40 % of Women Shun Talking to General Physician's About Gynecological-Related Problems

Women fear that they will be labelled sexually promiscuous, therefore stigma prevent them over talking about their gynecological problems to the General Physician(GP).

1 in 5 middle-aged women develop pelvic discomforts, menstrual related pains that are another form of symptoms pertaining to ovarian and uterian cancers, says a new study.

Ignoring symptoms like this can really put women at risk for developing cancers. But this doesn't relate to sexually transmitted diseases. There are no proven researches that show sexually transmitted diseases are responsible for developing gynecological cancers in women.

According to a survey on 1000 women by a charity called The Eve Appeal, 4 in 10 women believed that there was a greater stigma around gynecological cancers than other cancers. 20% also felt such cancers were associated with sexual promiscuity, in part due to the link between the sexually-transmitted Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and cervical cancer.

Despite this, 34% said they would feel more comfortable talking about gynecological cancers if there was less stigma about the issue.

"It's shocking that so many women are avoiding seeking help for gynecological health problems for fear of being judged on their sexual behavior," said Dr Adeola Olaitan, gynecological at University College London Hospitals, NHS Foundation Trust.

"It is a proven fact that early diagnosis of women's cancers can save lives, so it's important that we all start having honest conversations about the signs and symptoms of these diseases in order to break down the social taboos and any embarrassment that currently exist," she added.

Athena Lamnisos, chief executive of The Eve Appeal, said, "We are committed to tackling the stigma around gynecological cancers and our greatest tools for achieving this are education and conversation. That's why it's critical that women open up and share their experiences and concerns around gynecological health."

According to cancer research UK, more than 4,000 women died from ovarian cancer, 2,000 died of womb cancer, 900 women died from cervical cancer, 100 from vaginal cancer and around 400 from vulval cancer in 2012.

Source: Medindia