Welcome to NoTwo Women. (Initially we called it No Two Women Are The Same, but quickly realised that #NTWATS, well, had the word twat in it.)
You won't find two women who've had the exact same experience with puberty, menstruation, fertility or menopause. That's exactly why we created this series.
None of it's easy. A lot of it's confusing. And all too often women are delving into chat rooms and Facebook groups looking for factual answers to the questions their bodies are asking of them. We want to provide an information source for women (and men, too) that is accurate and reliable but also curious when it comes to women's health in 2017.
By curious, I sometimes mean perplexed; confused by the fact that legislation still exists in NSW and Queensland which mean women are breaking the law if they have an abortion in those states. The concept of abortion is daunting enough for anyone who might consider or need one, let alone trying to understand the confusing rules put in place by the government which may further muddy the waters.
We're going to cover so many acronyms you'll be able to make alphabet soup. PCOS. OBGYN. PMS. HPV. I mean, the world of STIs and STDs alone is fascinating (really). There are lesser known sexually transmitted infections you maybe haven't heard of, (like Donovanosis and Ectoparasites and Trichomoniasis... oh my!), so we'll take a look at what the hell they are, plus spell out the 'hows' and 'whys' of the more common STDs and how they're best treated and avoided.
Serendipitously, I am writing this blog post before I dash off to an imaging centre for an internal ultrasound, in the hunt for suspected Endometriosis -- another topic we will tackle. You might think that's TMI, but that's the exact barrier we're trying to break down. When it comes to women's health we need to stop seeing these topics as taboo and start talking about them. In detail.
Take miscarriage, for example. It surprises people to learn that one in four Australian pregnancies end in miscarriage. That's a quarter of all pregnancies. While that's a shocking number, it makes miscarriage so common that it should be openly understood, yet often women who experience one feel alone (and unnecessary guilt) because it is rarely discussed.
Of course, we aren't going to leave men out of this. I mean, if the world of women's health is confusing to females, it's no wonder some men are left scratching their heads. HuffPost Australia's own Ant Sharwood wants to know what a pap is and why it's being smeared, and if menopause really means women's desire for men pauses.
We'll be calling on a wide range of industry experts to help us better navigate a lot of these confusing topics. This Thursday at 1pm (AEDT) our editor-at-large Lisa Wilkinson will be taking your questions on the HuffPost Australia Facebook page and discussing fertility, pregnancy and IVF with Doctor Devora Lieberman, one of Australia's leading fertility experts.
It's called No Two Women, and precisely because we're all unique we want to hear about your experiences. Let us know what you want to read by emailing notwowomen@huffingtonpost.com.au.
Until then, we'll see you in the biscuit aisle every 28 days.
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Throughout 2017, The Huffington Post Australia is running a series called No Two Women. The series will cover everything women, and men, need to know about what women deal with thanks to their hormones.
We want to hear about your experiences, and about what you want to read. Let us know by emailing notwowomen@huffingtonpost.com.au or contribute a blog post by emailing blogteam@huffingtonpost.com.au