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Almost every image I have ever seen of the female anatomy always appears to show our uterus is a t-shape standing tall with her arms outstretched.
The arms I am referring to are of course the uterine tube's, otherwise known as the fallopian tube's. Their accurate name is the uterine as it is attached to the uterus, fallopian is the name of the person who claimed to have discovered it.
In every picture I can remember I thought it was a tall uterus with arms out by the side. It is not. Why is it important that we know what shape and where our uterus sits? Does it really matter as long as it functions ok? Even when it is evident that we have menstrual or menopausal issues most of us jog along to the clinic, pop up on the table and let other's decide what we need. And Yes I have also done that as I didn't know and I certainly didn't know what questions to ask or if I had other options of treatments.
We need to know because it is our body and we live in our body, it is our home. We are very aware of our outside body and how we look. We worry and put a lot of effort into our external shell. Why wouldn't we want to know about how our body loves to operate, to understand how she flows when in harmony and to know what questions to ask when we need support from complimentary and medical practitioners.
I did biology in school and loved it, we had a really strict teacher so you learned by rote and to pass the exams. But I still loved it, I just don't remember learning that much about the female anatomy. Then again I went to a catholic school run by nuns...so it's not that surprising. They did their best.
So let's wind back to our body. Well over 70% of women struggle with menstrual physical pain or emotional pre menstrual symptoms. And it is believed to be higher in peri and menopausal women. If we knew more about our body, how we cycle as women and what symptoms means what, wouldn't we know more about how we could help ourselves? Could we have our own practices to support ourselves or at best choose from different practitioners what you need? Dare I even say it, would you be able to tune in and ask her what is wrong and what she needs? Is that radical? It probably is for many of us.
So let's return back to anatomy and biology. If knowledge is power, in this instance I very much believe in it. More importantly, knowledge brings choice and options.
Do you know that our Uterus has an optimal position that she needs to be in to function? It is like the spine ideally we are not crunched over, walking on the inside of our feet or squashing nerves as we sit in mostly sedentary jobs. If the utuerus is hanging out where she is meant to be and not "wandering", yes that is a term for when our womb is not in situ then it will cause issues "down the line". I put this "down the line" in inverted commas because I don't know about you but I always think "down the line" means it won't happen to me and it's always so vague what does it even mean really? It sounds more like a threat similar to if you don't eat your vegetables you won't grow!
The uterus is joined to our vagina, which is joined to our vulva. The uterus has a particular shape and position in our pelvis that ensures that it functions at is best. When it is in this position the pelvis is in divine order, in other words the cells can breathe, energy can flow, stagnancy is reduced and we can hopefully minimise issues and pain. There are no guarantees, but I am sure you would agree, best to know what good looks like, right!
When the uterus shifts from its natural position it affects the blood and lymph flow, It can disrupt nerve connections and press on the lymph vessels creating congestion. There are so many factors that can affect the position of our uterus. It is held in place by ligaments, which are like elastic bands that can over stretch and misalign the uterus. When they are in harmony and in the right place the arteries, nerves, veins and lymphatic vessels are in flow.
One of the aspects of working with menstrual health for the past years and more recently training as an Abdominal Therapist I now appreciate the beauty that the female body is. Did you know that the uterine tubes curl back behind the uterus, you know the 2D image that I always thought meant that the uterus stood up tall and that her two arms were out each side. They are not, the uterine tubes are actually curled behind her so that she can capture the egg when released from the ovary. If they are in a different position what happens with the egg? It would be difficult to conceive right.
And what happens to our whole cycle if our hormones can't flow from our pituitary gland all the way down to our pelvis which is what it needs to do. How does it get the messages to the relevant areas and what happens if the uterus has wandered or is leaning against some cells or nerves and creating stagnancy?
We always want all our organs and spine to be in harmony. For our physical health, but also for our mental and spiritual health. It is hard to be kind to ourselves, have clarity or be kind with our words if our body is out of alignment.
For now I will leave you with above video, with images and audio of the 3D images from an app called Visible Bodies. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
I am Susan Sheehan, Abdominal Therapist, Energy Healing, Menstrual Health & Fertility Practitioner and Ayurvedic Lifestyle Mentor. I am part of the global Abdominal Therapy Collective so you are interested in visiting a therapist you have over 400 around the world to choose from. If you have any questions do drop me a line here or on my email mna@susansheehan.com or on instagram susansheehan.womenshealth.