Wednesday’s special “Loose Doctors” edition of Loose Women left audiences stunned when medical experts demonstrated how to perform vulva self-examinations live on air.
The ITV daytime programme featured Dr Amir Khan and Dr Zoe Williams crouching over mirrors to show the inspection technique during the health-focused episode.
Accompanied by Dr Nighat Arif and Dr Hilary Jones, the quartet addressed a number of topics regarding viewers’ health and their frequently asked questions.
Discussions centred around concerns about the health of a loved one, how to make the most of GP appointments, and the dangers of googling symptoms.
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However, when Dr Amir and Dr Zoe joined Dr Nighat for a demonstration of how to check vulvas correctly to ensure a clean bill of health, several viewers didn’t know where to look.
The medical professionals used long-handled mirrors positioned between their legs whilst explaining the examination process, with Dr Nighat providing commentary on the proper technique for self-checking.
Kicking off the segment, Dr Amir quipped that one of the areas he was “most passionate about” was the vulva. “Medically speaking,” he clarified.
“I have a big female patient group and they come and see me and they’ve delayed coming to see me because they’re embarrassed about it and they have something on their vulva,” he explained.
“Now, some people haven’t even heard of the vulva or know what it is. Basically, it’s the entire outside part of the female genitalia. So everything you can see is the vulva.
“The inside bit, that’s the vagina, so the vagina isn’t the outside bit… Now, what I want to say to all women watching this is there’s nothing embarrassing about your vulva. Use that word, ‘vulva’, it’s anatomical.”
Dr Amir went on to warn that, particularly after the menopause, women should regularly inspect their vulvas in case of any notable changes to their appearance.
Dr Nighat then chipped in to go over in more detail the anatomical areas of the female genitalia. She also warned about changes to the vulva in new mums that they should be aware of.
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Dr Zoe then echoed the concerns of her colleagues, revealing she’d had “people” come to her with some of the complaints that had been raised so far.
Warning that patients shouldn’t merely self-treat for thrush, Dr Zoe continued: “Left untreated for a long period of time, it can actually change the architecture of the vulva. People can get fissures, people can get where the labia have fused together, and I’ve seen that.”
Dr Hilary then weighed in to emphasise the importance that “women feel empowered to go see the doctor”. “My tip when you’re talking to the receptionist is you don’t have to tell them specifically what’s wrong,” he began.
“They’re just trying to guide you to the right person, so broaden it out, say it’s a gynecological issue… Then, do you want to see a male doctor or a female doctor? You can tell the receptionist. Some people prefer to see a man, some people prefer to see a female doctor.”
Dr Amir then demonstrated a vulva examination for those with “less dexterity,” while the more “flexible” Dr Zoe showed a different approach. The two proceeded to hold their mirror in front of their crotches while taking up a series of different positions.
After the demonstration, Dr Zoe returned to her seat, but not before asking the audience: “Out of interest, members of the audience who have a vulva, who checks your own vulva?”
Several women in the crowd raised their hands and cheered, prompting an enthusiastic response from the panel of medical experts.
Rounding out the chat, Dr Amir emphasised the importance of regular self-examination, stating: “So our message today is get to know your vulva. Get to know what is normal for you, what is abnormal.
“Check your boobs once a month – which you should be doing. Check your vulva as well.”
While the programme was intended to educate, several ITV viewers were left unimpressed with Dr Zoe’s language, in particular, as she seemingly adopted gender-neutral language when talking about the female anatomy.
Others were also unhappy at the topics being raised during a lunchtime panel show. One X user hit out: “‘Members of the audience who have a vulva…’ the word you’re looking for is women. Women have a vulva, men don’t. #loosewomen.”
Meanwhile, a second echoed: “Women have a vulva, people don’t. Why can’t they say women? Dr Amir did, and Dr Hilary has, but the two female doctors haven’t. #loosewomen.”
Elsewhere, a third queried: “How have we got to the stage where a Man is given the job of demonstrating (on himself) how to ‘check your Vulva’ #LooseWomen.”
“‘Get to know your vulva and your labia’ – Even the bloke is doing this. Erm… #loosewomen #loosedoctors,” a fourth added while a fifth also questioned: “Why was the male doctor imitating checking your vulva? And why, if he was doing it, why did Dr Hillary not do it? I don’t get why he needed to do that #LooseWomen.”
And a sixth fumed: “Well, that was the most cringe thing ever seen on daytime TV…#loosedoctors #loosewomen.”
However, despite the criticism, the show did receive plenty of support from fans who found the one-off edition of the show informative.
“Great episode today,” one fan praised on X. “More health topics, please. Dr Khan is a natural presenter, needs his own show! #LooseWomen.”
A second similarly lauded: “A lot of idiot joking comments today, but this episode with doctors has been informative. Joking aside, I did learn something new. Getting an appointment with a GP is not easy can be distressing for many #loosewomen.” (sic)