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This site was built by a woman and many of these are
my experiences. When I first learned what my condition was, I did
what most people did back in the dark ages before the Internet - I
trotted down to the library to do some research. What I learned
there, from musty old medical books, was that this was a “guy”
disease – something that happened to men with hairy behinds.
Needless to say, I was appalled and mortified that I had this
problem. The sheer embarrassment of having this “guy” condition kept
me from seeking treatment for a long time. I put off having surgery
for 7 years because I was too embarrassed to let anyone know that I
had this “guy” problem.
The experience of doing this web site has really opened my eyes
since a significant number of visitors have been female. What you
will read around the web is that Pilonidal affects mostly MEN (note: the
bulk of the research on Pilonidal Disease has come from the Armed
Forces Medical Establishment) - in practice, most surgeons will tell
you that the disease is evenly split between men and women and not
just a “hairy-butt guy” thing.
I also think that more women are developing Pilonidals as society
has changed in the past 30 years. Women are more fully a part of the
corporate work force and we have become the same "office-chair
potatoes" as men always have been.
To answer a common question, yes, women do tend to
notice Pilonidal flare-ups coincide with menstrual cycles. At
this point, it is assumed to be because of the huge hormone
fluxuations that cause our pores to produce more oil, thus producing
acne on the face and adding fuel to fire in the natal cleft.
It’s tough for we women to be comfortable with male doctors messing
in our private parts, but in this case we must get over our
embarrassment so that we get the best care possible. There just
aren’t very many female Colon & Rectal Surgeons out there in the
world and we need to get over our shyness and find the best doctor
out there, no matter what gender.
-- Sasha
This page last updated:
05/24/2008
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