"A woman derives such a large part of her identity from her body. Yet we don't want to acknowledge the body, we don't want to acknowledge its desire and needs. We don't take adequate care of it. Every woman must acknowledge every part of her body and nurture it," Balan said.

Balan said there has been a lot of change in society with education and awareness, ''but still we have a long way to go''.

''A small step will go a long way. When a woman visits a gynaecologist, may be, she should insist her father, partner or son to come along,'' she said.

Noting that women are embarrassed and feel awkward about certain health issues, she said that if women are accompanied by family members to gynaecologists, her family will understand her health issues. ''The more people see, the more they move forward and attitudes change,'' she added.