What is a VCUG?
The voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG) test is the alleged “gold standard” to diagnose vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), also known as kidney reflux, in pediatric patients. It was initiated in the 1960s and has been performed without reform ever since. Despite its high diagnostic value, VCUGs are repeatedly proven to result in the same trauma as child sexual abuse (CSA). However, the risk of psychological harm is not disclosed to parents.
How did the Unsilenced Movement start?
After recovering repressed memories of her VCUG test as a toddler, Shelby Smith went on to have a miscarriage weeks later. After stumbling upon the sole online forum where women could speak anonymously and openly about VCUG trauma, she turned to activism in her grief. In April 2023, she launched the Unsilenced Movement to provide a platform for former patients to recover their voices in healing and advocacy.
What was the vision behind MORE THAN A TEST?
After recognizing the damning similarities among VCUG survivors, Shelby endeavored to let unsilenced voices speak for themselves. MORE THAN A TEST strives to put VCUG survivors front and center, focusing on the young women whose lives were irreparably altered by VCUGs in early childhood.
What is a "VCUG Survivor"?
A “VCUG survivor” refers to former patients who underwent voiding cystourethrograms (VCUGs) in early childhood or adolescence. The vast majority of these patients are women because vesicoureteral reflux predominantly affects females. Little girls are also more likely to develop UTIs due to anatomical reasons. Recurring UTIs are the primary clinical indication for VCUG referrals.
What has the Unsilenced Movement accomplished since its founding in 2023?
The Unsilenced Movement has unified thousands of former VCUG patients in advocacy and healing. Within a month, we reached over 2.2 million people online. Today, we host virtual support groups for VCUG survivors as old as 60 and as young as 10 from all over the world. Our website has reached nearly 40 countries.
What inspired the film?
After decades of believing she was alone in experiencing the traumatic effects of VCUG, Shelby went on to connect with hundreds of women who experienced the same symptoms. After starting a virtual support group for survivors, Shelby went on to interview several former patients. Overcome by the striking similarities in their stories and her own, she decided to convey the overarching narrative of VCUG survivorship in film.
What is the Unsilenced mission?
The Unsilenced Movement is committed to achieving a five-part mission: 1.) establishing standardized protocol for VCUG performance, referral, sedation, and follow-up; 2.) officially retiring the VCUG test as the “gold standard” in favor of safer available alternatives; 3.) holding healthcare providers accountable for fulfilling their ethical and legal obligations under the informed consent doctrine; 4.) educating pediatric patients and their families about the true risks of VCUG, as well as less traumatic alternatives; and 5.) preventing providers from unethically advocating against VCUG reform and alternative treatments that are already established as safe and effective.
What do VCUG survivors have in common?
A myriad of health effects have been observed in VCUG survivors, including child sexual abuse symptoms (CSA), chronic avoidance of medical care and cancer screenings, PTSD/CPTSD, self-injurious behaviors, eating disorders, vaginismus and pelvic floor dysfunction, reduced quality of life on multiple scales, suicidality, and mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, and OCD.
Director Bio
Shelby Smith, 29, founded the Unsilenced Movement in April 2023 after nearly three decades of health issues. After recovering her repressed memories of VCUG while pregnant, she went on to have a missed miscarriage weeks later. At a time when healing felt unachievable, she turned to activism in her grief.
Starting the Unsilenced Movement was more than a way to heal. To Shelby, it was a nonnegotiable next step upon realizing the VCUG test is still widely performed today. In an effort to save other young women from leading the same poor quality of life she did—one rife with suicide attempts, chronic illnesses, domestic violence, self-harm, and emotional abuse—Shelby set out with one thing in mind: to be heard.
Shelby lives in Colorado, where she hosts virtual support groups for VCUG survivors around the world. A full-time marketing professional by day and a storyteller at heart, Shelby has a longstanding passion for filmmaking, social justice, women’s rights, and creative writing. Her experiences with mental illnesses make her a trusted confidante for women battling similar issues. In her free time, she enjoys binge-watching documentaries and “certified fresh” horror films.
