Roxanne Ramsey is no doctor, but sis is helping people with vaginas take care of them. From products, to problems, to pleasure, Roxanne is not afraid to go there. She’s created a space for us to talk about all things we were never supposed to talk about. On top of making that space and herself available, Roxanne is using tools like the largest sexual and reproductive telehealth company in the US – Wisp (hellowisp.com) – actively arming people with vaginas with the knowledge and language to advocate for their health.
As the saying goes: necessity is the mother of invention, and Roxanne Ramsey’s journey as a health advocate started from her own frustration with the healthcare system. “I experienced bacterial vaginosis for about five or six years – it wouldn’t go away,” she recounts. “And I went to a doctor’s appointment and my doctor basically told me, ‘I don’t know what to tell you.’ In those words exactly.”
Feeling beyond frustrated by the interaction, she hopped on TikTok and fearlessly put all of her business out there. The video blew up; because, as you probably could have guessed if you’re a woman, that level of frustration is something so many of us have felt. Sure, the content she shared was relatable; but Roxanne’s experience had left her with tons of information about bacterial vaginosis specifically.
Soon, she found herself fielding questions in her comments and DMs; and she realized how much her less than perfect quest for vaginal wellness could empower other women. What Roxanne had come to discover was that being able to have an informed conversation with your healthcare provider makes a world of difference.
That’s what helped her finally get a handle on her struggles with BV. The journey started with Roxanne following her doctors’ instructions. “Each time I went in, they would tell me to change my diet or my hygiene routine, and nothing would change,” she says. “I came to the conclusion that I was getting it from sex. And my doctor told me that it wasn’t possible.” By that point, Roxanne was more than determined than ever to understand what her body was going through. So she kept pressing, even when the medical community was hitting her with a bunch of “nopes” and dead ends.
What she came to learn was that, part of what makes BV so difficult to treat is the language that surrounds the diagnosis: since very little research has been done about the bacterial infection in men, doctors typically won’t point to men or sex with men as a cause. At most, they might attribute sex to “throwing your pH out of whack,” but that’s about it. “I always say, you can change all of your soaps, what you’re eating, you can use boric acid, but if you don’t know the trigger, you don’t know what you’re treating,” Roxanne points out.
As she continued to share information and answer questions from her growing audience, the topics began expanding to other vaginal wellness and reproductive concerns. However, her approach to each and every topic remained the same: gather as much information as possible. Along the way, she discovered Wisp – the largest sexual and reproductive telehealth company in the US. The online resource takes a unique approach to wellness that offers people with vaginas a wealth of information and resources about a wide range of health and wellness topics – from skincare to STI treatment.
More than just information, Wisp’s Symptoms Quiz allows users to bypass the waiting room in many instances. By answering a handful of questions, you’re able to confirm a diagnosis with a US-licensed provider and have a prescription sent over to your local pharmacy. This process is revolutionary for people like Roxanne. “When you experience recurring infections,” she explains, “you end up going to the doctors like 3 times a month. This is a much more simplified process, especially when you’re familiar with your symptoms.
While the platform aims to “reinvent the healthcare system,” making “sexual healthcare inclusive, cost-effective, and accessible for everyone,” Roxanne offers one piece of advice to those who are just discovering Wisp: “It’s important to have an idea of what you’re dealing with. I’ve had people reach out to me and describe something that they think is BV when it’s not. And that’s when I always say go to the doctor.”
Luckily, Wisp can help with that part too.*
*Use promo code: BLAVITY for 15% off at HelloWisp.com
This editorial was brought to you by Wisp