This incredible online database helps women find good sexual health care wherever they are in the world

Anyone who has ever settled in a new city knows how frustrating it can be to research and find a sexual health care provider. Fed up with having to jump through so many hoops just to see a doctor, one woman made Gynopedia, an open-source website to help women find and connect with sexual health providers all over the world.

"I lived in Istanbul for a while a few years back, and I remembered how challenging it was to get a proper STD test there," site creator Lani Fried told Broadly. "And not just in Turkey: I have moved to and from a lot of different American cities, and have always had to do way too much research to gain information on what is basic but essential stuff."

Thus, Gynopedia was born.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRF-rWs2GjE?feature=oembed

The open-source database offers free information about how to find sexual and reproductive health care no matter where you are. Users can search by major city and learn where to go for exams, STI tests, safe abortions, or to obtain emergency contraception.

The wiki also outlines the way people in the region treat or stigmatize certain issues surrounding women’s health, and includes information tailored to the LGBTQ community

This helps make it so users can feel safe and informed before making an appointment.

"When I started it, I was driven by the belief that women and all people — no matter their genders — should be able to make decisions about their own bodies," Fried said. "Whether they choose to become parents or have an abortion, to use birth control or not, the choice is theirs to make. Women's health decisions shouldn't be a political issue."

Three cheers for keeping women informed and healthy, no matter what country they’re in.