More Than Half of U.S. Women Have Avoided Talking About an Intimate Wellness Concern Because They Felt Embarrassed or Uncomfortable, New Summer's Eve® Survey Finds
More Than Half of U.S. Women Have Avoided Talking About an Intimate Wellness Concern Because They Felt Embarrassed or Uncomfortable, New Summer's Eve® Survey Finds |
| [30-September-2026] |
While 63% say women are more comfortable discussing intimate wellness than five years ago, new research reveals a gap between cultural progress and personal comfort TARRYTOWN, N.Y., Sept. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Women may be talking more openly about intimate health and wellness, but that does not necessarily mean the discomfort has disappeared. New research from Summer's Eve® finds that while nearly two-thirds of U.S. women (63%) believe women today are more comfortable openly discussing intimate health and wellness than they were five years ago, more than half (52%) have personally avoided talking to someone about an intimate health and wellness concern because they felt embarrassed or uncomfortable.
63% say intimate wellness talk is easier today, yet 52% have avoided a conversation due to embarrassment. The findings are part of Summer's Eve's "Let's Talk About It" initiative, which uses humor and candid conversation to help make intimate wellness easier to talk about — because even as the culture becomes more open, many women are still navigating embarrassment, euphemisms and uncertainty around how to have these conversations. The survey of 2,000 U.S. women, conducted by OnePoll, found that only 18% believe vaginal/vulvar intimate health and wellness is discussed openly and comfortably in society today. Nearly one-third (32%) say the conversation is becoming more open, but stigma or awkwardness remains. And when women do talk about female anatomy, many are still speaking in code. Fifty-seven percent say they always, often, or sometimes use a euphemism, nickname, or coded language instead of anatomical terms such as "vagina" or "vulva." Among women who use this type of language, the leading reasons include that it feels less embarrassing (32%), more socially acceptable (28%) or helps avoid making others uncomfortable (27%). "Women are clearly telling us that we've made progress, but there's still a disconnect between believing these conversations should be normal and actually feeling comfortable having them," said Krista Kiisk, VP of Marketing at Prestige Consumer Healthcare. "Summer's Eve has always been part of women's intimate wellness routines, and 'Let's Talk About It' is about helping create more space for honest, straightforward conversations — without embarrassment or shame." Humor Can Help Open the Conversation But women also made clear that humor alone is not enough. When asked which approaches they find most engaging when brands talk about women's intimate health and wellness, 42% selected women sharing their own experiences, followed by expert or doctor-backed information (30%), educational information (29%), and straightforward, plainspoken language (28%). Twenty-one percent selected humor. That insight helped shape "Let's Talk About It": use humor to start a conversation, then make room for the candid, useful information women say they want. Even Gen Z Is Still Navigating the Awkwardness Gen Z respondents were also more likely to say they always use euphemisms, nicknames, or coded language instead of anatomical terms — 24%, compared with 11% of Boomers. At the same time, 60% of Gen Z respondents say humor makes intimate health and wellness conversations more comfortable. The findings suggest that even for a generation often associated with greater openness around health, sexuality, and identity, talking about intimate wellness can still feel surprisingly difficult. From an Awkward Conversation to an Unexpected One What began with an unmistakable double entendre became an opportunity for two quite different communities to lean into an unexpected conversation. Summer's Eve joined BeaverCON with a sense of humor — and respect for the conference and the important work of its conservation community — as part of the brand's broader effort to make conversations people might otherwise avoid a little easier to start. "When Summer's Eve first approached us, we certainly did not expect the Beaver Institute and a women's intimate wellness brand to have much in common. But the more we talked, the more we saw an opportunity to have a little fun while introducing two vastly different audiences to conversations they might not otherwise be having," said Ariel Rogers, the Executive Director of the Beaver Institute, the nonprofit that puts on BeaverCON. "BeaverCON is fundamentally about bringing people together, widening perspectives and building greater understanding of beavers, wetlands, and the significant role they play in a healthy ecosystem. If an unexpected partnership helps more people discover that work, we are happy to welcome them to the conversation." What Women Want to Talk About
Summer's Eve is sharing additional findings from the research on the brand's website, along with content designed to continue the conversation around women's intimate wellness. About the Research About Summer's Eve® About Prestige Consumer Healthcare Inc.
SOURCE Summer's Eve | ||
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