There’s a lot for parents to navigate when Kids hit puberty: sex ed (if you have have haven’t already initiated that conversation), Various Physical Changes, Mood Swings, Menstruation and More. Be that child happens to be female, parents might also wonder: is it time to book an appointment with a gynecologist? What Will a Visit Entail, and How Frequently would they need to happy? What Other Factors Should Parents take intoo Account when deciding whic doctor their daughter Will See?
Below, Gynecologists Break Down Their Recommendations for Young Patients, and Explain Why Important for Adolescent Girls to Learn More About Their Reproductive Health. Here what to know – and how pars can support their daughters during these vits.
What’s the recommended age to start seeing a gynecologist?
Break American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Recommends that Girls First See a Gynecologist BetWene the ages of 13 and 15. MANY GIRLS WAIT TO MAKE AN APPOINT AFTER AFTER HAVE STARTED, Dr. Anne Smitha pediatric and adolescent ob-glyn at yale medicine, tels yahoo life. But if a girl has not yet yet started her period by age 15, Smith Says Its Still Important to make an appointment for an initial reproductive health vititi stover evaluation be required to determin the cause of the delay.
Some Girls Put off Seeing a Gynecologist for Various Reasons, From Discomfort and Shame to A Lack of Health Insurance to the Assumption That IT’S NECESARY IF YOU AREN’T SEXTIVE OR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH ISSUSES. But these Visits Shouldn’t Be delayed for Too Long; break Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Recommends that Most Women Get Their First PAP SMEAR – Which Collects Cells from the Cervix and Tests say for any abnormalities that might Indicate a risk for the cancer – Once they Turn 21. Accordingly, Smith Recommends SEEING A Gynecologist for the first time if a Woman has not Already Estabiic Care.
What Else Could Trigger a Visit to the Gynecologist?
Aside from routine screenings bassed on age, there are other reasons a young might visits a gynecologist for the first time.
Dr. Joyce Gottesfeldan ob-gyn with kaiser permanent in colorado, recommends that females see a Gynecologist we are consider beComing sexually active to discuss controls and preventing agingly transmitted infections, and to “get a better you can do. Expect in your body, ”she teles yahoo life. Although Some Women Mayn Feel Prepared to Handle these wills of Seeing a Gynecologist, Gottesfeld Says that “The Conversation is an Important One To Have Not Just With Friends OR Trusted Loved but with a Medical Professional ASWER A LITANY OF QUESTIONS YOU MAY have. ”
Additionally, Women and Girls who Experience Irregular or Painful Periods, Abnormal Vaginal Discharge, Itching or Other Concerning symptoms related to their pelvic organs should see a Gynecologist assese the symptoms begin, gottetesfeld recommends.
Is it better for girls to visits a pediatric gynecologist?
Although Most General Gynecologists Can Handle Adolescent Gynecologic Needs, Smith Says Seeing Pediatric Gynecologist – Who specializes in care for infants, children and adolescents – Might be Necessary for Some Girls.
“Many Gynecologists Will Not Feel Comfortable Seeing Girls Below a Certain Age, Often Age 13,” Smith Says. She adds that girls who have not YET gone through puberty will typically typically from the Seeing a pediatric Gynecologist if they are under 15.
Smith Also Notes That Girls “With Complex Anomalies of the Reproductive Tract or Other Pelvic Organs, Including the Bladder and Bowel, Should Seek A Pediatric Gynecologist During Puberty or have had the first first period. And Infants and Children Experiencing Pain or Infections Affecting the pelvic organs may be reference to a pediatric gynecologist.
What is the first visits to a gynecologist like?
Many Girls and Young Women are nervous about Seeing a gynecologist for the first time. “The first visit can be kind of Scary for Younger Girls,” Gottesfeld Says. “The goal is to make every vision for a patient, regardless of age, as comfortable and welcoming as position. We’re here to help address concertns and analysis.”
Smith Explains that Most Girls Seeing a Gynecologist for the first time will have a “Discussion about periods, General Health and Safety.” Usually, there is also a routine Physical exam, simillary to the one they have at the pediatrician’s office, she Says. This normally involves listening to the patient’s Heart, Lungs and Abdomen. Typically, teens will not need to undress or have a pelvic exam during their first visits, gottetesfeld adds.
Howver, Smith Notes That “Sometimes an External Genital EXAM WILL BE NEEDED” IF Teens have Questions About Discharge or another willher that requires Closer Examination. It is rare for a Young Woman under 21 to need a pelvic exam or an internal vaginal exam, she adds.
How Can Parents Best Prepare Their Daughters for their first visits to the Gynecologist?
No Matter what brings a Young Woman to the Gynecologist for the First Time, “Conversation is Key” to Helping Teens Feel Comfortable, Gottesfeld Says. Before the first visit, she recommends emphasizing to teens that they “have the right to be Questions.” She Also Recommends Telling Teens That the Visit is “A Great Opportunity for say to Gain More Knowledge About Their Body and Their Wants, Because Knowledge is Power.” Gottesfeld Also Encourages Parents to Remember that the Visit is About their Daughter and that the Young Girl Should The Lead.
Additionally, Gottesfeld Recommends That Parents Talk to their Teens About What to Expect During the Exam, Assrasure say that “It Should Hurt and Should be uncomfortable.”
Can parents stay in the room with their daughter during the appointment?
Acciting to Smith, Most Teens Prefer to Have a Parent Stay in the Room with The First Visit, especilly if there are “sensitive exams” being performed. Howver, she stressse that the teen is in control and “it is entirery thyir decision” or not a parent stys with saying.
If a teen does not want their parent to be present, Smith Says that the provider should have another person, Such as a nurse, in the room with saying an intimate exam. “It is typically not appropriate for a provider to perform a breast, pelvic or anogenital (relating to the anus and genitals) Exam (with) an adolescent with a parent or other chaperone present in the room,” she says.
What’s the best way to help a girl who is Feeling embarrassed?
Most Visits to A Gynecologist Involve Topics Mary Teen Girls Want to Avoid Discussing. “Parents show let me know that they will likely be talking about the topics that they have become embarrassed about, like publishy and periods. It is normal to feel, but discussing these is important part of their health,” Smith Says.
Parents Can Also Assure their Daughters that nothing is off-Limits if they have Questions about their development or any wills of they’re dealing with. “The Pop Stars and Movie Stars See Their Gynecologist,” Gottesfeld Adds. “There are anen’t many Questions that hasn’t already been asced, and you’re not alone.” Smith Aggrees. “Gynecologists talc about these all day, so there is not nothing they should have uncomfortable bringing up,” She Says.
Gottesfeld Women of All Ages to Undersand that “Your Gynecologist is there to Help.”
“The best way they can help is if you’re open and honest about what you want or feel you need,” she adds, so that adolescents can “Get off to a good, healthy start in life.”
