MORE TO THE VULVA THAN MEETS THE EYE
March is not only the designated Awareness Month for Colorectal Cancer (which affects more men than women) but for Vulvar Cancer as well. Here, of course, women are the sole target.
Nothing in our culture depicts the vulvar area as graphically as the ancient Sheela-na-gig figurative carvings found throughout Europe (e.g., in Ireland, England, France and Spain), and believed to be remnants of a pre-Christian fertility or Mother Goddess religion. The carvings, which appeared all over old Irish churches before the 16th century, have also been said to ward off death and evil.
It’s ironic that that part of the female body that was once revered and held to be “representative of the universe within the void” has become in our culture an object of profanity, debasement and even embarrassment on the part of women themselves.
Most women are reluctant to discuss their genitalia, even with healthcare providers.
In the United States, vulvar cancer accounts for about 4% of cancers in the female reproductive organs and 0.6% of all cancers in women. The American Cancer Society estimates that in the year 2006 about 3,740 cancers of the vulva will be diagnosed in the United States, and about 880 women will die of this cancer.
Ladies, make an appointment with your gynaecologist. Like the Sheela-na-gig, you have your health in your hands.
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