CHICAGO – Public figures got personal Monday night at a women’s health event, sharing personal stories to shine a spotlight on the subject matter.
“Guess I couldn’t wait to talk about my cervix,” Supermodel and actress Brooke Shields said.
Shields along with sports journalist and cervical cancer survivor Erin Andrews shared their own stories to advocate for women’s health.
“Even though I had been going to the doctor, I still got cervical cancer. We did remove my cervix. I was not able to carry my child, but did have him through surrogate,” Andrews said.
The big-picture talk from the 99th floor of Willis Tower sparked a broader conversation about the unmet medical needs women have, hoping to create change from experiences in the exam room to the treatment and outcomes.
“There is no reason a pelvic exam that is mandatory for women to prevent cervical cancer needs to be uncomfortable,” said Fahti Khosrowshahi, founder of Nella Speculum.
“I had severe postpartum, and the doctor said it was the baby blues. I was like, that sounds like a cartoon and I was like, I am not okay. It was a doula, a woman, who said, ‘Oh, I think you’ve got postpartum,'” Shields said.
“We’re not a monolith, but women physicians listen more, spend more time with their patients, have fewer readmissions to hospitals,” added Dr. Linda Bradley, leading obstetrician and gynecologist at Cleveland Clinic.
Fresh off her Olympic Gold Medal, Chicago Red Stars superstar Mallory Swanson joined the panel to raise awareness.
“Just being a professional athlete, obviously my health is the biggest thing, also just women’s sports right now is just completely skyrocketing…feed off of each other really well,” Swanson said.
“It’s been important to me to share my experiences because we’re not alone in this,” Shields added.
The big takeaways from Monday night’s conversation were if you’re not happy with your doctor, always feel free to walk out the door and get a second or third opinion. Also, don’t be afraid to speak up and share feedback with your providers as there is power in your voice.