Hi Milli while i love this piece the biology pedant is wanting to amend your biological language bits....Lactobacillus is the generic name for several different species which live in the vagina and Lactobacilli is therefore the plural. And as it is the generic name it needs an upper case initial letter. similarly, while the most common fungal species causing thrush is Candida albicans, there are other Candida species which are also found. And Candida, being a yeast is a type of fungus. Plural fungi. I would happily proofread for free if you wanted me to, am already feeling embarrassed but I just think it's important having taught/lectured in biology since 1968 .......
Oh please don't apologise, I am sure I do need a proof reader. Will try and correct, although I fear the proof reader for the book itself (from which I adapted this extract) may have left it with a lower case L, and C, and also left it as 'fungi', rather than 'fungus'...this is the nightmare of book writing, you cannot make changes now, and it will go out into the world, even if (every writers worst nightmare 3 weeks before pub date) it contains something that will have me shot. YIKES! xx
Seriously I will proofread for free or as a final check if you want! I bought your period book for my granddaughter, she loved it. Science vocabulary is complex. I'm also pretty good on grammar and spelling old school with teacher parents and no spellcheck!!
Well it's too late for the hardback which is going through the printers as we speak i think! 🤦♀️ I spotted about a dozen mistakes when I did the audiobook (reading a book aloud is best way to find errors in my experience!) But it's been through several editors, a medical expert read and a proof read. So 🤷♀️
It's a very kind offer though and if you spot any errors in the first edition let me know and then they can correct them for the kindle / paperback etc! Much appreciated ❤️
Great article. Just as researchers have ignored women's bodies when studying human physiology, medicines, even seat belt designs, they also ignore lesbians when studying women's reproductive parts. (Psst, we have babies too. We just don't have sex with “people with penises.”) Lesbians are at a lower risk of STDs unless a partner is shooting up drugs. Then HIV, HepC and other diseases are introduced into our communities. What's the impact on vaginal bacterial colonies from semen or even introducing a pumping penis into that environment? We'll know more when researchers take women's bodies seriously and include lesbians in their research and analysis. If your book has no information on the differences between sexually active heterosexual women and lesbians' vaginal health, then you just left out 5-10% of women.
Lesbians know a lot about vaginas. We came up with the Reverse Diaphragm method of getting pregnant – put the sperm into the cup side of a diaphragm, place it in the vagina up on the cervix (right where it would go if you were trying to block sperm instead of help them find the ovum) and then have an orgasm. That part is key, partly because orgasms do more than just feel good; they cause the cervix to act like a little mouth reaching into the vagina to suck up sperm. Fair warning to other lesbians – sperm stinks. Be prepared to hold your breath while putting it into the diaphragm.
The vagina is an amazing organ that removes waste products during menstruation, is self-cleaning, provides immense sexual pleasure and even births new humans grown in our womb. Magic! Which is why doctors should NOT be using the label “neovagina” for what they surgically create between the legs of men who wish they were women. The last thing women need is for their doctor to be confusing our vaginal care with the medical problems of men with an inverted penis or a piece of their colon lining the tube artificially created between their legs. But go figure – men helping men have a place where other men can shove their penis. Of course that's what they think a vagina is all about. Lesbians know better. It's a lot more than a place for men to screw women.
Hi Sally. I think this would make a great article, and you should write it! “What lesbians know (and men don’t) about the female body”, or similar. I think it could also be a book! The Vagina: A Lesbian History. or similar!! Amazing and much-needed perspective!! xx
Hahaha, I'll get right on that after we get our rights back. Help us. We need as many smart people as we can get involved. Democrats are the ones who destroyed women's rights on the alter of gender identity, but I sure don't trust Republicans to do right by women. Join us.
We've written a US federal bill that reclaims sex-based rights and takes back the language trans ideologues have been beating us over the head with. We've renamed that artificial structure surgically created between a man's legs a mas cavum. That's Latin for man hole. What male transgenders get is nothing like a vagina, unless you think vaginas are only useful to the men who use them.
Contact me via Substack DM if you'd like to be involved with this effort to reclaim our language and our rights. UK women, we're interesting in facilitating a coordinated international approach so that the US and Europe are both on the same page with language and the demand for reinstatement of sex-based rights.
I feel like every GP should be given a copy of your book and made to read it and understand it so they have this updated information about how food affects females!
I eat a mostly gluten and dairy free diet and have noticed that if I eat some types of gluten either accidentally or through lack of choice it affects my vaginal microbiome so I do try really hard to avoid it as it is distinctly uncomfortable!
That's really interesting! Gluten is also interesting, I have read that people with a gluten intolerance often do better with traditionally made / sourdough bread? Do you find this. x
I make my own gluten free sourdough however did try a sourdough pizza at a party when there wasn't another option and seemed to get away with it! I've come across sprouted wheat flour and I'd like to experiment with that as apparently it works for a lot of gluten intolerances
there is a series on Netflix called Cooked with Michael Pollan that I really enjoyed, there are 4 episodes, each is an element, the Air episode is all about bread and it covers some of this as I remember (also it's just a nice series - recommend!) xx
This is such an important topic! Yes, every part of the body is connected and dependent on other parts to stay healthy. Let PFFs (plants, fiber, and fermented foods) be your BFF!
Ha ha I love that, I wish I had had it for the book as I have tried to come up with nice catchy titles for chapters and subsections, but missed that one! DAMN! xx
And what about what your male sexual partner eats affecting the content/pH of his ejaculate. Women who repeatedly have bv or thrush and have already looked at their own diet may find the answer in their partner’s!
Well written. I will be sending women your way to this article. I was so excited to find you here -heard your interview on Birthing Instincts podcast. We import an herbal wash product that is quite well known in the Chinese Medical community that is used to nudge the vaginal microbiome back into balance without obliterating it. I am always mentioning to the women that phone in that the next thing to work on is their diet, though not being a practitioner - I mostly give them the "girlfriends guide" to get started. Our product is called Yin-care®'s Herbal Wash. Aside from that - I really LOVE so much of what you shared with Dr. Fischbein. I think we may need to be in touch moving forward - have you on The Yin-care® Podcast - I'd like to read your books first. Many blessings and thank you for your work and this article! - Margaret
Thanks so much Margaret and welcome to my substack! Lovely to have you! I really loved doing that podcast with Stuart, he is such a nice man and was great to talk to. Interesting what you say about TCM. Thanks! Look forward to talking more! x
I'm glad you're better now. Ragweed makes so many people sick and we're one of the very few places in Europe that don't control it properly.
I also suspect air pollution plays a major role in development of allergies. Over here is horrible, especially in winter. I hope you and your family don't have to breathe polluted air
Thank you, this is so interesting. I fear my gut biome is not top notch (currently being looked at in terms of acid reflux) but, touch wood, I think my post menopausal vagina is fine. However, your article did remind me of the time I read a piece that said kale was good for maintaining the cleanliness of the vagina, I could only assume from my failed attempts to cook it, that it was probably best used internally as a brush! 😉
Thanks it does seem one of those areas of women's health where the female body gets the blame when it could all be down to something like diet, doesn't it.
I had a 'massive' fibroid - as I was told every time I had a scan - which was treated by embolisation 10 years ago. It was the size of a 4-month pregnancy while I was actually pregnant, so everyone thought I was having twins. Not once was Vitamin D or diet mentioned - is this because the links have only been discovered since then, or because it's women's health so no one cares?
I think most of the studies are more recent than 10 years but it would be interesting to hear from someone with a new diagnosis now and what they are being told. I find it frustrating when the retort is, 'not enough evidence', because, in the case of food, it's a completely risk free thing for women to try, so why not suggest it? If it doesn't work, nothing is lost. Hmmm...
I also eat gluten free, yeast free and sort of dairy free and feel much better than before. I also cook mostly from scratch. However, I hoped my respiratory allergies would improve, as my doctor suggested, but it never happened
Thanks for asking. It's dust mies since childhood and ragweed pollen for several years, probably some other pollen too. Ragweed is very poorly controlled over here and it's getting worse for many people.
Interesting I didn't know about ragweed! Just had a Google. I've always had a dust allergy/ asthma but it seems to be a lot better now than as a child. Allergies fascinate me as I have a child with severe food allergies. X
I noted that not only did my vagina symptoms fluctuate cyclically post menopause I would get intense itching within hours of eating refined sugar. I was told I had lichen planus (Biopsy) and dysmennorheoa for years. Not once was diet offered as a solution.
Hi Milli while i love this piece the biology pedant is wanting to amend your biological language bits....Lactobacillus is the generic name for several different species which live in the vagina and Lactobacilli is therefore the plural. And as it is the generic name it needs an upper case initial letter. similarly, while the most common fungal species causing thrush is Candida albicans, there are other Candida species which are also found. And Candida, being a yeast is a type of fungus. Plural fungi. I would happily proofread for free if you wanted me to, am already feeling embarrassed but I just think it's important having taught/lectured in biology since 1968 .......
Oh please don't apologise, I am sure I do need a proof reader. Will try and correct, although I fear the proof reader for the book itself (from which I adapted this extract) may have left it with a lower case L, and C, and also left it as 'fungi', rather than 'fungus'...this is the nightmare of book writing, you cannot make changes now, and it will go out into the world, even if (every writers worst nightmare 3 weeks before pub date) it contains something that will have me shot. YIKES! xx
Seriously I will proofread for free or as a final check if you want! I bought your period book for my granddaughter, she loved it. Science vocabulary is complex. I'm also pretty good on grammar and spelling old school with teacher parents and no spellcheck!!
Well it's too late for the hardback which is going through the printers as we speak i think! 🤦♀️ I spotted about a dozen mistakes when I did the audiobook (reading a book aloud is best way to find errors in my experience!) But it's been through several editors, a medical expert read and a proof read. So 🤷♀️
It's a very kind offer though and if you spot any errors in the first edition let me know and then they can correct them for the kindle / paperback etc! Much appreciated ❤️
Great article. Just as researchers have ignored women's bodies when studying human physiology, medicines, even seat belt designs, they also ignore lesbians when studying women's reproductive parts. (Psst, we have babies too. We just don't have sex with “people with penises.”) Lesbians are at a lower risk of STDs unless a partner is shooting up drugs. Then HIV, HepC and other diseases are introduced into our communities. What's the impact on vaginal bacterial colonies from semen or even introducing a pumping penis into that environment? We'll know more when researchers take women's bodies seriously and include lesbians in their research and analysis. If your book has no information on the differences between sexually active heterosexual women and lesbians' vaginal health, then you just left out 5-10% of women.
Lesbians know a lot about vaginas. We came up with the Reverse Diaphragm method of getting pregnant – put the sperm into the cup side of a diaphragm, place it in the vagina up on the cervix (right where it would go if you were trying to block sperm instead of help them find the ovum) and then have an orgasm. That part is key, partly because orgasms do more than just feel good; they cause the cervix to act like a little mouth reaching into the vagina to suck up sperm. Fair warning to other lesbians – sperm stinks. Be prepared to hold your breath while putting it into the diaphragm.
The vagina is an amazing organ that removes waste products during menstruation, is self-cleaning, provides immense sexual pleasure and even births new humans grown in our womb. Magic! Which is why doctors should NOT be using the label “neovagina” for what they surgically create between the legs of men who wish they were women. The last thing women need is for their doctor to be confusing our vaginal care with the medical problems of men with an inverted penis or a piece of their colon lining the tube artificially created between their legs. But go figure – men helping men have a place where other men can shove their penis. Of course that's what they think a vagina is all about. Lesbians know better. It's a lot more than a place for men to screw women.
Hi Sally. I think this would make a great article, and you should write it! “What lesbians know (and men don’t) about the female body”, or similar. I think it could also be a book! The Vagina: A Lesbian History. or similar!! Amazing and much-needed perspective!! xx
Hahaha, I'll get right on that after we get our rights back. Help us. We need as many smart people as we can get involved. Democrats are the ones who destroyed women's rights on the alter of gender identity, but I sure don't trust Republicans to do right by women. Join us.
Well I'm in the UK but I've certainly been trying to argue the case for women's rights here, and will continue to do so. xx
Great. I'll connect over Substack DM.
We've written a US federal bill that reclaims sex-based rights and takes back the language trans ideologues have been beating us over the head with. We've renamed that artificial structure surgically created between a man's legs a mas cavum. That's Latin for man hole. What male transgenders get is nothing like a vagina, unless you think vaginas are only useful to the men who use them.
Contact me via Substack DM if you'd like to be involved with this effort to reclaim our language and our rights. UK women, we're interesting in facilitating a coordinated international approach so that the US and Europe are both on the same page with language and the demand for reinstatement of sex-based rights.
Interesting!
I feel like every GP should be given a copy of your book and made to read it and understand it so they have this updated information about how food affects females!
I eat a mostly gluten and dairy free diet and have noticed that if I eat some types of gluten either accidentally or through lack of choice it affects my vaginal microbiome so I do try really hard to avoid it as it is distinctly uncomfortable!
That's really interesting! Gluten is also interesting, I have read that people with a gluten intolerance often do better with traditionally made / sourdough bread? Do you find this. x
I make my own gluten free sourdough however did try a sourdough pizza at a party when there wasn't another option and seemed to get away with it! I've come across sprouted wheat flour and I'd like to experiment with that as apparently it works for a lot of gluten intolerances
there is a series on Netflix called Cooked with Michael Pollan that I really enjoyed, there are 4 episodes, each is an element, the Air episode is all about bread and it covers some of this as I remember (also it's just a nice series - recommend!) xx
Oh thank you for the recommendation, sounds exactly my kind of watching! Xx
This is such an important topic! Yes, every part of the body is connected and dependent on other parts to stay healthy. Let PFFs (plants, fiber, and fermented foods) be your BFF!
Ha ha I love that, I wish I had had it for the book as I have tried to come up with nice catchy titles for chapters and subsections, but missed that one! DAMN! xx
I’m the queen of acronyms and such.
And what about what your male sexual partner eats affecting the content/pH of his ejaculate. Women who repeatedly have bv or thrush and have already looked at their own diet may find the answer in their partner’s!
Yes good point. You need to get your own lactobacilli in prime condition ready to fight anything he introduces!!
Oh yes I've heard this before!
Well written. I will be sending women your way to this article. I was so excited to find you here -heard your interview on Birthing Instincts podcast. We import an herbal wash product that is quite well known in the Chinese Medical community that is used to nudge the vaginal microbiome back into balance without obliterating it. I am always mentioning to the women that phone in that the next thing to work on is their diet, though not being a practitioner - I mostly give them the "girlfriends guide" to get started. Our product is called Yin-care®'s Herbal Wash. Aside from that - I really LOVE so much of what you shared with Dr. Fischbein. I think we may need to be in touch moving forward - have you on The Yin-care® Podcast - I'd like to read your books first. Many blessings and thank you for your work and this article! - Margaret
Thanks so much Margaret and welcome to my substack! Lovely to have you! I really loved doing that podcast with Stuart, he is such a nice man and was great to talk to. Interesting what you say about TCM. Thanks! Look forward to talking more! x
I'm glad you're better now. Ragweed makes so many people sick and we're one of the very few places in Europe that don't control it properly.
I also suspect air pollution plays a major role in development of allergies. Over here is horrible, especially in winter. I hope you and your family don't have to breathe polluted air
No we are lucky we live very rurally.
Thank you, this is so interesting. I fear my gut biome is not top notch (currently being looked at in terms of acid reflux) but, touch wood, I think my post menopausal vagina is fine. However, your article did remind me of the time I read a piece that said kale was good for maintaining the cleanliness of the vagina, I could only assume from my failed attempts to cook it, that it was probably best used internally as a brush! 😉
I think I'd much rather eat it to be honest and I don't really like it that much either 😆
I'm glad that you're talking about this because you're right no one else is.
Thanks it does seem one of those areas of women's health where the female body gets the blame when it could all be down to something like diet, doesn't it.
I had a 'massive' fibroid - as I was told every time I had a scan - which was treated by embolisation 10 years ago. It was the size of a 4-month pregnancy while I was actually pregnant, so everyone thought I was having twins. Not once was Vitamin D or diet mentioned - is this because the links have only been discovered since then, or because it's women's health so no one cares?
I think most of the studies are more recent than 10 years but it would be interesting to hear from someone with a new diagnosis now and what they are being told. I find it frustrating when the retort is, 'not enough evidence', because, in the case of food, it's a completely risk free thing for women to try, so why not suggest it? If it doesn't work, nothing is lost. Hmmm...
I also eat gluten free, yeast free and sort of dairy free and feel much better than before. I also cook mostly from scratch. However, I hoped my respiratory allergies would improve, as my doctor suggested, but it never happened
Oh that's a shame. What are they allergies to? Just curious. I don't have an answer, but maybe someone else will.
Thanks for asking. It's dust mies since childhood and ragweed pollen for several years, probably some other pollen too. Ragweed is very poorly controlled over here and it's getting worse for many people.
Interesting I didn't know about ragweed! Just had a Google. I've always had a dust allergy/ asthma but it seems to be a lot better now than as a child. Allergies fascinate me as I have a child with severe food allergies. X
It's mostly from power plants still burning coal 😞 in a southern country with plenty of sunshine and windy all year round
I noted that not only did my vagina symptoms fluctuate cyclically post menopause I would get intense itching within hours of eating refined sugar. I was told I had lichen planus (Biopsy) and dysmennorheoa for years. Not once was diet offered as a solution.