As the world marks another International Women’s Day, the topic of women’s health is top of mind.
Dr. Jen Gunter, a Canadian obstetrician and gynecologist and author of several books about sexual health told Global News one of the biggest talking points she focuses on is debunking myths about women’s health.
“Well, I think one of the biggest ones is that you can balance hormones,” she said. “That’s not a thing. Tampons are toxic death sticks. That’s another one. Another common myth is that you need to do some blood tests for hormones.
“So a lot of these types of myths all have a very common theme, but there are different variations on it.”
Gunter said there are so many myths out there about hormonal health because it is a complicated topic and one that is not often discussed.
“When doctors and educators don’t step up and educate, what happens is you have these gaps in women’s health care,” she said. “And we know that many women don’t get the health care they need. They’re dismissed. They’re sent home with pain. And so you have these gaps and you have predators, the wellness industry that comes in and exploits those gaps.”
Gunter added that the changes in hormones that govern the reproductive cycle, menstruation, puberty, menopause and getting pregnant would all fall under hormonal health.
She said social media and the internet have exacerbated the issue with companies and celebrities trying to sell products to fix issues with women’s health – they’re a gimmick, she warns.
“So it becomes really difficult for people to navigate, you know, who’s telling the truth and who isn’t. Because when you’re bound by telling the truth your content isn’t quite as attractive, I suppose.”
Recently, Kourtney Kardashian announced she is selling gummies that claim to improve a woman’s vaginal health.
“There’s nothing in that sentence that’s good,” Gunter said. “I think that’s a big problem with disinformation is a lot of celebrities are also capitalizing on it to sell useless products.”
She said she would like to see more education about women’s health and she encourages women to ask their health-care provider about it and discuss it openly.
Gunter also has a blog that can be used as a resource.
She said Health Canada also has lots of information along with the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada.
“I think for me, the biggest way to approach this is to start with basic education,” Gunter said.
“If people are really hungry to learn more about their bodies and how they work and they go to these other (online) sources because they’re the only ones really talking about it,” therein lies the problem, she said.
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