publicly known, she is taking a step to making sure it never happens to another girl. It starts with athletes like Gracie Gold, a figure-skating prodigy who has told her story of food restriction, binge-eating and purging, depression, and suicidal ideation after a coach told her that 124 pounds was “a big number.” And it starts with Yulia Lipnitskaya, who retired from figure skating to seek inpatient treatment for anorexia nervosa after competing in the Olympics at age 15. These are devastating stories, but these women’s courage in speaking out is a step towards destroying the sinister food culture in women’s athletics. We can only hope to continue building awareness and recognition for this issue, so that the faces we see on every Olympic stage to come are smiling and healthy ones.

If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, contact the NEDA Helpline for support, resources, and treatment options.

Featured Image: Gracie Lam for The New York Times