Your First Pelvic Exam

[Brandye]

No doctor should tell anyone anything. I do not allow mothers in the exam room when I am doing first gyn exams. Pisses some off but the rest know their daughter is getting a good education and will have a purse full of hidden brochures when she leaves.

With riding, sport, tampons and other activities, hymen went long ago. I rarely find more than the slightest hint of of one any more. No assumptions are possible about sexual activity based on the absence of the hymen. If it is intact, then we assume virginity. In short, your doctor will not "know." The first exam rarely involves insertion of anything other than the doctors finger. It is probing but need not be painful. If you have had a penis in there, the finger will not be a challenge. Just relax.

Shaving is irrelevant. Cleanliness is appreciated but DO NOT douche. If any swabs need to be made, they need to capture the natural flora and fauna of the vagina. Douching upsets the balance and renders tests irrelevant. If you are not using condoms, you may want to avoid sex for about twenty-four hours.

[champloo]

yes, but isnt it a neccesity to break the rule if the patient if it is something the parent needs to know (like if you was diagnosed with some sort of contagious sickness or something)???

or whatever...:P

[Brandye]

OK, we use discretion but as a rule nothing between a doctor and patient should be discussed with anyone else. For a minor with a disease, of course the guardian would be told.

The stuff you are concerned about should not leave the exam room.

[Dazed_n_Confused]

I'm 23, based in the UK & have never had a pelvic exam...because, & this may indeed sound really stupid, I did not know I was supposed to!

I asked about a smear test when I registered at my new Doctors after moving home & I was told that they do not do them now until patients are 25.

Should I be worried?!

[Revirginated]

First of all, don't worry. WORRY never solves anything. As others have said here, it is highly recommended that any adult female get "regular" gyn exams regardless of whether she is sexually active or not. Just part of routine health care. "Regular" will depend on age, activity, family history, etc. For example, there is no history of breast cancer in my family so I get a mammogram only once a year based on age. Women with a family history have the exam more often.

I'm not sure about the privacy from parents issue. This may depend on the laws where you live. Most big cities have Women's Clinics that if not free, only have nominal fees.

On a related note, I once read that a lot of men have untreatable testicular cancer because they don't have genito-urinary exams as frequently as women do.

[Brandye]

The smear test is in NHS guidlines for over 25. I give them younger and take the heat. Irrespective of doing a smear, you should have a complete gyn exam. Nothing to worry about; this is just good practice for one taking care of her body.

[Dazed_n_Confused]

Thanks for this info, I'll try to find out about access to such exams in my area...I honestly don't think any of my friends of similar age have ever had one either though. Maybe Americans are just more proactive about looking after their women than us reserved Brits!

[Brandye]

Hey, honey, the NHS I refer to (and work for) is the one you use!!

[Dazed_n_Confused]

Oh right, haha! I figured this would be something that I would have to pay for, seeing as it is definitely not standard procedure to have these kinda exams in the area I come from (maybe this is because I was brought up in a very working class area & many health services are pretty restricted/non-existent/non-advertised there).

[ShyPeek]

Um.... >>' I'm very shy with my southern regions, but I've been having problems with itching and such for a few years now..... I got up the courage to tell my mother a year ago and she's only now getting me an appointment with the doctor for September (she wants me to get a full physical and our doctor has a very full schedule). I'm a 17 yr old virgin and I've already tried the yeast infection creams, so I'm a little anxious to get it checked out and find out what the problem is (only seems to get worse now, cuz I can't stop rubbing from time to time)... I'm gonna try to get mom to take me to a gyno while waiting for the doctor appointment, but she keeps making excuses with the car and not having the time (No offense to my doctor, but he comes off as a tad clueless in my opinion). -___-' Should I be more demanding in going to a gyno?