The EcoV Monologues

October 2025

Inspired by The Vagina Monologues, a play turned global phenomenon that gave voice to women’s lived experiences and celebrated the power of intimate storytelling, GPE is putting a fun twist on the title with our latest blog: EcoV Monologues, where environmental justice meets vaginal health.

In this post, we're amplifying the work of our sister organization Women's Voices for the Earth(WVE), and helping push this critical conversation forward. We dare to speak openly about what’s often kept quiet: our bodies, our health, and the products we use every day. 

​​In 2021, WVE, a national environmental health organization, founded Vaginal Health Week to raise awareness about menstrual and intimate care equity and to address the need for access to safe, effective, and sustainable products.

As their billboard states plainly, talking about our "vajayjays" as my favorite TV doctor, Miranda Bailey, so fondly calls it, has been stigmatized for far too long. On top of that, research on women’s health, especially Black women’s intimate health, has been historically underfunded and overlooked. As a result, in the U.S., Black women are more than twice as likely to develop bacterial vaginosis and face a significantly higher risk of fibroids. 

You may be asking what do these terms mean 🙇🏾‍♀️ Bacterial vaginosis is the most common vaginal infection in people of reproductive age. It happens when the natural balance of bacteria in the vaginal microbiome is disrupted. And fibroids are non-cancerous (benign) growths that develop in or around the uterus (womb).

If you want to get into the science behind these health conditions, check out this podcast that breaks down common vaginal infections for Black women specifically.

But let’s talk about where the environmental justice piece comes in.

These health disparities are also deeply connected to larger systemic issues like chronic stress from racism and environmental exposures. Black and brown communities are more likely to live near industrial facilities, face higher levels of pollution, and have limited access to quality healthcare. That makes it even harder to find and treat health problems early.

And don’t even get me started on how impossible it is to find a physician that looks like us…Black women currently make up only 2.8% of active physicians in the U.S.

It took me over three months to find a Black woman physician (eye twitch) and I live in Atlanta, the so-called Black mecca. Even then, it can still feel uncomfortable to share intimate details with your physician. But it’s important to take care of your health in the ways you can!

So, don’t skip out on your annual wellness checks, STD screenings, and UTI assessments. And yes, even the dreaded Pap smear is a step toward prevention.

Also, when it comes to products, less is often more. Women’s Voices for the Earth shared some alarming stats in their Detox the Box campaign:

• A 2018 survey in Canada found that people who used vaginal or genital hygiene products were three times more likely to report adverse symptoms than those who didn’t.

• Another study tested popular “feminine” products like moisturizers, lubricants, and spermicides—and found that all three killed lactobacillus, one of the most beneficial vaginal bacteria.

  
  

And it’s not just about extra products we sometimes use.

Pads and tampons, the products we need every single month, can also be harmful. A 2024 study by UC Berkeley found toxic metals like arsenic and lead in many popular tampon brands, including those labeled “organic.”

So what can you do? This is the EcoV Clean-Up.

• Educate yourself and others. WVE has a plethora of resources, from fact sheets, take actions, petitions, to educational webinars.

• Check out toxin-free brands like LOLA or others that are committed to ingredient transparency. Take a look at this factsheet that lists ingredients to stay away from.

• Support policies that demand transparency and ban harmful chemicals. Bill Tracker: Menstrual Equity Policies in the United States

• Listen to your body and advocate for care that centers you! Self-Advocacy Tips for Patients of Color

  
  

Because caring for your vaginal health is not just personal. It’s political. It’s environmental. It’s justice.

Follow Women’s Voices for the Earth and Girl Plus Environment to stay tuned for our social media campaigns and action steps during Vaginal Health Week.