October marks the beginning of fall. The start of a season where we get sugar, spice and essentially everything nice. October also marks the beginning of the month-long campaign for breast cancer awareness. Now I am not going to write about how we, females, should be feeling up our boobs once a month to check for any abnormalities. Today, I am going to talk about how going to a gynecologist is essentially venting to a very close friend.
Going to the gynecologist is extremely intimidating. You have essentially a random person looking up at your vagina and exploring areas that only certain people get to explore. As someone who worked at a gynecologist’s office for about two years, I can promise that at the end of the day the physician and staff’s goal is to make you feel comfortable. The goal is to keep your body healthy and thriving for whatever is to come. A doctor’s office is a place to feel comfortable and free to talk about whatever concerns and questions you may have.
In the United States, only 27 states and the District of Columbia require sexual education to be taught to students, and most of the time abstinence is what is being taught. There is a lack of formal education for females when it comes to our reproductive system. This leads to plenty of self-teaching which can potentially lead to misinformation. Below I will list different topics that can be discussed with a gynecologist:
1. Irregularities in your cycle
There will be the occasional time where your cycle seems like it is taking a bit to begin. Have no fear if you are between 21 to 35 days in your cycle. The way to count your cycle is to count the first day of your last period to the first day of your current period. If you still have some concerns about your period and its regularity you could consult a local provider for more information.
2. Birth Control
Birth control is one of the main reasons people go to see a gynecologist. There are various options from pills to vaccines to IUDs. A provider can help you decide what type of birth control can fit your kind of lifestyle and your medical history.
3. STD Testing
The college student population is one of the highest at risk for getting an STD. An STD, sexually transmitted disease, can potentially put females at risk for infertility, ectopic pregnancies and other progressively worse viruses. A gynecologist can recommend which exams are more important to test for according to your sexual lifestyle and age group.
4. Vaginal Abnormalities
Every girl knows herself the best. She knows what is essentially her normal amount of discharge, the color, the odor, etc. When you feel like something is off, whether it be the color, odor or consistency, it is crucial to see a provider. This could potentially be that there is some sort of change in the flora of your vagina. Your diet, sexual activity and/or stress levels could be factors that affect your flora.
It is intimidating to go, I can attest to that. I like to think of the doctor visit as going to talk to a friend that I have not seen a while. At the end of the day, you are updating them about your life and being as honest as possible. In return, they provide you with guidance and advice to lean you towards the right direction – which is all we can ask from a friend.
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