Beautiful Cervix Project: Would You Be Brave Enough To Take A Picture Of Your Own Downstairs? (We Aren't)
LOOK: Project Encourages Women To Take Pictures Of Their Own Cervix
The Huffington Post UK
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attractive woman taking a...
When it comes to division of the sexes, nowhere is the difference more apparent than the relationship that men and women have with their own genitalia.
Maybe because it's outside their bodies rather than tucked away, but men seem to have no problem getting it out - whether it's performing The Windmill on a drunken night out, hanging out in the locker room or sending photos of it to women online.
Women, on the other hand, have had a long history of battling insecurities about our bodies, and more crucially, being reluctant to talk about it. Now, a new ground-breaking site aims to improve the relationship we have with our reproductive organs.
The Beautiful Cervix Project invites women to submit pictures of their cervix online, in an effort to create more awareness around fertility.
The website, which is a grassroots movement, states: "The Beautiful Cervix Project encourages women to learn cervical self-exam and fertility awareness as a revolutionary path of promoting respect, confidence, and health. We believe that this form of self-empowerment and education will help contradict shame and misinformation around women’s reproductive health and choices, affecting positive change from the personal to global levels."
On the website, you can also buy a self-exam kit for $19.95, which includes a reusable plastic speculum, blue or magenta hand mirror, a 'Love Thy Cervix' flashlight, self-exam instruction sheet and water soluble lubricating jelly packet.
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HuffPost US quoted Kat Stoeffel at New York Magazine as saying: "It's too bad this self-love movement requires employing a speculum, a flashlight, and one real chill friend" -- photographing your own cervix isn't exactly easy. But the effort is definitely appreciated by the site's users. Commenter Allie posted: "I really really appreciate these photos, it’s been a great learning experience for me."
We're not quite sure HuffPost UK Lifestyle is ready to grasp the Love Thy Cervix flashlight just yet - the pictures on the site are fairly graphic.
With regards to fertility however, checking your cervix for signs of ovulation can help if you're trying to have a baby.
"The best way to learn about your cervix is to start checking it once your cervical fluid becomes wet and continue checking for a few days after your temperature has risen. That phase of about five days is when you'll notice the most abrupt change."
10 Things You May Not Know About Your Fertility
(01 of10)
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1. Your fertility is mostly determined by genetics, which influences how many eggs you are born with. Doctors believe that the number of eggs you have at birth determines the length of time you will remain fertile. At birth, women have about two million eggs in their ovaries. For every egg ovulated during your reproductive life, about 1,000 eggs undergo programmed cell death. Other things, such as smoking cigarettes and certain types of chemotherapy, can accelerate egg cell death and promote an earlier menopause.
(02 of10)
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2. Regular menstrual cycles are a sign of regular ovulation.Most women have regular cycles lasting between 24 and 35 days. This is usually a sign of regular, predictable ovulation. Women who do not ovulate regularly have irregular menstrual cycles. Those who do not ovulate at all may have a genetic condition called polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
(03 of10)
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3. Basal temperature charting does not predict ovulation.An older method of tracking ovulation involves taking your oral body temperature each morning before getting out of bed. This is called basal body temperature. This method is used to spot a rise in basal temperature, which is a sign that progesterone is being produced. The main problem with using this method is that your temperature rises after ovulation has already occurred. This makes it more difficult to time intercourse at an optimal time for conception. A better method is to use over-the-counter urine ovulation predictor test kits such as Clearblue Easy. These kits test for the hormone that prompts ovulation, which is called luteinizing hormone (LH).
(04 of10)
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4. Most women with blocked fallopian tubes are completely unaware they may have had a prior pelvic infection.About 10 percent of infertility cases are due to tubal disease, either complete blockage or pelvic scarring causing tubal malfunction. One major cause of tubal disease is a prior pelvic infection from a sexually transmitted disease such as chlamydia. These infections can cause so few symptoms that you may be completely unaware your tubes are affected. This is why fertility physicians will order a dye test of the tubes, called a hysterosalpingogram (HSG), if you have been trying and failing to conceive for 6 months or longer.
(05 of10)
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5. In most cases, stress does not cause infertility. Except in rare cases of extreme physical or emotional distress, women will keep ovulating regularly. Conceiving while on vacation is likely less about relaxation than about coincidence and good timing of sex.
(06 of10)
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6. By age 44, most women are infertile, even if they are still ovulating regularly. Even with significant fertility treatment, rates of conception are very low after age 43. Most women who conceive in their mid-40s with fertility treatment are using donated eggs from younger women.
(07 of10)
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7. Having fathered a pregnancy in the past does not guarantee fertility. Sperm counts can change quite a bit with time, so never assume that a prior pregnancy guarantees fertile sperm. Obtaining a semen analysis is the only way to be sure the sperm are still healthy!
(08 of10)
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8. For the most part, diet has little or nothing to do with fertility. Despite popular press, there is little scientific data showing that a particular diet or food promotes fertility. One limited study did suggest a Mediterranean diet with olive oil, fish and legumes may help promote fertility.
(09 of10)
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9. Vitamin D may improve results of fertility treatments. A recent study from the University of Southern California suggested that women who were undergoing fertility treatments, but had low vitamin D levels, might have lower rates of conception. This vitamin is also essential during pregnancy. At Pacific Fertility Center, we recommend our patients take 2,000-4,000 IU per day.
(10 of10)
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10. Being either underweight or overweight is clearly linked with lowered levels of fertility. The evidence in recent years is that obesity is clearly linked with a longer time to conception. Having a body mass index less than 18 or over 32 is associated with problems ovulating and conceiving, as well as problems during pregnancy.