'We're not going to put up and shut up': Cork health event encourages women to seek change
Panellists Laura Dowling, Siobhán O’Donovan, Catherine Keeffe, and Irene Feighan on stage at the Irish Examiner Feelgood September Reset in the Marina Market, Cork. Picture: Chani Anderson
There were tears, laughter and a strong sense of community at the inaugural September Reset Live event in Cork on Sunday morning.
The sold-out event heard calls for advocacy, education, and support in women’s health in Ireland from a selection of experts, followed by an invigorating barre class.
September Reset Live, which was supported by sponsors Precision Biotics and Ireland's Blue Book and emceed by Life/Style Editor Esther McCarthy, saw over 150 readers gather in Cork’s Marina Market for thought-provoking health workshops and workouts.
Known as the ‘Fabulous Pharmacist’ on social media, Laura Dowling spoke to the audience about previously ‘taboo’ areas of intimate health, urging everyone to become more familiar with their vulvas so they can identify potential health concerns.
“It isn't just about sex. Sex is the last thing on women's minds. It's about comfort. It's about care,” Dowling said.
“I’m telling you now, there are women in nursing homes the length of breadth of this country — our mothers, our grandmothers — with urinary tract infection after urinary tract infection, antibiotic after antibiotic, delirium after delirium, because the UTIs are causing these issues, and they are not being prescribed vaginal oestrogen and that would simply clear all of that up, and they would be much more comfortable.
“We need to advocate for them and we need to advocate for ourselves and we need to know that our vaginas fucking matter and we're not going to put up and shut up anymore.”
Dowling encouraged the women in the crowd to embrace their bodies and seek medical help when they feel it is needed, highlighting the connection between pelvic health and mental wellbeing.
Physiotherapist Siobhán O’Donovan enlightened the crowd on how breasts can impact everything from back pain to breathing, and how a properly fitted bra can change your life.
O’Donovan works as ‘The Boobie Physio’ and helps women with fittings and posture issues.
“As a physio, one of the things that I would tend to see a lot is women who are in pain, whether that's back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain,” O’Donovan said.
“One of the things that we also know from the academic evidence-based research is that women have more back and neck pain than men. Did anybody in any of that research go ‘I wonder why that might be?’
"There is nothing in any of the research indicating that one of the potential reasons for women having more back and neck pain is the fact that we have weights that are dragging us forward.”
She said a well-fitting bra can have a huge impact in the sporting world too.
“If I was to run a marathon, and a clone of me was to run a marathon, and the clone is well supported in terms of their breasts and I'm not, the clone is going to get over the line 12 minutes before me. Twelve minutes in a marathon, that's a very significant amount of time.”
‘Wellness Warrior’ Catherine O’Keeffe spoke about the effects of perimenopause and menopause on physical and mental health. She said many women underestimate the effect of their hormones on their health.
“We don't talk about it enough, and it is really, really important from menstruation all the way through,” O’Keeffe said.
“If we don't understand what our hormones are about, then we just don't understand anything from menstruation to fertility, and then, of course, comes perimenopause. It's really important to understand your hormones at every stage of life, and it's really important to get support.”
She encouraged the women in the room to advocate for themselves with doctors and to change GPs if they do not feel supported by their current one.
The speakers also came together for a panel discussion with Editor Irene Feighan and during a Q&A session with the audience, began an emotive discussion about the complexities of guiding older female loved ones through their health concerns.
The event wrapped up with a 40-minute introduction to barre, lead by instructor Emma Barry Murphy.
September Reset Live is part of ’s 25-year anniversary celebration, and editor Irene Feighan highlighted how the internet in particular has revolutionised women’s health in that time.
“We have access to information, we can share experiences and find strength in community. I believe that's one reason why we're all here today: we have a greater sense of strength in community.
"While a lot has changed, while our content has changed an awful lot, I would like to think what hasn't changed is our aims, which is to inform, support, and celebrate women.”
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