The Female Body Has What?!

 

Internal and External Female Anatomy

Elizabeth Reis captures the essence of intersex bodies in the light of medical personnel over a span of more than 300 years. Although the essay is only 30 pages long and requires her to make broad strokes about intersex bodies in the public eye, she does an excellent job pulling apart the attitudes and understanding, mostly the lack thereof, about intersex bodies. She discusses the medical understanding of genitalia and how confusing the mix of male and female reproductive organs becomes. As physicians tried to understand these individuals, it becomes clear in Reis’ discussion that the medical world, let alone the general public, had very little understanding of female anatomy.

            With men dominating the practice of medicine and historically being the revered physicians, the male body easily became the most familiar body in medicine. How is the male body put together? What does a ‘normal,’ healthy male body look and act like? How well do different treatments work on the male body? What dosages work best for men? What physicians neglected to understand was the female body along with it. The reproductive systems are, for all intents and purposes, completely different. The endocrine systems, as a result, are also vastly different and impact the functioning of rest of the body. The female body is the carrier of life and is designed as such. The womb is a delicate home that also rages with fire and life. A woman’s body, adaptable, in ways a man’s body could never even fathom. That’s why, time and again, the actions of male physicians led to the death of either mom, baby, or both during birth. And why midwives succeeded in keepingboth alive and healthy. 

            Consistently, there also lacks an understanding of women’s pleasure through their anatomy. As Reis recounts, “manuals found in America offered scant reference to the clitoris and even less discussion of its purpose” (420). Sex of the past really was all about reproduction. And if it was maybe about pleasure, even just occasionally, it was about the man’s. It’s incredibly frustrating to think that so many women had to suffer through sex, watch their male partner enjoy himself, and get nothing but a swollen womb for nine months in return. All because no one would discuss the basic anatomy of women’s sex organs. Even more unfortunately, that although we no longer live in the 1600s, pleasuring a women is still understood to be either unnecessary or a burden.

            Both of the above likely could’ve been prevented if the medical community of the past had bothered to thoroughly and respectfully taken the time to understand a women’s body, for gynecological exams occurred as follows:

 

Physician Exam of Woman's Reproductive System

Clearly, this provides the examining doctor very little information about the anatomy of a woman and mostly just the opportunity to cop a feel under the guise of medicinal examination.

            So what, other than the lack of pleasure for a women and the potential and very real threat of dying during childbirth due to ignorance, were the ramifications of this missing medical knowledge? Well, let’s see. How many women who suffered from various uterine issues, like endometriosis, extremely painful menstruations, or amenorrhea, didn't receive the proper medical treatment because no one bothered to learn about these conditions? How many women felt incredibly uncomfortable in their bodies, because they didn’t feel it okay to talk about their periods or what was going on with their vagina? How many women improperly cared for their reproductive systems during menstruation or pregnancy/childbirth?

            At this point you may be asking yourself, eh who cares? All this happened centuries ago and they’re all dead now anyway! Consider this: women who attempt to consult their primary care physicians or gynecologists about abnormal menstruation are still too frequently brushed aside, at least based on anecdotes I’ve heard. Or that during middle and high school, when girls start getting their periods, they feel shame and embarrassment about the subject. Or that tampons and pads are still taxed in many states, seen as a luxury item. Puh-lease. If I could choose when to have it or simply not have my period, I would. My uterus bleeding once a month is certainly not a luxury. And I’m pretty sure no one wants menstrual blood on their furniture.  

            And what about horror male gynecologist stories, where the physician objectifies the woman’s body to his co-workers or residents? Or, possibly worse, uses his patient’s body as a source of pleasure? Nikita Levy, a physician through Johns Hopkins Health System, recorded hundreds of women’s reproductive organs via a camera disguised as a pen.  Not only was this a repeated act detestable, his understanding of women and their bodies illustrates the discomforting lack of respect for women’s bodies in the medical field, even today.

Another recent issue in medicine today is the different medical understanding of pain. Do women feel more pain than men? Is their pain more often dismissed by health professionals? Check out this paper for more information.

So, what needs to change? Clearly, there are still lingering deficits in understanding female anatomy. The general public swirls with misunderstandings of women’s reproductive systems and how their anatomy lends to pleasure. The medical community seems at a loss for completely understanding medical conditions of the female reproductive system. A better look into the female anatomy, reinforced by a push in the medical community, would certainly help change the understanding of medical professionals in their treatment of women.

Organizations like Planned Parenthood have great public service announcements and activism that include information about the female body and resources to help the public get better access to proper care. They also provide a venue for open questions and concerns about male and female anatomy, safe sex, pregnancy, and sexual health treatment. It’s organizations like these that finally open up the conversation about female and male reproductive organs.