How does embarrassment affect your health?

from Inside Health · host BBC Radio 4

There are so many campaigns now to stop stigma and embarrassment - from Davina McCall talking about the menopause to Idris Elba campaigning for black men to get their prostate checked. And when we asked for your stories of how embarrassment impacts your health, our inbox was flooded with stories of incontinence, IBS, genital problems, skin issues, fertility troubles, fatty lumps and more - along with the huge and varied ways these issues are affecting your lives. So, how does embarrassment affect how we behave regarding our health, how can doctors and our health service adapt to alleviate it, and do awareness campaigns really help? To discuss James Gallagher is joined by:Dr Margaret McCartney, GP Dr Vanessa Apea, consultant in sexual health at Barts Health NHS Trust and Medical Director at Preventx Professor Ruth Parry, communications expert who studies clinician-patient interactions about sensitive issues. Plus, James gets some top tips to help alleviate embarrassment when talking to your doctor. Presenter: James Gallagher Producer: Hannah Robins Content Editor: Holly Squire Production Coordinator: Ismael SorianoThis programme was produced in partnership with The Open University.