haus of vagina: a community for conversation & compassion

how April Davis’ work as a female health educator makes her a voice for women

Apr 10, 2025

**originally written in April 2024**

“Wait, there’s four phases of a menstrual cycle,” I question, “I thought it was just when I bleed.” After attending a women’s creative conference, my mom connected with female health coach April Davis. Lurking through her Instagram, my mom stumbled upon posts detailing a woman’s hormonal cycle. “Apparently there’s four–who would’ve known!” my mom replies, “what is luteal?” Without my mom teaching me—my beacon of wisdom for the female body–how would I have discovered the true hormones women experience every month? To top it off, my doctor had never uttered the word luteal, let alone sit me down to describe how women’s hormones work. Instead of learning through these traditional modes, I discovered the truth about my body from an influencer.

April Davis, founder of Haus of Vagina (formerly The Vagina Blog), hears stories like mine far too often, which prompted her to create her platform. Davis’ platform is a safe space for women to talk all things female health: periods, orgasms, the phases of the menstrual cycle, sex toys, and everything in between. What started as a long-form blog in January of 2018 has evolved into a podcast, Instagram platform, and line of merchandise, all with the goal of providing accessible education and conversation to women about their health.

April Davis / @hausofvagina on Instagram¹

1 Back in February, I met with Davis over Zoom. Answering the video call in the school pickup line, Davis immediately radiated comforting energy, juggling between her roles of mom and health educator. Before starting her blog, Davis worked in emergency medicine–possessing an EMS certificate–and visual tech, including graphic design, photography, and videography. After her pregnancy with her second child, Davis realized that childbirth was her calling. “Childbirth is where I belong,” Davis explained, “It’s where I’m meant to be.” Beginning as a birthing assistant, Davis became a doula with her own set of clients. The birth of her third child, and an autoimmune diagnosis for her second child, inhibited Davis from going back to the on-call life, but she didn’t want to stop supporting women’s health. “I can’t sit on all this information. I have too much knowledge [and] I’ve learned too much.” By this time, Davis was a female health consultant for a handful of mommy blogs and had posted some columns herself. “So, I was ready to niche down, vaginas only,” Davis says laughing. Haus of Vagina was born.

Within a year of starting Haus of Vagina, Instagram became the key element of Davis’ business. “Right after I started, Instagram was already a thing, but it was exploding,” Davis explains, “I was really seeing the benefits of short form [write-ups] and Instagram posts.” Now with over 47,000 followers, Davis has built an online forum filled with health knowledge, women’s history, and funny memes about women’s health. Recently, Davis posted daily reels detailing the needs and feelings that occur during the phases of a woman’s menstrual cycle.2

Davis has also created educational merchandise, including a cycle tracking journal, an audio course with tools to live ‘cyclically’, and a vulva and clitoris plush named Ruby.3 Working with brands, Davis shares her favourite products to her followers–including Flex’s bamboo period products4–and collaborates with brands–like Rozie June to create menstrual health accessories5–to monetize her platform. Davis plans to ramp up these partnerships this year, as she recently completed her Bachelor of Psychology degree (congrats April!).

6 The Haus of Vagina brand has also expanded into a podcast, with two seasons currently available and the third one in the works. This venture started as a response to doctors who send Davis messages to belittle her project. As Michelle Konstntinovsky from Glamour writes, although “…the American Medical Association has dedicated a specific section of its code of ethics to ‘professionalism in the use of social media,’ these best-practice tools are not hard-and-fast rules…[and] social platform/…regulations are even more opaque,”7 which can cause the spread of misinformation online. While Davis agrees that “…an Instagram influencer shouldn’t be [someone’s] best resource,” her followers often share stories of doctors who “don’t have the time to educate” females on their health. In a 2023 YouGov study, researchers found that 48% of women were not prepared for their first period8, showcasing the lack of female health education available for women.

This dismissal was Davis’ inspiration to start her podcast and provide conversations with female health experts. One episode, Davis sits down with Dr. Nicole Williams, “a board-certified gynecologic surgeon and founder of the Gynecology Institute of Chicago,” to discuss her book, “This is How You Vagina: All About Your Vajayjay and Why You Probably Shouldn’t Call It That.”9 In another, Davis talks all things pelvic floor health with Dr. Uchenna Ossai, “a sex-positive pelvic health physical therapist and sexuality educator and counselor…[and] pelvic health program manager at UT Health Austin.”10 Through giggles and personal stories, these thirty-to-fifty-minute conversations spread researched information for women, in an accessible way. One reviewer praises how the episodes are “packed with awesome information for people with vaginas,” noting how “some of this info is life changing…[because] [Davis] gets into misconceptions and misinformation we have about our bodies and how they work.”11 “If I’m not going to be the expert in everything, because I can’t,” Davis explains, “I might as well see if I can get all the experts and get the most correct information.”

Many of Davis’ followers are females in US society, who are desperate for answers. “They don’t get the time they need with their medical team,” Davis explains, and their family members don’t have all the answers, “so they don’t know who to ask…[or] where to go.” The current landscape of sex educators often “…cater to the fringe…or they go a little over-the-top,” Davis explains, “…which scares away the conservative crowd completely, and it scares away a large portion of that middle chunk.” Davis’ goal is to provide a space for that “middle chunk” –individuals who want to learn about their health in sexy way and an informative way. “…[I] talk about orgasms but in a practical way…[or] talk about menstrual blood but maybe don’t put it on my face,” Davis explains laughing, “…how can I bring in some of that stuff without ostracizing and scaring people of?”

“If I talk to people in a learning space… and empower them to talk to their doctor…maybe they’re making better choices by the time they’re pregnant.”

April Davis

Davis accomplishes this goal with her platform, receiving immense gratitude and kindness from her followers. One commenter explains how Davis’ vulnerable “POV provides [them] the validation [they] very much need,”12and another praises Davis’ accessible information, posting “#IFEELSEEN.”13 She also receives intimate queries daily, being asked anything from what a female orgasm truly is to opinions on IUDs. Davis often provides resources to her followers and shares her personal experiences, showcasing the true need for accessible educators on female health.

Working in childbirth, Davis saw firsthand how harmful childbirth can be, and the lack of conversation about these dangers. As the Wilson Center researched, the American “maternal mortality rate… increased from 12 to 14 deaths per 100,000 live births from 1990 to 2015.”14 The rate of women dying in childbirth is increasing, and there are little to no support systems in place for new families after giving birth. Due to this, according to Paid Leave US, “1 in 4 women go back to work less than 2 weeks after giving birth because the vast majority of Americans (86%) have no paid leave.”15 These statistics motivate Davis in her project, as she explains that “If I talk to people in a learning space… and empower them to talk to their doctor…maybe they’re making better choices by the time they’re pregnant.” It’s a matter of providing realistic and accessible information to women about how the current medical landscape treats women, so individuals can be educated and question these standards.

Given the overturn of Roe V Wade, leading to the increasing restrictions on women’s bodies, Davis’ platform is a must for women in the US. Currently, fifteen states ban abortions, in which eleven have “no exceptions for rape or incest.”16 With Alabama ruling frozen embryos as children17 and Arizona “reinstating an 1864 law…barring abortion in nearly all circumstances,”18 Davis is taking a stand. “Stop making women’s bodies political,” Davis demands in a recent Instagram reel, “the female body…and our healthcare is not a pawn in politics.”19

20 In our interview, Davis explained how people “…need to understand what’s going on right now, and how this could affect you.” We’re “…seeing people who have been raped and have to carry to term…[and] people who have died from ectopic pregnancies,” because of the lack of abortion rights, so individuals are finally realizing how this can affect them. In teaching women about female health, Davis advocates for women’s reproductive rights and gives women the tools to fight alongside her.

Overall, Davis gives a voice to women: a voice of education on female health, a voice that brings awareness to our ailments that may not be addressed, and a voice that questions the current female health laws. When describing her platform, Davis describes that she wants to share “…empowerment, advocacy, empathy, [and] understanding” with her followers. “We’re all having different experiences,” Davis explains, “and a lot of shared experiences as well, that we [just] aren’t talking about.”

Davis, April. “When I first introduced…” Instagram, November 11, 2021.

Davis, April. “Haus of Vagina.” Instagram, www.instagram.com/hausofvagina/.

Davis, April. “Welcome! Let’s Talk about Vaginas…” The Vagina Blog.

Davis, April. “Flex Partnership.” Instagram, March 29, 2024.

Davis, April. “Rozie June Partnership.” Instagram, April 11, 2024.

Davis, April. “It’s Called a Vulva” The Vagina Blog, https://hausofvagina.com/its-called-a-vulva/.

Konstantinovsky, Michelle. “Doctors Are Now Becoming Influencers-and Lines Are Becoming Blurred.” Glamour, November 11, 2022. https://www.glamour.com/story/doctor-influencers.

Orth, Taylor. “American Women Describe Their Experiences with Menstrual Periods.” YouGov, May 11, 2023. https://today.yougov.com/health/articles/45700-women-describe-experiences-menstrual-periods?redirect_from=%2Ftopics%2Fhealth%2Farticles-reports%2F2023%2F05%2F11%2Fwomen-describe-experiences-menstrual-periods.

Davis, April. “This Is How You Vagina with Dr. Nicole Williams.” Spotify.

Davis, April. “Pelvic Floor Health with Dr. Uchenna Ossai.” Spotify.

Davis, April. “Haus of Vagina Podcast on Apple Podcasts.” Apple Podcasts, December 7, 2022.

Davis, April. “‘I’m Loving This Trend…’” Instagram, April 10, 2024.

Davis, April. “Day 12: Follicular…” Instagram, February 17, 2024.

Wilson Center. “What Explains the United States’ Dismal Maternal Mortality Rates?” Wilson Center. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/what-explains-the-united-states-dismal-maternal-mortality-rates.

Paid Leave US. “PL+US Paid Family Leave Messages That Resonate.Pdf.” Google Drive. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HZ3LKmTDhkRFVG7zTkHVt53Wwi2dyrAd/view.

Choi, Annette, and Devan Cole. “Abortion Law State Map: See Where Abortions Are Legal or Banned.” CNN, April 9, 2024. https://www.cnn.com/us/abortion-access-restrictions-bans-us-dg/index.html.

Donegan, Moira. “Alabama Is Using the Notion That Embryos Are People to Surveil and Harass Women.” The Guardian.

Choi, Annette, and Devan Cole. “Abortion Law State Map: See Where Abortions Are Legal or Banned.” CNN.

Davis, April. “Stop Making Women’s Bodies Political…” Instagram, March 28, 2024.

Davis, April. “Stop Making Women’s Bodies Political…” Instagram.

References