Today I am talking about another kind of health. Not the kind that’s all running and smoothies, but the actual kind where something is wrong. More specifically I’m going to talk about “feminine health”.
Canesten are a brand I am very familiar with. Multiple periods on antibiotics many years ago meant I had endless problems with thrush, and made a lot of use of their products. I was eventually diagnosed with a systemic Candida infection that had also given me skin rashes and digestive issues, which I treated with a combination of self help and medication from my Doctor.
Despite this, when they first got in touch about their #GetComfortable campaign I thought long and hard about whether it was a subject I would normally write about, then I realised that’s exactly what the campaign is about. Getting rid of that awkwardness we have about admitting that our lady parts are ever anything less than fresh, healthy and smelling of roses (top tip, if yours DOES smell of roses you might want to get that checked out as well).
It’s interesting that even the topic of the campaign “Feminine Health” is still a bit of a euphemism, because we’re not talking just about feminine health, but more specifically vaginal health.
Do you find Feminine Health a difficult topic to discuss?
For years I wouldn’t even go to the doctor about the repeated bouts of thrush. I just sheepishly bought my tablets and creams over the counter and slunk off to treat it myself. If I’d gone to the doctor sooner I could have saved myself a lot of time, and money for that matter. The new #GetComfortable Canesten website tells you to do exactly that. It also contains a lot of really helpful information about how to differentiate between thrush and other conditions such as Bacterial Vaginosis.
One thing we’re not always told is how to look after our lady parts on a daily basis. They’re just sort of “there”. I remember being told not to use soap once, but not really why. The reason is that the pH is different to the rest of your body. Most of the time just using water is absolutely fine, but if you are prone to infections you might find using a product that specifically helps maintain that pH balance useful. Canesten have a range of washes and wipes (really good for camping or gym bags!) that are perfect for this and worth checking out.
To help motivate us to get comfortable discussing our intimate health I have a £30 voucher for Triumph to giveaway so you can treat yourself to some new lingerie to help you get even more comfortable!
To be in with a chance of winning, I want to hear your stories, so all you have to do is leave a comment and tell me “What do you think will make you more comfortable with your intimate health?”.
Log into the rafflecopter widget to enter, and once you’ve left your comment there’s another couple of bonus entry options!
This post is in collaboration with Canesten, but as ever all thoughts, opinions and health issues are my own!
Terms and Conditions for Canesten ‘Get Comfortable’ Prize Draw Competition 1. This Canesten ‘Get Comfortable’ prize draw (“Prize Draw”) opening date is 20th December 2015 and the closing date for entries is 31st December 2015. 2. To enter the Prize Draw, entrants must post a comment in response to the Canesten ‘Get Comfortable’ social media post, via the Rafflecopter Widget. 3. Rafflecopter allows for secure, and fair management of giveaways, as the entries can be entered easily and the winner can be selected randomly within the widget. 4. Only one entry per person will be accepted. Multiple or third party entries are not permitted. 5. The Prize Draw is open to UK residents aged 18 or over, excluding employees of the Promoter, their families, agents or anyone else connected with the Promoter. 6. One winner will be selected at random from all valid entries received on or before the closing date. 7. The prize is one £30 Triumph voucher. 8. The winner will be notified by email from the promoter, within 28 days of the closing date. 9. The winner must notify the promoter of their postal address for delivery of the prize within 28 days of being notified that they are the winner. If the winner does not respond within 28 days a new winner will be selected at random from the remaining valid entries. 10. The prize is not transferrable or exchangeable and cannot be taken as cash. 11. The Promoter will not be liable if the prize cannot be taken by a winner for any reason beyond the control of the Promoter. 12. Owing to exceptional circumstances outside its reasonable control, the Promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the Prize Draw or these terms and conditions at any stage but will always endeavour to minimise the effect to entrants in order to avoid undue disappointment. 13. The decisions of the Promoter are final and no correspondence will be entered into. 14. Each entry may be subject to relevant social media’s terms of use. 15. The Promoter accepts no responsibility for entries that are not received for any reason.
