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I’ve never been to the gynecologist. What can I expect at my first visit?

gynologues:

Via Women’s Health:

I’ve never been to the gynecologist. What can I expect at my first visit?

The first time you see a new gyno, you’ll often meet in his or her their office to talk. Your doc is going to want the scoop on your life before beginning the exam. “[The patient] should expect to be ready to be truthful about a lot of issues, including sexual activity, the number of partners she’s had, whether they were male or female their sex, the age she they first got her their period, and when she they became sexually active,” says Shari Brasner, M.D., an assistant clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive science at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, and a partner in a private practice. The gyno will want to know your family history and things that have affected your health and that of your parents and siblings. Think you may need to be tested for an STD? Bring that up now. Your gyno will discuss the Pap smear, appropriate testing for sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis, as well as whether you need blood work to test for HIV, hepatitis C, or syphilis.

Then you will move into the exam room, where you will undress completely and put on a robe. (FYSE: Sometimes they will say keep your shirt on but remove your bra) Your gyno will do a head-to-toe exam, including possibly checking your neck for thyroid abnormalities, a breast exam, and then the pelvic exam. During the pelvic exam, your doc will use one or two fingers inside the vagina and one hand on top of the belly, in the pubic region, to feel the internal organs. He or she they may also use a speculum to hold the walls of your vagina apart to see the cervix and take specimens using swabs.

Total time? Approximately 20 minutes. Since that’s such a short amount of time, it’s wise to come prepared with a list of specific questions you want to ask. It’s very important not to leave the office without disclosing something important that could influence what kinds of tests the doc should perform. “I don’t want to finish my specimen collection and then find out that the patient suspects her boyfriend is cheating on her,” Brasner says.