As a journalist,  I’m trained to follow a trail to the end. It would never occur to me to take “No” or “I don’t know” for an answer.

So, when I was struck with a year-long UTI that turned out to be a combination of embedded bladder infection and hormonally mediated tissue damage from the Pill, I went to work using my skills as a researcher and writer to look under the hood (no pun intended lol) of women’s vaginal and vulvar health.

What I discovered along the way was a lack of information, inadequate training in the medical community, and blanket, simplistic remedies and non-evidence based treatment (some of which haven’t even been tested on women’s vaginal tissues) – when there’s actually a wide variety of effective solutions to be had.

Why? Well, there’s a long list but here’s the jist. Highly inaccurate diagnostic testing for many common vaginal, UTI and bladder infections, ineffective treatments, clinical gender bias, little to no real research and significant clinical training and education gaps for vulva frontline providers.

Along the way, I encountered thousands of vajay owners like me, frustrated and yearning not only for answers and relief from a myriad of symptoms. Like all other things, the Vajay knows the way, when given the right conditions for thriving. But what is the way? Why is it so hard to find a light in this forest of conventional diagnostics and medications?

I made it my full-time job to find the answers. What I uncovered were surprising, tried and true best practices for optimizing vaginal health, including how to get the most out of your doctor and the testing system if you are having issues. Oh, and how to find a doctor and other clinicians with the right training to help you which can often be elusive. I’m also tracking some exciting new science on the vaginal biome and vulva now that it’s getting the attention it deserves.

I’ve worked on Wall Street, authored two books, am a published poet and have written about everything from shoes to endometriosis to sea lions. Sharing my vulva wisdom is a new thing, but I’d love to make sure no other woman ever suffered the way I did for something entirely preventable.

I’m sharing all I know from a patient-focused perspective. You’ll learn what it took me countless hours of research and 15 specialists across the U.S. to understand your condition, and how to get the right clinical care if you need it. I’ve built a massive network of clinicians, pelvic health providers, non-profit advocacy organizations, and tested hundreds of products to find ones that are gentle enough for the vajay.

Here’s to becoming your very own vajay whisperer.

Hey, Vajay!©