Gynecological Visits
If you care about your health, you have visited a Gynecologist to ensure your sexual health remains good. Most people never plan for their next visit to the Gynecologist and rely on what they say during the meeting. However, going on a vacation without a proper plan and evaluation of your sexual health makes you omit crucial details that the doctor needs while making an evaluation. The Gynecologist does not understand your lifestyle and the environment you live in and will rely on the information you provide plus a general examination to determine your health. Thus, it is imperative to prepare well with the information you will present to the doctor for you to receive a proper diagnosis. Chicago Center for Women’s Health understands about women health and invest in the required expertise and equipment to give you proper care.
Record Your Monthly Cycle
It is imperative to understand your monthly cycle for your sexual health. Your monthly cycle suggests any abnormalities in your sexual organs such as infertility and the possibility of growth or infection. Have a record of when your monthly cycles come, how long they last and any funny discharge you may experience during that time. The schedules help with noting how regular or irregular your monthly periods occur and provide the information required to determine whether you have a complication that may require treatment.
Prepare Your Questions
The doctor relies on the information you provide to make a diagnosis. He/she will ask questions to try and find out about your health. However, you understand yourself better than the doctor and can provide more information than the doctor can get from asking questions. The best way to prepare questions includes tracking your experiences such as pain experiences during sex, any suspicions of STI infections, menstrual cycle experiences such as how irregular they occur, and any side effects experienced from birth control methods. This information will guide the doctor on the tests to undertake and what to look for during the examination.
Understand Your Medical History
Do not expect the doctor to have a track of your medical history. You may be changing your Gynecologist or may need to see a new one based on your location due to work or holiday-related travel. Medical history is important even for a general body check-up, but for your sexual health, it helps the doctor understand your progression. Your medical history does not end with your health but also your family, such as possibilities for cervical and ovarian cancer. If you don’t have such information, then ask your parents or caregivers on the history of your family as this information will help the doctor do a proper check-up, especially for some genetically related diseases.
Screen for STDs and a Pap Smear
The recommended age to get a pap smear is 21 years old. The pap smear helps to screen for viruses other than the Human Papilloma Virus. The vaccine administered does not get rid of all the strains, and the test will confirm the presence of any harmful strain. When you become sexually active, make it a habit to go for screens to check for any sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Some strains of STDs remain subtle until later in life when their stage of manifestation makes it hard to treat. They may even have dire consequences such as the infection of the uterus and the need to remove the infected parts.
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