Stephanie Thompson has an invisible disability and became fed up with abuse on occasion for using disabled parking at a Woonona supermarket, spurring her to make her first film and a new podcast.
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The author of The Day My Vagina Broke is the centrepiece of a new documentary having a free online premiere on Thursday night, highlighting how debilitating pelvic organ prolapse can be.
"Some people might not like to think of it as a disability but when it stops you from living your daily life literally - walking to your letterbox or picking up your child or being able to go to your job - it definitely is a disability," Mrs Thompson said.
She may not be missing an arm or leg but her life has been severely impacted after the "amputation" of her pelvic floor muscles off the bone through childbirth, and she can no longer walk or stand for more than 10 minutes without pain.
Some form of the condition will affect 50 per cent all women who have given birth by the time they reach 50, according to the the Continence Foundation of Australia, but it's still not a common subject discussed at antenatal classes or mothers' groups.
Some people might not like to think of it as a disability but when it stops you from living your daily life literally ... it definitely is.
- Stephanie Thompson
Mrs Thompson had never heard of prolapse until post partum and is now campaigning for change so the condition is spoken about at birthing classes, by GPs and obstetricians to help prevent more women suffering when it can be prevented.
"The pressure is put onto women to learn to birth their babies through books, but when the books don't say the word 'prolapse' then how can they ever know?" she said.
"This film really is highlighting this for women who are unseen and unheard, because there's a taboo about talking about your vagina."
The short film, My Invisible Disability, will have its world premiere on Facebook at 8pm Eastern Standard Time with the aim to highlight "women who are unseen and unheard".
The documentary was put together by Mrs Thompson and a team of undergraduates from the University of Wollongong (Carla Prospero, Kate Grimwood, Dan Byrnes), and has been entered into the Focus On Ability Short Film Awards.
The Australian-based film festival is designed to encourage filmmakers to focus on the ability of people with disability with the public encouraged to vote for their favourite films from around the globe.
On September 8 Mrs Thompson will also launch the Downlow podcast (through www.bravemumma.com) and will cover all women's health topics from "periods to pregnancy, motherhood to menopause".
"We've been keeping this horrible secret women's business for too long."
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