Gynecological health science popularization annual summary report

90% of the gynecological problems that come for consultation are not as serious as everyone thinks. The real harm to the body is not the disease itself, but "excessive estrogen supplementation to resist aging", "excessive cleaning of private parts" and "irregular menstruation". These three misconceptions are spread all over the world.

The controversy over estrogen supplementation has actually been going on for five or six years. One school of thought believes that estrogen is the "youth code" for women, and that after the age of 30, you need to take active supplements to fight aging.； The other group regards estrogen as a scourge and believes that if you touch it, you will get gynecological cancer. In fact, what both sides say is too absolute: If a perimenopausal woman has severe hot flashes, insomnia, or osteoporosis symptoms, the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages after the doctor evaluates and eliminates contraindications and takes standardized supplements. ； However, if a young girl with regular menstruation and no discomfort follows the trend and takes imported estrogen capsules, royal jelly, and high-dose soy isoflavones, her own hormone secretion rhythm will be disrupted. In the mild case, breast nodules will appear and the menstrual flow will be endless. In severe cases, it will really induce abnormal endometrial hyperplasia. Last month, a 26-year-old Internet operation girl came to me and said that she had read a blogger's "Anti-Aging Secrets" and had been taking estrogen supplements for half a year. In the past two months, her menstrual period had not been clean for 10 days. When she did a B-ultrasound, the thickness of the endometrium was 12mm, which is twice as thick as normal. When she came in, her eyes were swollen. She said she thought she was going to have cancer. Fortunately, she came early. If it took another six months, there would be a real risk of malignant transformation.

After talking about the issue of patching, let’s talk about the cleaning pitfalls that everyone is most likely to step into every day. There is also controversy in this field. Some bloggers say that "private parts should be taken care of as carefully as the face" and recommend various lotions, conditioners and even private part perfumes. ； Some people say that they cannot be used for anything and they must be washed with water carefully. In fact, clinical guidelines have long made it clear: healthy women only need to scrub their vulva with warm water every day. The vagina itself has a self-purifying bacterial environment. If you flush antibacterial lotion into the vagina every day, it is equivalent to killing all the "good bacteria" that protect you. Harmful bacteria will take advantage of it, and mold and bacterial vaginitis will come to your door again and again. Last week I treated a girl who complained that her private parts smelled bad. She used antibacterial lotion to rinse her vagina every day for three consecutive months. She suffered from fungal vaginitis four times. She always felt like she had some internal disease and was crying. I asked her to throw away all the lotion, wash her vulva with water, and stuffed her vagina with probiotics for two weeks. After a review last week, she was completely cured.

Another problem that everyone takes least seriously is irregular menstruation. Many people either think that "it's okay to postpone it for a few days, it's just that they're stressed", or they blindly drink brown sugar ginger tea and make random adjustments to the menstrual soup. Some even think that "not having menstruation will save trouble." It’s fair to say here: once in a while, your period is delayed or within 7 days in advance, you really don’t need to be too anxious. Emotions, stress, and staying up late may all affect it. You can get back by adjusting your schedule. ； However, if the cycle is disordered for three consecutive months, either the amount of menstruation is so heavy that it soaks a night towel for an hour or two, or the amount of menstruation is so light that it can be dealt with with just a pad, or even does not come for two or three months, do not force it, and do not look for home remedies on your own. Be sure to check your hormones and B-ultrasound first to find out whether it is polycystic, decreased ovarian function, or a thyroid problem, and then treat it accordingly. At the end of last year, there was a 19-year-old girl who was taking the postgraduate entrance examination. She hadn’t had her period for half a year. She checked online and said that she was under great stress and that she would be fine after the exam. However, after the exam, she found out that she not only had polycystic ovary syndrome but also severe insulin resistance. Delaying it for another half a year may really affect subsequent ovulation.

Oh, by the way, there is another menstrual question that has been asked at least 800 times: Can I eat cold food and drink cold water? The two groups have been quarreling over this issue for several years. The older generation said that the cold in the palace would lead to illness, while the younger generation said that it would be okay for foreigners to drink ice water. In fact, there is really no unified standard answer. It all depends on your personal physique: if you have eaten cold food and drank ice since you were a child, you will not feel uncomfortable. It is perfectly fine to eat ice cream or drink iced milk tea during your period. ； If it hurts so much that you can't straighten up when you touch something cold, and your menstrual flow decreases sharply, then definitely don't touch it. There is no need to do it to prove "I'm not squeamish". Your own feelings always come first.

When I went to the community to do science popularization this year, I had a particularly deep feeling: Many postmenopausal aunts felt that "I have stopped menstruating, so why should I do gynecological examinations?" There are also many young girls who feel embarrassed to undergo gynecological examinations, even if they are uncomfortable, or they search for diseases on the Internet and find out what they are, and the more they look at it, the more scared they become. Take the HPV vaccine as an example. Many people wonder, "Is it useless to take the 9-price vaccine if I am over 26 years old?" Some people even delay vaccination for four or five years in order to wait for the 9-price vaccine. In fact, the current consensus in the academic circle is that even if you have had sex, as long as you are within the vaccination age range, it will be effective. Both the second- and fourth-price vaccines can protect against subtypes 16 and 18, which are most likely to cause cervical cancer. There is really no need to delay the best time to get vaccinated just to wait for the 9-price vaccine.

I have been doing science popularization for a year. To be honest, my biggest feeling is not that people don’t take care of their bodies, but that they take too much care of their bodies. That’s why they are led by all kinds of anxiety-producing content on the Internet. Sometimes I am afraid that I will age quickly due to lack of estrogen, and sometimes I am afraid that I will get sick if I am not clean enough. Instead, I have forgotten the simplest common sense of health: regular work and rest, regular physical examinations, and seeking a doctor from a regular hospital when you are not feeling well. It is more useful than how many supplements you take or how many online folk remedies you read. Next year, I plan to visit more science popularization venues in high schools and higher vocational colleges to teach more about the most basic physiological knowledge to young girls who have just entered puberty. I will also go to the community to talk to aunts about postmenopausal health care. After all, compared with how many fans I gain and how many popular articles I publish, the most practical meaning of science popularization is to help people avoid pitfalls.