Yesterday was International Women's Day and March is Women's History Month. That's a lot of kick ass women's celebrations at one time! Thus, I wanted to take this time to highlight some women making history with their advocacy for women's pelvic health. Let's do a deep dive into some podcasts and programs made specifically by ladies who've overcome pain for ladies overcoming pain.
First off is The Vaginismus Network. This safe space for women with Vaginismus was created by the Brits Kat Wilson and Lisa Mackenzie in 2016 to provide a sanctuary for those suffering with the physical and emotional turmoil the condition causes. Later Sarah Barry, another Vaginismus sufferer, joined as a therapist and made the network what it is today. Since COVID has put our world into lockdown mode over the past year, their service has now expanded beyond England allowing women online all over to connect and bond over their shared experience. Their website features a blog with a series, Dilating is Doable, to help explain different approaches users have taken to stay consistent and efficient in their dilating methods. Members also get the chance to partake in a buddy system where they can email back and forth with another woman on a similar journey. The Network hosts meet ups and events, as well so it's an overall community and a wealth of factual information for those out there who are lost and confused. Be sure to check it out if you haven't done so yet!
Next is Tight Lipped. I've mentioned them before as I did a review on their ever popular zine on vulvovaginal pain a few months ago. They are a collective which started as a podcast made by Hannah Barg and Noa Fleischacker in 2019. These ladies set out to discuss the more political side of racism, classism, homophobia, and gaslighting that people experience in the medical industry when they attempt to receive a diagnosis and answers for vulvovaginal pain concerns. With just a few episodes under their belt, Tight Lipped has now grown into a full blown community, with organizers Hannah Srajer and Sarah Minion added, as well as a large team of student interns. In addition to the powerful zine they printed last year in order to validate the voices of women with pelvic pain, and the podcast where they interview women about their personal experiences with Endometriosis, Vaginismus, or Vulvodynia; Tight Lipped also hosts a virtual book club, community events, and workshops (in non-pandemic times). You can follow them on Instagram @tightlipped and definitely add yourself to their email list so you don't miss out on anything exciting that is upcoming.
Another podcast I would like to feature here is a relatively new one started at the end of last year, called V.& Me: Vaginismus- Let's Name it not shame it. Hosted by the lovely life coach, Audrey Cairo, this show focuses on interviews with women who, like Audrey, are either still fighting or have beat their struggle with Vaginismus. Audrey delves into an intimate conversation with each guest as they detail their history, hardships, and accomplishments battling this isolating condition. She likes to ask each story teller about their relationship with their vagina, if they've named her, and to complete the phrase "I am not Vaginismus, I am..." I really appreciate her candid approach to speaking openly, with humor and grace, about how each person's pain may express itself differently but we relate to the experience of loss, fear, or feeling overwhelmed, and harboring hope for the future of pain free sex. Audrey is a member of The Vaginismus Network and has shared her inspiring, personal story there, as well as on her own blog on her website. You can follow her @letscallherv on Instagram and listen to her podcast on Spotify.
Then we have Katrin with Love. Katrin has a blog entry on The Vaginismus Network explaining her Vaginismus journey and she writes about it in more detail for her eblasts that she sends out every couple of days. She has taken her own experiences with healing and overcoming and created a method she calls her "pain free and intimate recipe" to help other women do the same. This consists of a consultation, emotional healing, connection building, pelvic floor exercises, and dilation. Katrin's warm, embracing personality makes her easy to feel comfortable opening up to and even though I haven't personally been through her program, I trust her and would recommend it to anyone out there who is struggling with the psychological side of this condition. Katrin's emphasis on ending your brain's association with penetration and pain is not only effective but also necessary for anyone who has had the misfortune of anticipating that horrible sensation with the approach of any impending object or person down there. You can also follow her @pain.free.and.intimate on Instagram for advice, lovely videos of her dancing, and positive testimonials from those currently working through her program as they reveal their excitement over taking precious steps towards overcoming their Vaginismus.
As you can see, all of these women have taken the time and energy to pour their hearts into bettering the world around us with your knowledge, expertise, and patience navigating the troubled waters of a life with pelvic pain. They are happy to give back to others what they've learned and aim to make society more understanding, accepting, and frankly a space for us to exist freely. Those of us with chronic pain have fought to be allowed to take up space and receive the help we need and deserve so we can all thank women like these who spread awareness and give us the strength and encouragement to advocate for our health with confidence.