Wondering what to expect from Ob/Gyn... 1st Exam.?!
Question: so i have been on the birth control shot almost a year and am sooo terrified about getting my "exam. i have heard horrible stories from amny of my friends and i am scared. i am being forced to go and get this done. i am very uncomfortable b/c i was abused in my childhood and it just weirds me out really bad. I am almost 16 years old. i watched a video on youtube about it and it only made things worse. please just help me understand what will happen and don't make comments about my life please.
Answers: so i have been on the birth control shot almost a year and am sooo terrified about getting my "exam. i have heard horrible stories from amny of my friends and i am scared. i am being forced to go and get this done. i am very uncomfortable b/c i was abused in my childhood and it just weirds me out really bad. I am almost 16 years old. i watched a video on youtube about it and it only made things worse. please just help me understand what will happen and don't make comments about my life please.
Unfortunately, hormonal birth control is an added risk factor for certain types of problems including cancer. That's why doctors won't prescribe it if you're not having an annual pelvic exam and pap smear.
What will happen:
You will go in and probably have to fill out some forms, if this is your first time at a new doctor. If you can take your mother or another adult family member with you, they can be helpful with this -- I'm twenty-eight and I still wish I could take my mother along because I forget some of the family history questions. *sheepish*
A nurse will weigh you and take your temperature and blood pressure. (Or sometimes the temperature and blood pressure are taken later in the process.) You will be taken to a private room. (If you have someone with you, that person may come, but only if you say so. Well, at least if it's a woman. My mother went with me the first time; I considered asking my husband to come the second time, but didn't.) The doctor will probably come talk to you for a bit; then you'll be given one of those open-back gowns, and the doctor and nurse will leave the room while you change into it. They should knock before coming back in. The nurse will probably stand by for the rest of this.
They will have you sit on a table-thing with a pillow at one end and a covering that is replaced for each patient, for sanitary reasons. You'll be asked to lie back and to put each arm up above your head, in turn, while the doctor performs a breast exam to make sure there are no signs of cancer in that area. You might receive instructions on how to do this for yourself (advice is to do it about once a month, at the same point in your monthly cycle each time).
Then you will be told to slide down so that your rear end is right at the end of the table, while they pull out the "stirrups," which are basically just heel rests. You will place your heels in the stirrups; your feet will be a bit more than shoulder-width apart, and your legs will be bent.
Then they'll probably ask you to relax and let your knees and thighs fall to the side. It's challenging to relax in this position, especially the first time, but try to do it anyway.
The doctor will inspect the exterior of your genitals to see if the skin, mucous membranes, and deeper tissues are healthy and undamaged. Then they will insert the speculum.
The good thing about this is that doctors seem to have gotten a lot better about not inserting a COLD speculum. You can ask them to make sure it's warm. It's likely to be plastic instead of metal, which feels less chilly even if it's at room temperature.
The speculum will be lubricated, I think, and there will be some gentle pressure exerted on the back of the entrance to your vagina to get it positioned correctly. Then it will be slid inside and opened up (which will sound like a couple of clicks; I don't think it really feels like anything). If your vagina has not been penetrated before -- or possibly even if it has not been penetrated recently -- the insertion can be uncomfortable. For some women, it just feels kind of weird. For others, there can be some pain. I found it very uncomfortable the first time (and the doctor had difficulty getting it to go in) because I had it done when I was planning to start having sex, and apparently the area didn't want to stretch. Speculum insertion was was pretty much a non-event on future occasions. From talking to my friends, it's usually not so bad even the first time.
The doctor will look through the speculum at your cervix and take a swab to get some cells which will be examined to make sure you're not developing cancer. That part always feels kind of uncomfortable for me -- there's a brief dull pain.
(Depending on the doctor, you might not have to have a pap smear every year. If you're not sexually active or if you're in a monogamous relationship, and neither you nor your partner is infected with HPV, some doctors will skip the smear in alternate years. But if this is the first time, they'll want to do it.)
The speculum will be removed, and the doctor will perform a manual examination of the area, inserting two well-lubricated, gloved fingers into the vagina and then applying moderate pressure to the outside of the abdomen to feel the condition of the ovaries. This was pretty much a non-event for me even the first time, though it felt like it took a bit longer and felt weirder the second time, when I was actually paying attention. Or maybe that doctor just applied a little more pressure, I'm not sure.
Afterward, they will give you a little wet-wipe and some tissues and leave the room again while you wipe yourself up and put your clothes on. You might want to take a pantyliner -- I'm not sure if it's from the swabbing or what, but I sometimes feel a bit tender and have a very little bit of blood-brownish discharge after all the poking around.
This is all totally professional. It feels weird to have someone looking at my private parts, but it helps to remember that for the doctor and nurse, this is a job, and it's about as exciting for them as it is for a dentist to floss your teeth. They aren't going to be titillated, grossed out, or critical of your personal grooming.
You say you are being 'forced' to get this done. Well, I do recommend pap smears, but if you don't want it done, I don't believe that anyone can force you to get it done. Say 'no' if you really don't want it done, and if anyone keeps trying to force you, go to the police. I'm serious. No-one can legally force you to get any procedure done.
Don't worry its not that bad. I am a man and am telling you what my wife told me and what I have seen since I have been in the exam room with her several times. The Dr. with feel your breast to check for lumps, breast cancer. The pelvic exam. My wife Dr. soaks the speculum in warm water before using it so it is not cold. The Dr. will insert it into your vagina to check your cervix and take a pap smear. My wife has said it is not painful. Your vagina may feel stretched but because the tissue there is very elastic the is no pain. The Dr. will also feel your abdomen to check and make sure all you reproductive organs are in the correct place. My wife has said the exam is not painful. Just relax. There will always be a nurse in the room with the Dr. at all times. if you would be more comfortable there are female OB/GYN that you can see instead of a male Dr. Don't be embarrassed they have seen it all many times. Just try to relax. There is nothing to be afraid of. What you Friends have said is things just to try to scare you. Good Luck
yes you will be taken off the pill sweetie , its not bad , the Dr will talk you thew everything, and your be alright, don't worry and stop going to places and watching , stuff that don't even apply to you ,your making it worse doing that,
Since you said not to make comments about your life, I will keep this part brief - I hope that you've sought therapy or counseling to help you deal with your abusive past. It's normal to be nervous about a GYN exam anyways, but having that kind of past can make it much worse, so I encourage you to seek help, if you haven't already.
As far as the exam goes, mine first one was not that bad at all. Women tend to exaggerate the discomforts of a vaginal exam, but all of the procedures done are very important, and can be life saving. If you're sexually active, you should have one. If not, I'm not 100% sure if a doctor would require you to have one in order to keep your birth control Rx, but you would have to talk to your doctor about that.