Dr. Jen Gunter, a Modern Women's Health Hero

One of the best things to happen on social media is finding someone entirely worth befriending or following. For me, this happened on a typically boring internet day when I saw an article by a woman named Dr. Jennifer Gunter (also referred to as Dr. Jen, but Dr. Gunter if you're not on her good side).

I remember cringing, wondering how she could possibly have the audacity to say something as gross as "period diarrhea." Then the gears began to turn, and I recognized what I was doing: I was giving into the socially acceptable concept that talking about the completely natural experience of menstruation and all of the unpleasant things that come with it was taboo. If you're someone with a vagina and you're reading this, have you ever experienced shame from someone for mentioning your monthly experience on some level? Most of us, if not all, have had that unfortunate feeling of shame just for menstruation against our wills. Dr. Jen was just right there, promoting the concept for educational purposes, and she wasn't ashamed whatsoever.

She wasn't ashamed, so why should I be?

It's no secret that people who have vaginas have been shamed and ridiculed for things like "period funk" and "dirty vaginas." Through reading works by Dr. Jen, I realized I was worrying about the wrong things. I devoured her information about only needing water to "wash" and remove any scent created from sweat and bacteria; I enjoyed her consistency in explaining the differences between the vagina and the vulva (which, by the way, aren't even dirty words.) Following her gave me confidence to avoid embarrassment of things I had no reason to be ashamed of, and it empowered me with education.

I'm thirty-three years old. I've had a vagina my entire life. The fact that there are still things I don't know about my own genitalia and reproductive system astounds me, and it raises the standards for your OBGYN because how could I have had doctors take care of me without being able to tell me these things?

A Little About Dr. Jen

Dr. Jen is a Canadian-born OB/GYN and pain management physician who is OB/GYN board certified in both Canada and the United States with certifications in pain medicines in the United States. Her studies began in The University of Manitoba School of Medicine before proceeding to the University of Western Ontario to complete OB/GYN training. From there, she studied at the University of Kansas to complete a fellowship in infectious diseases and continued her studies in pain medicine.

Additionally, Dr. Jen has authored multiple books, including:

The Preemie Primer: A Complete Guide for Parents of Premature Babies (as a mother of premature babies herself, this book comes with personal perspective as well as accurate medical information)

The Vagina Bible (covers literally everything you need to know about vaginas, vulvas, labia, and reproductive tracts)

The Menopause Manifesto (everything you need and should know about menopause)

She is educated and passionate about her work, with a presence that draws your attention with awe at how bold she is without hesitation. Her goal is to empower and share knowledge, and she takes that goal seriously.

Plus, She's Just Cool

She's lighthearted in the right occasions and enjoys showing the softer sides of herself. The fiercest Twitter warrior against health misinformation is also on a mission to ensure people have nothing to feel ashamed of regarding their mental and physical health concerns/issues with their vaginas.

Additionally, she has an incredible taste in shoes, and everyone who follows her can agree that her style is admirable.

How Else Does She Advocate?

Perhaps the most astoundingly enjoyable take-down I've ever seen on social media occurred with none other than Dr. Jen. Vagisil released a line of products for teens, and Dr. Jen was not having one single bit of it.

She made us all aware that Vagisil was targeting teenagers in what is disguised as "vaginal health" and started her full-on goal of spreading the word that their products were unhealthy for teenage use. Appropriately positive health experiences start right away in life, and our beloved Twitter OB wasn't having the negative emotional effects of a product line like this...especially for teenagers.

She's not just attacking for the sake of disliking the products. Dr. Jen clearly lays out medical facts behind the repercussions of the use of the products. Her mission is to empower and educate, and that is exactly what she was doing in this series of tweets. I followed the updates on these religiously, loving the strength of this woman, this doctor who cared about the truth so much.

Gotta love the sass she throws in every so often as well, but the information she shares is important and her regular reminders and corrections are useful for anyone in need of vaginal health education. She provides a lot of free knowledge just following things like this!

Dr. Jen's Still Teaching (Thankfully!)

If you visit her website, you'll see that Dr. Jen's newest venture is her podcast "Body Stuff" that teaches us even more cool health stuff, along with finding other ways to follow current medical information like her blog or other social media platforms.

"Body Stuff" is not just about reproductive health, either! She talks about health in general, discussing truths and myths and sharing general knowledge that a lot of people who lack access to affordable medical care can benefit from. One podcast in, and she was hearing praise on Twitter!

Why Am I Even Writing This?

For years, I've been too comfortable with shame, and her ferocity inspired me to change that about myself entirely. Any person who can inspire mental health growth and change is worth the time to write about. Dr. Jen Gunter is a gynecological treasure if there ever was one, a strong woman, a fierce advocate, and someone who is succeeding in every goal she has to change the world one healthy body at a time. If I can reach at least one person who benefits from her medical assistance on social media like I did, then I feel accomplished in creating this article.

As such, Dr. Jen is (to me) the current declared Queen of Women's Health Month this May of 2021.