How to prepare for your visit to the gynecologist: 11 tips!
Do you know the story of the sparkling pussycat? A woman at the gynecologist. While she’s lying down for her exam, legs in the stirrup, the doctor says: “So! You’ve put a lot of work into it!” The woman is baffled and angry. When she gets home she spots the washcloth she used to freshen up before her appointment: her daughter had used it to clean the glitter off her hands the prior evening…
What about this one: “I thought I had an internal examination, so I put on a dress, easy and comfortable. I lay down, pull my panties down and my dress up when the gynecologist gives me a confused look: ‘What are you doing miss?’ I was supposed to have an external ultrasound and he only needed to touch my belly…”
Awkward stories at the gynecologist, there are too many to count. Showing your lady bits to a stranger is a little awkward to begin with and if something embarrassing happens the embarrassment can rise to your cheeks. But trust us ladies… Gynecologists are used to it!
Lucky underwear
Meike Berghuis is a gynecologist at the OLVG hospital in Amsterdam. She and her colleagues are too busy with other things to care about whether patients have shaved or if their underwear is nice or not. "There’s no need to be embarrassed. We are really not concerned with a patient who’s still on her period during the visit. As far as we’re concerned, shaving is not necessary either; in fact, studies suggest that it’s better to not shave before surgery as shaving has been linked to infections, which, by the way, are very rare so don’t worry if you do show up in the operating room all shaved and smooth."
Meike does have some fashion tips: “It happens quite often that women visit the practice wearing a nice jumpsuit, but if we have to do an exam, we have to take off the entire jumpsuit. In such moments, you can see the realization across their faces… ‘shit’. It’s more practical to wear a skirt or a dress, you can stay dressed on the top."
What about being on your period while visiting the gynecologist? "For most exams it’s not an issue at all, especially if you’re in the last days of your period. In the first days, however, a smear can be quite difficult to assess due to blood loss. Also, the removal of a fibroid can sometimes be difficult if someone has a heavy period. When in doubt, always call the outpatient clinic, they can tell you whether your period can cause complications or not."
Immediately between your legs
“Ladies, would you please take off your undergarments before the examination and pay attention to the bell, please?” A sign at a 50s gynecologist’s waiting room. There you sat, bare bottoms out waiting for your turn, the doctor disappearing between your legs as soon as you enter the examination room. Fortunately, those days are behind us. Nowadays, most gynecologists have a changing room where you can undress and dress in privacy. The speculum is kept in a warm drawer and there’s a conversation before each examination starts.
Want to know more about the speculum? Read this article.
It’s good to prepare
Meike: “Today, everything is discussed together with the patient. In some hospitals you can look at your file at home and put questions in the document so that the doctor can prepare themselves beforehand. It’s good to prepare. Take a look at our other articles at www.cycle.care or visit www.gynaecoloog.nl, both sites have a lot of information. Sometimes it’s comforting to bring someone along with you, and if that’s not possible, to have someone join the conversation through facetime." Nothing to be afraid of or to be embarrassed about!
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