Vaginal health in Flanders remains a difficult (conversational) topic. Also according to Marjan De Roeck, an enthusiastic thirty-something who participates and donates to Isala, the taboo must disappear. Like thousands of other women, Marjan supports Isala on a scientific level, but her financial contribution also makes the difference for Isala.
You can make a difference
“I am someone who likes to contribute to society, so it was natural for me to participate in Isala and to support them financially. Isala is a project where you have 100% certainty that your donation will go to research and where the output is very relevant to society. I will therefore continue to bring Isala to the attention of my own network and to break the taboo surrounding vaginal health together!”
Isala is great
“Personally I think Isala is a super cool initiative, the female microbiome is something we don't have enough knowledge about yet, so we can't always find solutions for (vaginal) problems. Isala makes this topic open to discussion and you learn a lot about your own vaginal health. Isala's communication is extremely clear, with scientific information being shared in an understandable way.”
Participation
“The effective research in which you had to take swabs, a sample of your vagina, skin and saliva, could be done within your own comfort zone, which makes it immediately very accessible. The return was also very smooth and professional. Beforehand, you also had to fill in a lot of questionnaires so that you could be analyzed as well as possible afterwards, because after all, your environmental factors have an influence on your vaginal health and you therefore have these in your own hands.”
“Communication in this area also went very smoothly: for example, I received a postal package containing gadgets such as a tote bag. I would then take this with me to work, mainly a man's world, which immediately worked as a conversation starter. By designing such gadgets, you create visibility and interaction that draws even more attention to Isala, in my case even among men!”
Negotiable for everyone
“The nice thing about Isala is that the thinking is very broad in which the different layers of the population are involved. This immediately makes it inclusive and negotiable for everyone. Financially supporting a study such as Isala is also self-satisfying, you learn a lot about your own vaginal health but also about that of others, such as the different bacteria that can be found on the website. I would certainly recommend it to everyone to participate and donate to Isala because you can really make a difference in society and science for women, including yourself!”