This quick quiz is based on a research study that looked at what responses helped predict whether a woman had a condition called vestibulodynia. Vestibulodynia and vulvodynia are very closely related. Please be aware this self-test is no substitute for a medical diagnosis. We strongly encourage you to see a health professional if you are experiencing [...]
Connective tissue dysfunction in vulvodynia is often missed, and needs to be treated. Confused about connective tissue? Picture a whole lot of fruit in a plastic bag, sitting in a bowl of jelly. apricots, plums, grapes and so on. The fruit can be moved and jiggled around within the jelly, even within the plastic [...]
Normal fertility is a key part of good health as a woman. Naturally, the definition of normal fertility changes depending on the stage of life you are in. If you are approaching menopause, then declining fertility is absolutely normal. If, on the other hand, you are a teenager, then normal fertility can take some time [...]
There’s no argument: queefing is really embarrassing. Queefing, or passing wind from the vagina, can turn anything into an awkward moment, whether yoga, sex, or getting off the floor in an exercise class. It's embarrassing enough for it to happen - you certainly don't want to talk about it! Most women I see don't [...]
Does your Caesarean scar move how it should? Try this: pick up the skin on the back of your hand, lift it up and drop it. Notice how stretchy it is? Good, healthy tissue, like a healthy body in general, MOVES. That’s right, mobility is as important for skin is it is for the [...]
I suspect we underrate the negative impact of episiotomy scars. My last post was about scar tissue after surgery and how it can cause real problems, both in the short and long term. I used the examples of an orthopaedic surgery scar and a Caesarean scar. Both of these are considered major surgery, and [...]
It’s one of the worst feelings there is: the sense you’re going to lose control of the bowels. And if accidental bowel leakage actually occurs, it can feel like the worst calamity. It’s human nature for this to be one of the worst fears. Control of our bodily functions is integral to our sense [...]
Probiotics…research is overflowing on their importance for good gut health and proper immune system function, to name two. All probiotics are not alike, however, and strain specificity is important. This means that to treat a specific condition, use of the specific strain of flora supported by good research is the only way to go. Sauerkraut, [...]
Your vulva hurts. Your vagina hurts. You’ve been told you have vulvodynia. One doctor says the problem is in your nerves. Another says the problem is in your muscles. But has anyone checked your connective tissue? There is no doubt that in most cases of vulvodynia there is a problem with the nerves – [...]
No, it’s not a throat muscle, and it’s not your abdominals. Of course, the abdominals are very important in good singing technique. Any good singing teacher will teach you how to breathe diaphragmatically and activate your abdominal muscles correctly to maximise your air flow, essential to good singing technique. But there is one humble muscle [...]
