From eating disorders to STDs and bowel problems, for most women, the thought of talking to a doctor about such personal medical conditions is unimaginable, resulting in most ignoring the problem in the hope that it might go away. To help put a stop to women suffering in silence, all because they are too embarrassed to talk openly about their body concerns, Coleen Nolan will be tackling a whole host of medical problems that affect women on a new show on Sky Real Lives called The Secret Guide To Women's Health.
Coleen will be speaking to a variety of different women of all ages who feel ashamed, misunderstood and isolated because of the personal medical issues they suffer from. By encouraging women on the programme to talk openly about the problems they have kept quiet about for so long, Coleen aims to explode the myths surrounding them and help more women feel able to open up when it comes to embarrassing health concerns.
Out in the open
One of the women Coleen will be speaking to on The Secret Guide To Women's Health is Amanda Klopper, a 38-year-old woman who suffers from Irritable Bowel Syndrome. IBS is an incredibly common condition affecting three times as many women as men but, because the symptoms can be incredibly embarrassing most women find it difficult to share their discomfort with others. During a flare up of her IBS, Amanda's stomach can become so bloated that she looks nine months pregnant. She is unable to fit into any of her clothes and feels lethargic and miserable resulting in her hiding inside the house until her episode has subsided.
Marian Nicholson, a 58-year-old charity worker will also be appearing on the show to discuss how she has coped after being diagnosed with genital herpes. Marian was at first relieved that at least the herpes was hidden and not on her face but, after her sister sent her an article about herpes which included examples of people killing themselves and avoiding loving relationships, she says she felt like a leper. After struggling with the condition for a number of years, Marian got involved with the Herpes Virus Association which allowed her to see that, by making some lifestyle changes, she could continue to live her life to the full.
On the road
As well as dealing with different women's medical problems, Sky Real Lives launched their very own Secret Surgery Road Show to allow women all over the country to receive expert medical help for problems they may have previously shied away from visiting their GP about. The specially-designed van toured the length and breadth of the country with Dr Rosemary Leonard who will offer advice and solutions to the many health issues that women find too embarrassing to talk about with their friends and family.
Coleen hopes that the advice and information given on the show and on the Road Show will show women how important it is to talk openly about the issues affecting them rather than staying silent;
"I hope that women sitting at home watching the programme, thinking they're the only one with this problem, or those who have been too embarrassed to mention it to anyone, might recognise the symptoms and think that does sounds like me, I do need to go and sort this out.
It is reassuring to hear doctors telling you to not be embarrassed, because they aren't embarrassed. They only look at you in a medical, professional way. They're not going to look at you and think, oh god her boobs are terrible! They won't criticise you in any way. Hopefully, if it only helps one woman who watches, then it's worth doing. The women on the show said that they were so thrilled to have a programme they could come onto and discuss these problems, they said they wished this type of programme had been on when they first got their symptoms."
The Secret Guide to Women's Health is on every Tuesday at 10pm on Sky Real Lives- Sky Channel 243 and in HD on 278.
Tune in to Sky Real Lives - the only channel dedicated to bringing ordinary peoples' extraordinary stories to life on TV. Visit www.sky.com/reallives or call 08442 410419 for details on how to receive Sky.
