Lady-bits doctor

[Lady Legira]

Being from the UK I find it very odd that you have smears every year/2 years for your contriception. If I needed it (I don't because I've been sterlised) I would be asked a series of questions about my situation and discuss what would be suitable for me. For me it was the POP (Mirconor) for about five years. No discussion on what brand, if I'd had problems with the one they gave me they would be happy to change it.

I had my first smear about 8 years ago I think and my second three/four years later for screening purposes. I got a leafet before I had the first one which gave a full rundown on what to expect and how to dress for the screening. Which was pretty much wear a skirt and we'll just put a small drape over you. No getting undressed, breast checks (we are trusted to do them ourselves and report to the docs if we find anything) or such.
The below quote is from the pamflet that is given to everyone being screened and you can opt out if you feel you can't go through with it.

What is the NHS Cervical Screening Programme?
The programme makes sure that if you are aged between 25 and 64, you will automatically receive an invitation. We will get your name from your doctor’s list. This means it is important that your doctor always has your correct name and address.
After your first cervical screen, you will receive invitations every three years between the ages of 25 and 49. You will then be invited every five years between the ages of 50 and 64.

[MaggieTheCat]

I wish I could go 2-3 years between paps because they are very uncomfortable for me (literally...apparently my cervix is abnormally shaped and I have a very hard time relaxing my muscles so the docs have kind of a difficult time getting a sample from me.) I know it's important for cancer screening and all, but I've never had an abnormal pap or any other weird stuff in that department (no STDs, etc.) The one doc I went to a few weeks ago for a consult wouldn't even give me a one month refill on my birth control; she told me I needed to have the pap, I asked her if she'd write a refill for 1 month since I only had about 10 days worth of pills left, and she said, "no, just make sure you get your pap done within the next 10 days and then we can talk about getting a refill."

[AdminAssistant]

Mom had breast cancer, which increases risk for all lady-type cancers, so I go every year religiously. I believe current US recommendations are every 1-2 years(?) depending on family history. I also have fibro cystic changes of the breast (naturally lumpy boobs, aka "frozen pea syndrome") so I really need to have an annual professional boob exam. I also get to start mammograms at 30 instead of the usual 40. Yay fun!!!

[Eisa]

I also wish I could get one every 2-3 years. They hurt. A lot. I have two pain disorders down there. Owie. She has to use the pediatric speculum on me.

[NorthernZel]

Dunno if it has been suggested before, but my own gyno once recommended that one should attempt to schedule an appointment to right after the end of a period. The pelvic muscles and the cervix are more "relaxed" at that point so an exam/pap smear won't be that uncomfortable.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

euugshhh! Like I may have mentioned elsewhere on the board, I'm getting to Christmas Cake year, and I haven't had a lady's exam-- between family history (paternal grandparents died of cancer in their 70's by pretty much surprise even tho they saw docs, other side has more heart/gall problems), sexual history, and just strangeness with medical insurance/lazyness on my part, I'm going to schedule one for... just had my period... mmm next week or the week after. Should be easy to get, student health is usually pretty uncrowded (woo for nursing program/major hospital/high density)
This has been very informative, which I appreciate. I could ask my mother... but she'd leave something out, just because she does that-- it's the silver and gray sucking her brains out!
okay way too many slashes, must kill digital fake extraterrestrials naow. x_x
(So thank you very much!)

[bhskittykatt]

Just one tiny thing to add:

If you're going to want contraception, they'll sometimes want to do a preggo test. Meaning you'll have to pee in a cup, so you may want to drink plenty of fluid beforehand. (It's always my luck that when I drink up, they don't do one, and when I don't drink, they need one. Gah! I never win.)

[Amethyst Hunter]

Just one tiny thing to add:

If you're going to want contraception, they'll sometimes want to do a preggo test. Meaning you'll have to pee in a cup, so you may want to drink plenty of fluid beforehand.

Don't know how it is elsewhere, but my understanding is that at pretty much any clinic they WILL make you do this regardless of whatever you're there for, even if you're *not* pregnant, even if the staff/doctor knows for a fact that you're not, simply because it's a CYA measure on the clinic's part.

[MaggieTheCat]

Don't know how it is elsewhere, but my understanding is that at pretty much any clinic they WILL make you do this regardless of whatever you're there for, even if you're *not* pregnant, even if the staff/doctor knows for a fact that you're not, simply because it's a CYA measure on the clinic's part.

LOL, the clinic that f'ed up my pap so bad never asked for or offered a pregnancy test. Guess one more thing to add to the list against them...

[blas]

I get a Pap every 6 months because I have had abnormal Paps haunting me for the past almost 4 years. If you go 2 years with normal Paps, you can return to once a year, but every time I get to 2 or 3 clean ones, the last ones are always bad. And then that leads to colposcopies which are ungodly expensive and out of this world uncomfortable (what comes after is worse) and I'm always considered mildly abnormal so they don't freeze or laser off anything, so....yeah....it sucks!

[NorthernZel]

Don't know how it is elsewhere, but my understanding is that at pretty much any clinic they WILL make you do this regardless of whatever you're there for, even if you're *not* pregnant, even if the staff/doctor knows for a fact that you're not, simply because it's a CYA measure on the clinic's part.

Also, a urine sample can be tested for many things at the same time, like inflammations and such.

I remember when I got appointed to my current doctor for the first time - it was policy at that time that all new patients got a smear test for chlamydia. Just in case. (Mr. Zel got off the hook once he applied to "my" clinic, I guess they dropped that policy later on. Still, they are very keen on taking tests "just in case", which Mr Zel likes since his old doctor seemed to have something against antibiotics and shrugged every illness off as "a virus one'll get over with if one just gets enough rest". That costed Mr Zel a month's sick leave due to a serious strept infection which Old Doc refused to treat, let alone test for... once New Doc got on the case he got prescribed some penicillin STAT and he was well again 2 weeks later. )