Last week, professional diver Rhiannan Iffland hit headlines over the world for sustaining a stomach-wrenching injury to her intimate regions whilst enjoying some holiday fun at a water-park.
What started out as a light-hearted social media stunt - after the sportswoman took the plunge on a slide that was sign-posted as 'men's only' - soon dissolved into a medical emergency, with Rhiannan was almost left unable to stand.
What she was unaware of at the time - having believed the water park managers were simply being sexist with their restriction - was that this slide had been found to cause damage to several female rider's vaginas in the past.
Advert
As a result of Rhiannan's holiday horror story, another set of female adrenaline junkies are this week issuing a warning about a similar health risks that a certain sport can result in, imploring women to be careful when taking part.
But what exactly happened to the diver's downstairs that has left so many other athletes speaking out about similarly dangerous activities?
Let's just say, in recent years, there have been reports of women having their insides 'ripped apart' by high-speed water slides.
In fact, according to the National Library of Medicine in the US, women can sustain horrific injuries if high pressure water enters their body, while there is also a risk of infections due to the foreign bodies found in the water.
Advert
Speaking of her own mistake, Rhiannan told press at the time: "It was never my intent to mock the safety regulations of this water slide. A person’s safety is paramount and I am constantly weighing up any danger with my job.
"To suggest otherwise, is wrong."
As we say, however, apparently, Rhiannan's health battle is also fought by countless water-skiers per year, with serious injuries to the vagina, perineal area and rectum being common for female part-takers.
Often referred to by medics as the 'water skiing douche' or 'water skiing enema', these types of female injuries can cause heavy blood loss if not treated, and in the worst cases, can result in death.
This nightmare occurs when a water-skier falls backwards towards the water in a seated position with their legs spread apart.
Advert
When their behind meets with the water below at great force, a flood of liquid can enter the vagina or rectum, with the worst cases seeing women suffer lacerations to the vaginal wall, or an entire rectal blow out.
The might at which the water flows into the body can also cause life-threatening internal issues, including vaginal perforation, and damage to the bladder, cervix, uterus or fallopian tubes.
In these cases, fast action is imperative, so any traces of bleeding from your nether regions must be reported to a medic, who may see it fitting to apply perineal pressure packs to the area, or determine that emergency surgery is needed.
Rhianna Benson