Pilonidal Is Not Just a “Guy” Disease
This site was built by a woman and many of these are my experiences. When I first figured out what my condition was from reading an article in Prevention Magazine, 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 butts who rode around in jeeps.
Needless to say, I was appalled and horrified that I had this problem because we women are programmed from the time we are little girls to have body hair issues. 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. It was a massively painful flare-up that finally drove me into a doctor’s office for a lancing.
The experience of doing this website startled me at first. I was amazed at how many women commented on the forums and wrote in with their own stories. I discovered that I was not only NOT alone, I was one of thousands and thousands of women with Pilonidal Disease. What you will read around the web is that Pilonidal affects mostly MALES (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 spend just as much time today parked at our desks and sitting poorly in our chairs as men do.
Pilonidal and Hormones
To answer a common question, yes, women do tend to notice Pilonidal flare-ups coincide with menstrual cycles. Many of us assume it’s because of the hormone fluctuations that cause our pores to produce more oil, thus blocking follicles on our faces (hence the slang term “menstruation constellation”) and other body parts, such as a natal cleft.
Lastly – 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 we can, no matter what gender.
Don’t worry, you won’t be the only female in the waiting room. I guarantee it.
— Sandy
Related Links
What is a Pilonidal Cyst / Pilonidal Abscess? Here is where you will find the basic facts of what a Pilonidal is and how they generally tend to form.
How Pilonidals develop in the natal cleft, based on theories and research of Dr. John Bascom. What are the risk factors?
Find support from your fellow sufferers.
This page last updated: January 2, 2019
