Introducing Founders Note #001

Dear you,

We often talk about hormones in connection with mood, energy, sleep and menstruation.

But as a gynecologist, I experience again and again that hormonal changes can be felt in many other places in the body – including the intimate area.

Perhaps your skin suddenly feels drier or more sensitive. Perhaps you become more easily irritated after shaving. Perhaps sex feels different. Or perhaps you simply notice that something that used to work fine no longer feels quite right.

It does not necessarily mean that something is wrong. But it can be a sign that your body has changed. Because the body is not static and hormones change throughout life.
From cycle to cycle. After a pregnancy. When you start or change contraception. And not least in the years around perimenopause and menopause.

The hormonal changes can, among other things, affect skin and mucous membranes, moisture, sensitivity and the vaginal environment.

This is one of the reasons why I believe that intimate health should be seen as a natural part of our general health. Not as something separate.
And not only as something we talk about when a problem arises.

So what can you do yourself?

First and foremost: Listen to your body.

You do not need a complicated intimate routine. On the contrary, it is often a good idea to keep it simple and gentle.

And remember that the vagina has its own complex microbiome, which is affected by hormones, among other things, and changes throughout your life.

That is why we are spending September talking much more about hormones, the body and intimate health

Over the course of this month, we will dive into some of the questions I meet again and again:

• What happens in the intimate area when hormones change?

• How can hormones affect moisture and sensitivity?

• What do we know about the vaginal microbiome?

• Why can the intimate skin suddenly react differently?

• And how can we take care of the body through the different phases of life?
  

I hope you will follow along both on @youcare.dk and @gyndoktor

Because I believe that more knowledge about our bodies should not make us more worried.

It should make us more secure.

Best wishes,

Dorthe Snejbjerg
Gynecologist, PhD & founder of YOUCARE