Self-diagnosis, embarrassment and thrush: How’s your intimate health?

Listen, it's not the most pleasant of conversations, but should we really be embarrassed to talk about what's going on down in our private department?

A recent survey conducted by Bayer found that 69 per cent of women are embarrassed to talk about their intimate health with a GP or pharmacists, and 18 per cent of women won't even talk about it with a close friend or sister.

To further that, 11 per cent don't talk about their intimate health to anyone at all.

The survey, of over 1,000 Irish women, was carried out as part of the #BeVConfident campaign, which aims to lift the taboo surrounding women's intimate health and common conditions, such as thrush and bacterial vaginosis.

And it's clearly needed, because 96 per cent of respondents are crying out for more education for girls at a young age.

The age at which Irish women learned about intimate health varies dramatically, with 9 per cent of women only learning about intimate health when aged 18 or older. This compares to one third of women who learned about it between the ages of 10 and 12.

When asked to rate their female health education, responses varied widely from poor (15 per cent), excellent (17 per cent), very good (33 per cent ), good (31 per cent) and non-existent (3 per cent).

The survey also found that one-third of women “tend to self-diagnose using google”, and 13 per cent of women surveyed “wait until symptoms disappear” when experiencing intimate health problems

However, it seems like our Irish mammies know best, with 55 per cent of females being educated about these issues by their mothers.

That wasn't the only source of knowledge though, as 52 per cent of women received education at school, while 30 per cent learned about female health issues online or in magazines.

And while we love to go shopping for magazines, we're not too keen when it comes to buying female health treatments in the pharmacy.

45 per cent of women are embarrassed to buy vaginal treatments, which we can understand, but what really struck us was that some women are still embarrassed to buy sanitary towels and tampons. 

Even though the number is low, 11 per cent of respondents are embarrassed when buying sanitary towels, and 9 per cent are embarrassed buying tampons.

Yes, we rather be buying Gucci loafers, but unlike the glorious footwear, every woman needs female sanitary products.

Another striking revelation is how many women said their reason for not feeling confident is their appearance, which came in at 68 per cent.

Other reasons for not feeling confident include, workplace performance (8 per cent), family background (8 per cent) and relationship status (6 per cent).

38 per cent described themselves as confident "sometimes, but not often."

We feel like everyone needs to hop on the #BeVConfident campaign, because every woman has to go through these issues.

Be open and educated, but more importantly, be confident. You got this, girl.