Woman 2 Woman - What’s in a name?

How often does one come across crabby long-married couples or those in long term relationships that bicker and are ready to bite each other’s heads off, much to the embarrassment and discomfort of those around them. The sights and irritable sounds of peri-menopausual & menopausal women in these relationships are all too familiar to all of us unfortunately in this age group. But has anyone stopped and wondered what makes these women & therefore the couples as they are? 
 

 

Notwithstanding the pressures of being the ‘sandwich generation’ truly being pulled apart by demands of growing children, mostly young adults by now and ageing dependent parents, with the threat of retirement looming large, issues for this generation are far too many and enormous to be dealt with here. But I can update on the fact that at last the medical community has woken up to their specific health problems.

 

The International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health and the North American Menopause Society have decided to give a new name for the not too often discussed in civilized society symptoms experienced by women in the 40+ age group. These are now called ‘genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM)’. Medically what was previously called ‘Vulvo-vaginal Atrophy’ and its consequences, it is believed that this would be more acceptable to women, researchers, educators, the media, and the public. The main idea is to improve and ease conversations between menopausal patients and their healthcare providers on this delicate issue. Really what we ae looking to do is have a new name to describe not just the dry appearance of the vulva and vagina in peri & post-menopause, but also describe symptoms. Atrophic vaginitis suggests inflammation or infection, which are pathological and not typically present in all. Neither term covered the urinary symptoms that bog down the women in this age group. How many women will raise their hands and say that they are comfortable with using the word ‘vagina’. It’s almost comparable to men using the emotionally charged word ‘impotence’ for ‘erectile dysfunction’.

 

So you must be wondering what’s in a name? I feel that women must understand that the symptoms and discomfort experienced by them which lead to their refusal of engaging in sexual activity with their partner arises from decreasing levels of estrogens and other steroid hormones. No wonder they are crabby and ready to bite each other’s heads off. They include burning and irritation of the genital area: dryness, discomfort, or pain with intercourse; and the feeling of the urge to pass urine even when the bladder is not full, the burning or painful sensation while passing urine and the bane of their lives: recurrent urinary infections.