ONLY half of women aged 26-35 can identify a vagina on a picture of the female reproductive system, a survey has found.

The study, by women’s cancer charity, The Eve Appeal, also found that a third of women surveyed in the south east say they have a problem using the words vagina or vulva, and nearly a quarter resort to using code names such as ‘lady parts’ or ‘women’s bits’ to discuss gynaecological health.

More than a quarter of women in the south east said they found it difficult to talk to their GPs about gynaecological health, and 15 per cent admitted that they had avoided going to the doctor altogether due to embarrassment.

One in four women from the region also couldn’t name a single symptom of any type of gynaecological cancer.

The Eve Appeal has now launched a campaign for young women to face up to their embarrassment about gynaecological health, in order to prevent cancer. There are five gynaecological cancers – ovarian, cervical, womb, vulva and vagina.

Currently 55 women are diagnosed with a gynaecological cancer every day in the UK.