Conducting such classes and making an excursion into the history of hygiene products, I really sincerely congratulated the girls on the fact that they live in a time when everything they need for “critical days” is freely available in a large assortment and they do not need to wash reusable pads from rags or build structures from bandages and cotton wool. With a smile, she told stories from the lives of their grandmothers and mothers about incidents with sanitary pads in physical education lessons.
Over time, such activities seemed to lose their relevance. Hygiene products, so well advertised, have become commonplace and natural. Imagine my surprise when, already in the new century, asking at a medical appointment a question about the number of pads used during menstruation (the girl had menstrual irregularities, and it was necessary to approximately estimate the amount of blood loss), I realized that homemade pads-rags were by no means have not sunk into oblivion.
It would be nice if this happened in some wilderness, and not in St. Petersburg, or the family’s income would not allow spending money on modern, industrially manufactured gaskets... Live forever and be surprised, but the right to choose remains with the parents of our young patients...
The essence of fear
Sometimes young girls wonder how to stop being afraid of the gynecologist. The very thought of having to visit a female doctor worries them. However, an inspection must be completed. The thing is that timely examination by this specialist allows you to identify cancer and some other health problems at an early stage.
Lecture “How to avoid becoming a victim of a gynecologist”
Why do gynecologists treat patients in such a way that they wait until the last minute and decide to come for an examination only when they are completely sick? And why are female gynecologists the most rude and insensitive? Our expert, obstetrician-gynecologist Dmitry Lubnin, understands what is behind the amazing tradition of “punitive gynecology”.
To simplify the discussion, I will immediately make several disclaimers. No, I do not consider myself smarter, better or more professional than all other gynecologists; I sincerely respect and appreciate the professional qualities of many of my colleagues, but not all. I raise this topic because I believe that there is a very serious problem in Russian gynecology, which not only negatively affects the reputation of our profession, but also affects the quality of services and the quality of life of patients. And this problem is not discussed as actively as other similar problems in domestic medicine - this is largely due to the intimate nature of our medical specialty. Try to see in my text not a desire to offend all gynecologists by presenting yourself as some kind of smartass, but simply an inside look at the disadvantages of existing gynecological practice.
I will immediately answer everyone who will argue that they have an excellent doctor and have never encountered such problems: you are very lucky. There are good doctors, there are many of them, but your positive experience will not reassure patients who have been treated rudely and unfairly. I hope this preface will at least slightly anticipate the possible negative reaction of some readers.
Medical lawyer
Some time ago, I began to actively engage in educational activities - I began to tell patients in detail all the nuances of gynecological work. It is very important to me to ensure that patients are protected in the unfair game they are forced to play when trying to get medical care. The patient who comes to the appointment simply does not know the rules and blindly agrees to the examination and treatment proposed by the doctor, without being able to assess how adequate what is offered to him is. Often this situation is aggravated by an atmosphere of fear and excitement. In fact, all my publications, books and public lectures are aimed at educating patients, allowing them to interact with their doctor at a more advanced level.
What prompted me to engage in such advocacy was a clear realization: something has long been rotten in the gynecological kingdom. I often have to act as the doctor to whom people turn for a “second opinion,” and patients come not only from Moscow, but also from all over Russia. I am an actively practicing physician, and literally all of my patients have one thing in common: they are very scared and extremely upset, not only by what happened to them, but also by the way this problem was presented to them. Often, doctors bring the patient to such a state that, before gathering the strength to come for another consultation with another doctor, she cries for weeks and tries to come to her senses.
Why is this happening? Many citizens of our country have long been accustomed to the aggressive and boorish attitude of doctors, but why is it that obstetrics and gynecology hold the palm in this area? It seems to me that I partly understand the reason for this imbalance. Here's my version.
What's wrong with our gynecologists?
I’ll start from the very beginning - who goes to gynecology? Studying at a medical school is structured like this: first, all students study to become a general practitioner, and only then, after completing a residency, can they obtain a narrow specialty. All students already know from the first year that there are three “trump” specialties, residency in which will not be available to everyone: gynecology, urology and dermatovenereology. This has been the case for quite a long time, and it can be explained simply: since Soviet times, it was customary for doctors in these particular specialties to pay for the provision of medical services, and to pay a lot. Plus connections, which are sometimes more expensive than fees. It is obvious that, first of all, residency places in these specialties were distributed among thieves and wealthy students; in fact, with rare exceptions, this is the case now.
As I remember from my training, which took place in the late 90s, criminal students, already in their first year, confidently asserted that they had a place in residency in gynecology and openly ignored them
most of the training, declaring that it simply would not be useful to them in their work. That’s exactly what they said: “I only need the anatomy of the uterus, the menstrual cycle and then 2 weeks of obstetrics in the fifth year - that’s all.” Neurology, cardiology, gastroenterology and all other specialties were ignored as unnecessary. It is obvious that such training in medicine creates a paramedic’s narrowness of consciousness. Paramedicism is a “pill for the head, a pill for constipation” instead of treating the body as a whole.
I remember my conversations with such future “stars” of obstetrics and gynecology. To my nerdy question why they don’t teach anything, there was only one answer: “When we come to work, we’ll learn.” Then, during residency, I saw how this happened: “Can you tell me, given this analysis result, what do you prescribe?” - they will write it down and then prescribe the same thing to everyone, without going into the nuances. Such one-dimensional thinking leads to the corresponding behavior of the doctor at the appointment: lack of understanding of the essence of the disease, fear of making a wrong diagnosis, under-examination or under-treatment is manifested in the redundancy of the doctor’s actions and aggressive intimidation with the consequences - “out of harm’s way.”
Ultimately, from the entire stream of students, most often the most capable and good students end up in more accessible and less criminal specialties (therapy, general surgery). The three “golden” specialties collected and continue to collect, first of all, “difficult” students, and diligent ones – on a residual basis.
Let me make an intermediate result: most often students who study in gynecology are not the best, but are accustomed to their special status. This is the first factor that, I believe, influences the problem we are discussing.
Classical medicine, which is often ignored during training, involves a detailed conversation with the patient, a thorough examination, a preliminary diagnosis, and tests should only confirm this diagnosis. A confident shooter takes aim and without fuss makes only one accurate shot. If there is no confidence, then they shoot a lot, chaotically, aggressively, in the hope of hitting the target at least by accident. Rudeness and hitting on a patient is often a defensive reaction in a situation of professional uncertainty and fear of taking responsibility for the decision made.
For example, if a patient has uterine fibroids, doctors often immediately suggest cutting off the uterus, and at the same time the ovaries, as well as the cervix (otherwise you never know what will happen, what if it’s cancer?). All this is motivated by the fact that the uterus is not needed if the patient no longer intends to give birth to children. We will talk about this attitude towards the reproductive organs later, now about the doctor’s decision itself. In fact, with such aggressive radicalism, the doctor first of all protects himself, plays it safe. In principle, such a radical approach to the treatment of fibroids is acceptable, but in modern conditions it is possible to do it differently. But such a doctor either doesn’t know how to do otherwise, or simply doesn’t want to take responsibility - “otherwise what might happen if you leave it and don’t cut it off.”
Women's prison, garment factory and other interesting places
The next interesting aspect of the profession is monogender. Simply put, in gynecology the vast majority of doctors are female. For many there is nothing strange in this, but really, how could it be otherwise? They just forget that gynecology is a branch of medicine, and you can’t treat it like a women’s bathhouse. Yes, it would be strange if a man worked in a women’s bathhouse, but in medicine the presence of a man does not raise any surprise or doubt in anyone’s mind. You can often hear that a woman understands a woman better, so she makes a good gynecologist, but this is absurd, as if we were saying that a doctor who has suffered a myocardial infarction understands heart attack patients better and will treat them better. Yes, quite a lot of women cannot decide to go to a male gynecologist - they cannot separate medicine and the gender of the doctor, without thinking that they are going first of all to a professional who should solve their problem, and it does not matter what gender he is. This is how a gender bias was formed in our specialty, in which the number of male gynecologists is significantly inferior to the number of female doctors.
Monogendary always gives rise to special forms of interpersonal relationships, be it in the army, a garment factory or a women's dormitory. Communication is simplified, rudeness, unceremoniousness, and neglect are allowed. A feature of a female monogender society is a rather pronounced and vivid evaluative rhetoric, undisguised aggression towards more attractive and successful women.
Probably the most striking external manifestation of simplified communication, which is characteristic of a monogender society, is the almost obligatory transition of gynecologists to “you”. To some, this may even seem, on the contrary, a manifestation of the doctor’s good disposition, but this can be the case in any other business, just not in medicine. Simplified communication is harmful, as it reduces the process of medical activity to a social or friendly conversation, during which the structured scenario of an appointment (history taking, examination, discussion of diagnosis and treatment) is replaced by a doctor’s benefit performance. The patient must become an involuntary spectator of this benefit performance, in which there will be many emotional assessments and judgments that are far from medical science. The transition to “you” is often the first “bell” indicating that the doctor will build his communication in a simplified form, without showing you due respect. The option “between us girls, it’s okay” in the field of medicine is incorrect. Perhaps this is just my opinion. I would like to emphasize once again that if you have an excellent doctor and you are on friendly terms with him, this is very good, but this is the exception rather than the rule.
Of course, male gynecologists are not without shortcomings; among them there are also rude, aggressive and ill-mannered people. But most often, a patient can hear kind words, a compliment from a male gynecologist and receive a more caring attitude. And male gynecologists are usually not eager to switch to “you” – it is important for them to draw professional boundaries.
Cut or fix?
My main topic in gynecology is the treatment of uterine fibroids, one of the most common benign tumors of the female genital organs. Currently, I consult women from all over Russia and neighboring countries, and during this time I have accumulated quite a lot of stories from my patients about communication with gynecologists.
The specificity of fibroids is that because of this disease, women often have their uterus removed. To understand the scale of the problem, here are simple numbers: in Russia, every third woman over 50 years of age has had her uterus removed, and the average age of hysterectomy surgery is 43 years. It should be noted that the removal of this organ is quite difficult for women not only physically - after such operations severe syndromes develop (side effects - from an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases to early menopause and problems in sexual life), but also morally. For many women, hysterectomy significantly disrupts their sense of femininity and damages their self-esteem. Severe depressive states are often observed.
You may be surprised, but there is an alternative to hysterectomy. This is a fairly simple and harmless procedure called uterine artery embolization (UAE). It allows you to cure the disease, not remove the organ and allow the woman to continue to live a full life.
For 15 years now, my colleagues and I have been striving to save as many women as possible from hysterectomy, telling and popularizing the UAE method. It is quite difficult to do this, since there is a very serious confrontation between gynecologists. The reason is simple: the procedure is not performed by gynecologists themselves, but by doctors of another specialty - endovascular surgeons. In other words, gynecologists lose most of their patients due to this operation. Therefore, patients are intimidated in various ways and dissuaded from UAE - and here one can especially clearly see all the negative attitudes of gynecologists towards their patients.
Most often, gynecologists have a dialogue with the patient that goes something like this: “Woman, why do you need a uterus, why are you clinging to it, it’s just a fetal container, which has now turned into a bag with knots. Let's cut everything off - and that's the end of it, the operation is not complicated, you'll thank me later. I would cut everything off for myself too. Don’t tell your husband anything, we’ll write him a separate certificate that the cyst has been removed, but we won’t say anything about the uterus. If he’s watching, you dirty the pad once a month and throw it in a bucket, he won’t guess anything.”
This typical phrase, in my opinion, has everything: the attitude towards the patient, towards femininity and the female body in general, towards relationships in marriage, towards sex, finally.
I even had a downright conspiracy theory that such an ardent desire of female gynecologists to cut off the uteruses of all their patients has deep evolutionary roots - something like an unconscious struggle with competitors for the opportunity to leave offspring, realized in such a perverted way. Some will say that my imagination is too rich, but perhaps there is something in it.
The vast majority of my patients say that gynecologists brought them to a nervous breakdown and they left them in tears, continuing to worry at home. Judging by their stories - and they are frighteningly repetitive, even down to some turns of phrase and sequence of scenes - the gynecologists sought first of all to intimidate the patient with their personal reaction to their disease: “What a horror! How do you manage this?!” Next, draw a terrifying prognosis: “Everything must be removed urgently, there is a risk of cancer.” And then show the hopelessness of the situation: “You have no choice, no one can help you.”
I have repeatedly wondered: why do doctors abuse their patients so subtly? What is the point in demoralizing a woman and bringing her to a helpless, humiliated state? What is this – the enjoyment of power, an attempt to take it out on another person for one’s own problems and failures in life, simply dislike for people or people of the same sex in particular? Perhaps this is a clear manifestation of the popular and not unfounded stereotype that female friendship does not exist and all women hate each other? Honestly, I'd really like to think that I'm wrong.
“To spite my mother, I’ll freeze my ears off” (if only my ears!)
What do we have in the bottom line? There are a lot of worthy doctors in my profession, but the general feeling about Russian gynecology is rather negative. But should it really be so that in such an intimate and delicate matter from a psychological point of view, outright rudeness and humiliation is practically considered the norm? But the result of such aggression is the reluctance of the vast majority of women to regularly go to the gynecologist for preventive purposes, and in gynecology this is extremely important. Most serious gynecological diseases develop over years and are completely asymptomatic. They can be detected, stopped and treated early, rather than being left to the point where they become symptomatic and require serious and expensive treatment.
If you ask a woman why she doesn’t go to the gynecologist, most often she will answer that she is emotionally unprepared for everything that can await her at a doctor’s appointment: a story about the intimate aspects of her life, condemnation of the doctor, an unpleasant examination in the chair, etc. etc. All this is quite difficult for the female psyche. But the flip side of this situation is advanced diseases, the treatment of which already requires serious material costs, surgery and may affect the ability to have children.
As a doctor, I can tell you: if a woman from the age of 18 visits a gynecologist once a year, does an ultrasound and takes a cytological smear from the cervix, it will be possible to reduce gynecological morbidity by at least 90 percent, and leave surgical interventions only for rare emergency situations. Consequently, a woman’s health directly depends on the comfort that a gynecologist can create for her, so as not to discourage her from regularly going for preventive examinations.
I don't know how to change the system as a whole.
For my part, I try in every possible way to educate and enlighten patients so that they can correctly assess their condition, take tests on time and ultimately look for a doctor with whom they will be comfortable. And most of all, I want to warn everyone against a situation where, offended by all the gynecologists of this world for their rudeness and incorrect behavior, women, using the principle “to spite my mother, I’ll freeze my ears,” stop going to the doctor altogether. SNCMediaPublication source:
Young
Are you very afraid of the gynecologist? What to do? Many young girls worry that before a specialist they will need to expose most of their body, showing their genitals. It can be confusing the first time. Some girls are frightened by the prospect that a doctor may discover that they are not virgins.
But it is important to know that the doctor will under no circumstances disclose this fact. He does not have the right to do this, and it would be a violation of the law. Neither the parents nor any other relative will know this from the doctor.
The main purpose of a gynecological examination is to treat and check health, and not to determine the fact of virginity, to judge or read morals. Such behavior is an abuse of authority. This is punishable by law.
For fear of being examined by a gynecologist and being judged, it makes no sense to hide facts of intimate intimacy - this is confidential information that remains between the doctor and the patient. Hiding any facts from the doctor primarily harms the patient herself. After all, if a sexually transmitted disease is suddenly discovered, treating it in advanced stages will be much more difficult than in the early stages.
What beliefs do you need to get rid of?
For some women, going to the gynecologist may be associated with intimacy. The result is a feeling of shame. Against this background and with other phobias, fears are formed, and a medical examination is postponed indefinitely. To avoid this, you need to get rid of the following prejudices:
- The doctor needs to be told about sexual intercourse. A girl may be afraid of a gynecologist if she wants to hide the beginning of a relationship with her partners. It is important to understand that the doctor is an outsider, and the information he receives about patients is confidential. The specialist only needs information about whether the girl is sexually active, but only for the purpose of an objective medical examination. It is impossible to determine during a visit to the gynecologist how many sexual acts and partners there were. In addition, the doctor does not need this information; he checks the structure of the organs and determines whether gynecological diseases are developing.
- It's a shame to be in a gynecological chair. Many women, especially those who were brought up in strict conditions, feel a sense of shame. They are afraid that their moral character will suffer. Most often this is due to incorrect sex education, when the topic of puberty, menstruation, relationships with partners is taboo in the family. In this case, you need to understand that a visit to a gynecologist is just taking care of your own health. It is necessary to visit a doctor to prevent the development of serious pathologies.
- The doctor will find a dangerous disease. This fear can prevent medical examinations for years. Even if one of your female relatives had serious problems, this does not mean that this should happen to you. In addition, the risk of late detection of dangerous pathologies only aggravates the situation.
Excitation
Are you afraid to go to the gynecologist? What to do? It is important to note that during the examination, a female representative should not experience pain. Of course, discomfort may occur, but the doctor is obliged to select the instruments in such a way as to eliminate it.
But some women feel awkward at the thought of being aroused during an examination. Sometimes this is the reason that they do not want to visit a specialist. It is important to remember that the examination is unlikely to be associated with pleasure, but also do not be ashamed of natural processes. In addition, fantasy is responsible for arousing a person, and another will never know what exactly aroused someone. The cause of arousal can be anything - a recently watched erotic video, or memories of something. This is a natural process that happens to all people, and the gynecologist knows this. It is important to note that women's vaginas are always wet inside, regardless of the level of arousal. That's nature.
Reason 8 - planning pregnancy
Planning a pregnancy is also a reason to visit a gynecologist. Some body conditions are easier to prevent than to treat later during pregnancy. For example, it is much easier to cope with iron deficiency anemia before conception than during pregnancy, when iron is consumed not only for the needs of the pregnant woman’s body, but also for the growth and development of the fetus, the formation of the utero-placental complex.
In addition, many medications are prohibited during pregnancy, so treatment may be ineffective.
Preparation
Which specialist should I contact? It makes no sense to think that illiterate specialists work in public clinics. This is nothing more than a delusion. Both private and public clinics employ a variety of doctors with different qualifications.
Are you afraid of the gynecologist? What to do? Before visiting a female doctor, you need to take personal hygiene measures. It is recommended to wash the genitals; periodic removal of hair will not be amiss - the whole point is that excessive hair provokes the proliferation of fungi and bacteria. Underwear must be clean. Such procedures will give the girl confidence. To make the examination more comfortable, you need to empty your bladder before coming to the doctor. After this, you should use intimate wet wipes. It is not recommended to visit a doctor during your period.
Reason 4 - pathological discharge from the genital tract
Colorless, light discharge from the genital tract is considered normal. With pathological leucorrhoea, an increase in the volume of secretion, a change in its color and smell are observed. Yellow and brown spots may remain on your underwear. Also, pathological discharge may be accompanied by itching in the perineum, redness of the skin around the genitals.
Any change in the nature of the discharge is a situation when you need to see a gynecologist, since the cause of pathological leucorrhoea can be quite serious diseases: bacterial vaginosis, endometriosis, sexually transmitted infections, tumors of the reproductive organs.
At the reception
For those who have never been to this specialist, but are wondering how not to be afraid of a gynecologist, the recommendations below will be especially relevant. There are several fundamentally important points during the reception.
The doctor will record personal information in the medical record. In order for it to be filled out correctly, you must answer the questions truthfully. If you hide some data at this stage, they will still emerge during the next examinations, when the young girl has already relaxed.
Reason 6 - selection of contraceptives
There is no universal means of contraception that would suit absolutely any woman. Any method of contraception has its contraindications and side effects. For contraception to be not only effective, but also safe, it must be selected together with a gynecologist. Only a doctor will be able to take into account all the individual characteristics of a woman - hormonal status, the nature of the menstrual cycle, hereditary history.
more about choosing a contraceptive method wisely in our article .
Mandatory examination
How not to be afraid of the gynecologist? You need to know what to expect from the inspection. During the examination, the doctor will measure body temperature, blood pressure, and determine weight and height. Emptying the bladder before the examination is necessary in order to better palpate the reproductive organ.
In addition, the doctor feels the breast to record the presence and absence of hardening in it. There is a special chair in the office for examining the genital organs. All the patient has to do is sit in it, and the doctor will take swabs to conduct tests. These procedures are extremely important if the patient wants to be healthy and enter this office as little as possible.
When diet brought you to the gynecologist's office
The reception area is crowded and noisy. The medical receptionist calls me from the office: “T. Q., will you accept a girl without an appointment? They brought her in an ambulance.”
Wow! On the carriage and to us?! The emergency doctor clarifies the situation: “The girl has abdominal pain. I ruled out an acute abdomen and decided to bring it to you so as not to have to go to the hospital in vain.” Behind him is a thin, pale 15-year-old girl with long, disheveled hair at the back of her head and a middle-aged woman with an excited, but no less beautiful face.
I briefly explain to those sitting in line by appointment that emergency situations have the right to an extraordinary appointment, while the girl is “sick” by all available facial means. The queue becomes imbued with sympathy and stops being indignant - after all, it can happen to anyone...
Nothing special was found regarding our gynecological part, and as the conversation progressed, the girl somehow stopped getting sick. But the details of her diet and lifestyle turned out to be quite interesting.
The family turned out to be not simple, but the most intelligent: the mother is a professional touring musician, and the daughter has a great foundation for the future (music, foreign languages, general education subjects, a theater group with participation in filming), and... diet-diet -diet. She dreams of playing Ophelia, you see. Lord, you can already play the shadow of Hamlet’s father, let alone Ophelia. What is the soul in?
From excitement and hunger, the girl fainted after the examination. After resuscitation measures in the form of ammonia and hot sweet tea, as well as recommendations received on nutrition and lifestyle, the mother and girl were taken home safely in the same ambulance, to everyone’s delight.
As a bonus, my musical mother received an invitation to a French music concert in the Smolny Cathedral next weekend. By the way, the concert was wonderful, and our young patient’s mother turned out to be a really beautiful woman and a talented pianist...
Colposcopy
The genital organs are also examined using a colposcope. This device resembles a microscope in appearance. It allows, using optics, to examine the cervix for erosions and other types of abnormalities. It is extremely important to detect such ailments in a timely manner, otherwise it is fraught with many complications in the future that will require long and unpleasant treatment.
Reason 1 - annual scheduled examinations
You should consult an obstetrician-gynecologist not when problems have already arisen, but regularly. Every woman over 18 years of age is recommended to visit a gynecologist at least once a year for a preventive examination.
One of the main elements of screening is a smear test for oncocytology , which is aimed at identifying precancerous conditions and cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer is the most common cancer in women. The pathology develops gradually, over years, and there are certain changes in the cervix that precede it. Oncocytology allows you to identify these changes, start treatment on time and prevent the development of a malignant process.
In what cases is inspection required?
The question of how not to be afraid of the gynecologist disappears by itself when there is an urgent need for this. You need to be seriously wary if a representative of the fair sex does not have menstruation after reaching the age of sixteen, if she is bothered by swelling, irritation, if there is a specific odor from the vagina, redness, if menstruation is accompanied by severe pain. It is also mandatory to be examined by this doctor if there are pains during emptying of the bladder, or during violent acts. If you miss these points and do not consult a doctor in time, you can suffer from very serious problems in the future.
Why is it better to contact the Central Clinical Hospital of the Russian Academy of Sciences?
Professional ethics requires special delicacy and sensitivity from gynecologists. These qualities are especially noticeable among highly experienced, highly qualified doctors working at the Central Clinical Hospital of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It has everything for the comfort of patients - excellent equipment, its own laboratory, cozy doctor’s offices and a calm, friendly atmosphere, in which going to the gynecologist becomes not at all scary.
The clinic uses both time-tested classical diagnostic and treatment methods, as well as innovative ones that give excellent results. At the Central Clinical Hospital of the Russian Academy of Sciences, you can undergo a preventive examination, make a conclusion for a medical book, visit a gynecologist for a routine check-up and receive effective help in case of problems. In the center of obstetrics and gynecology of the clinic, the best gynecologists - doctors of the highest category, doctors, candidates of medical sciences and professors receive consultations.
Fear of infection
It should be noted that sometimes older female representatives also suffer from such fears. They are worried about phobias, for example, those associated with the theoretical possibility of catching some kind of infection during an examination. But it is important to know that in any gynecological office this is very strict: only sterile instruments are used here, which reduces the risk of infection to a minimum.
Pregnancy often leads to a woman developing suspiciousness. And pregnant women begin to fear that the doctor’s careless action will harm the fetus. But gynecologists are professionals in their field; they undergo many years of training before starting to practice medicine. In addition, their experience is enormous - after all, many patients pass through them every day. They will not allow negligence during the examination of a pregnant woman.
I'm afraid of the gynecologist, what should I do?
Each woman is individual, so the methods of dealing with fears are different. The main task is to prevent panic before going to the doctor. The first thing that is important to do is to find a doctor with good recommendations with whom you can share your own concerns. You may also want to tell your doctor if you are afraid of pain during the exam. Every woman, when discomfort appears, has the legal right to interrupt the examination or consultation if it was conducted incorrectly, and continue searching for “her” doctor, to whom she will entrust the most intimate area of her body.
If your reluctance to visit a gynecologist is due to internal prohibitions, a feeling of shamefulness of an act, it is better to visit a psychotherapist or psychologist. After all, most likely, fears are not limited to a visit to the doctor; most likely, the woman is afraid to open up during intimacy with her partner.
Important Tips
The most important thing in this matter is to choose the right specialist. You can ask your friends which doctor they go to. After positive reviews are received about the doctor, the fear will disappear. And you shouldn’t avoid male gynecologists - they can be very friendly.
You should treat the examination as another experience in your life. A sense of humor helps someone relax - regarding the height and height of the chair and how to climb onto it.
During a medical examination, you should try to relax. You need to breathe deeply and measuredly, think about your own health, and not strain the muscles in your body.
Sometimes it makes sense to immediately admit your fear. They never get kicked out for this.
Do not forget that it is important to ask the doctor any questions. When fear becomes too strong, a piece of paper with questions will be very useful. There's nothing funny about this. And if worries continue to appear, if they relate to a health condition, it is worth visiting the doctor again.
Someone notes that it is easier to go to a female doctor in a long sweater, so that you can go to the chair in clothes.
Often, women, after visiting a gynecologist and finding out that everything is fine, stop visiting the doctor on a regular basis. They remember it only in extreme and advanced cases. And often as a result of this behavior, women hear very sad verdicts. Therefore, you should undergo examinations regularly - at least once every 6 months, even if there are no complaints. Sometimes it makes sense to make unscheduled visits.
Medical secrecy
According to the law, only a girl over 14 years old can visit a gynecologist on her own: up to this age, she must be accompanied by her mother or guardian. Before reaching adulthood, the doctor has every right to transfer all information about the patient’s condition to her parents if they express a desire to receive such information. After 18 years of age, information becomes a medical confidentiality.
If a patient under the age of 18 has an unwanted pregnancy, termination is impossible without the consent of the parent or guardian. Therefore, at this age, there is no point in being interested in the price of a mini-abortion behind their back. It is best to trust your mother and honestly tell her about the current situation, and then go to the reception together.
What to tell your doctor
The girl will have to discuss intimate moments with the gynecologist and demonstrate her genitals. For emotional comfort, it is better to consult a female doctor to remove unnecessary constraint and achieve maximum relaxation.
At the first visit, the doctor fills out a patient card, which includes information about:
- the beginning of the menstrual cycle;
- periodicity of menstruation;
- complaints;
- past urological diseases;
- sex life;
- methods of protection.
You need to report gynecological or urological diseases of a chronic nature, past illnesses, thrush, cystitis or allergic reactions to the external genitalia. Any discomfort in this area may indicate the presence of a developing pathology.
If a girl plans to become sexually active, you can also talk to your doctor about this. The specialist will competently answer all your questions and tell you about the specifics of defloration.
How to prepare?
If you are going to an appointment for the first time, you need to carefully prepare for this event. First of all, there is no need to set yourself up for a bad outcome. Relax and try to take it for granted. By focusing on a positive outcome, you can avoid negative consequences. Due to bad thoughts and panic fear, your health may worsen. This will not improve your mood, but will scare you even more.
Don't forget about intimate hygiene. You need to wash and clean up. This will help you feel more confident and forget about your complexes. You can tell the doctor about your fears, the specialist will definitely encourage you and tell you that there is nothing scary or shameful in the procedure.
