Septum (...not for the squeamish)

English

Alternative spellings

• saeptum

From Latin septum, saeptum, enclosure, hedge, fence, perfect passive participle of sepire, saepire, hedge in, enclose.

septum (plural septa or septums)

1. (anatomy) A wall separating two cavities; a partition; as, the nasal septum.
   • 2002, Springhouse, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Illustrated Manual of Nursing Practice, page 1158

     Deviated septum, a shift from the midline that commonly occurs in normal growth, is present in most adults.

2. (botany) A partition that separates the cells of a fruit.
3. (zoology) a. One of the radial calcareous plates of a coral. b. One of the transverse partitions dividing the shell of a mollusk, or of a rhizopod, into several chambers. c. One of the transverse partitions dividing the body cavity of an annelid.

Related terms

• nasal septum
• interventricular septum

wall separating two cavities in anatomy

I guess the picture portrays my kind of septum quite well. Mine separates the vaginal walls up to the uterus. Now, I have had this all my life, it's given me loads of problems, like prolonged bleeding after rape, difficulties with intercourse (one side is smaller than the other), not being able to have a natural birth but deliver with caesarian, not being able to use tampons ... well I am sure you get the picture! Just over the past 4 years it has NOT given me any problems . That is because a) I am not of childbearing age anymore, b) I don't have periods anymore and c) I don't have sex anymore. The only occasional issue is, every 5 years I need to go for a smear test. It usually takes 3 - 5 appointments with the treatment room to get a valid sample. Recently my doctor has even refused to try and is sending me to the hospital for a gynaecology appointment to get said smear. Also ... not a problem for me. I rather have it done there and in one go, than repeated visits to my local health centre. But now my doctor suggests that I talk to the Gynae consultant about having the septum removed! Now??? Why should I? This needs to be done under anaesthetic, which I am not happy to go under. I have had so many 'little deaths', as I call them, in my life, I don't want another one. I rather wait for the one and only, thank you very much. When I asked the doc, why she thinks I should have this op done, she argued, that it would make easier access for the future. Doh! Easier access for who? Just the health professionals, that's who! And bei my counting in will be 4 or 5 more times that they need "access". So, I have decided I won't have it removed. It's mine and I am keeping it. So there!!!!!