When to do first gyn visit for teen?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:My PCP has never once done a pap smear? I get them every 3 years at the gyn. If they're not doing the pap smear they don't even use the speculum anymore.

My mom had amajor issues caught on a first gyn visit (tumor that could have been an issue). So she took my sisters and me each when we turned 18.

I posted earlier that my friend's daughter died of cervical cancer at the age of 21. By that point, she had it for 3 or 4 years. I can't believe what I'm reading here. This should be common sense that we need to see a gyn after puberty.

I’m sorry about your friend’s daughter, but that is freakishly rare. Bowel cancer is also rare in young adults, but happens sometimes. Does that mean they should start giving colonoscopies to teenagers?

The HPV vaccine will likely mar a big difference for the generations able to get it.

You're ignoring the fact that the recommendation is to have your first gyn visit between the ages of 12-15. I get colonoscopies at the recommended age too. Not sure what you're trying to accomplish here.

So you think internal exams should be standard of care for non-sexually active 12 year olds?!

Since you seem very dense, let me explain it again. The initial visit isn't necessarily an internal exam. Did you even read the links? No, you just came on here with fake outrage trying to scare people.

Slow your roll, there are several of us who think you're a bit off. You were responding to a post about a 21 year old dying of cervical cancer, and implying this could have been avoided if she had gone to the gyno prior to 18. But since she was apparently asymptomatic, then without invasive internal exams, nothing would have been discovered. And you're claiming that these early exams wouldn't include internals, so the outcome would not have been different. It is just a very sad outlier of a case.

I'm the one whose friend lost her child to cervical cancer and you are talking to a different PP above. Why would you make up stuff that I never said? You're a very disturbed individual. My friend's child died, but if you think that early detection of cancer doesn't save lives, you're even dumber than I thought. I sincerely hope you are not raising a daughter.

Yes, I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to the PP above. How would going to a gyn but not having a pelvic or pap smear catch anything? It's great to have a little chat but that wouldn't actually save a life.

Yes, a little chat would potentially save a life. If during that chat the patient mentions symptoms that lead to an exam that leads to a diagnosis. That's how medicine works. You know what doesn't save lives? Being an uneducated moron who doesn't take their daughter to the GYN at the recommended age. Are you also this adamant about not taking your child to the dentist? It's such profound ignorance that I'd truly curious.

I take my kid to the dentist because they fully examine her teeth. I wouldn't take my kid to the gyno unless a) she had symptoms and/or b) we planned for her to get a full internal examination.

You are not qualified to determine what symptoms warrant a visit, which is why you take them to a specialist. If you aren't doing that, you're an irresponsible, selfish, ignorant parent. Just like you wouldn't neglect her teeth, you shouldn't neglect her reproductive health.

I literally just said I would take child to gyno if she had symptoms. But I'm not taking her if she doesn't. Same for cardiologist or neurologist. And my first stop would be the PCP, to see what they think. Since I'm "not qualified to determine what symptoms warrant a visit."

And this is exactly why I said you're an irresponsible, selfish, ignorant parent. You are choosing to ignore medical advice and are putting your daughter at rick. You are not qualified to determine what warrants the visit. Which is why you should take her whether you think she has symptoms or not.

WHYYYY?????? Seriously, do you take your child to every specialist, with symptoms or not, just in case? This is insane and one of the reasons that it's so hard to access medical care--Little Larla's mommy is hoovering up all the slots for "just to get comfy" visits.

I take my child to all of the recommended visits, yes. It's called responsible parenting.

No one has recommended that my child go to the gyno. Shrug.

Of course they did. You just don't listen. Hope your child is smarter than you.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:My PCP has never once done a pap smear? I get them every 3 years at the gyn. If they're not doing the pap smear they don't even use the speculum anymore.

My mom had amajor issues caught on a first gyn visit (tumor that could have been an issue). So she took my sisters and me each when we turned 18.

I posted earlier that my friend's daughter died of cervical cancer at the age of 21. By that point, she had it for 3 or 4 years. I can't believe what I'm reading here. This should be common sense that we need to see a gyn after puberty.

I’m sorry about your friend’s daughter, but that is freakishly rare. Bowel cancer is also rare in young adults, but happens sometimes. Does that mean they should start giving colonoscopies to teenagers?

The HPV vaccine will likely mar a big difference for the generations able to get it.

You're ignoring the fact that the recommendation is to have your first gyn visit between the ages of 12-15. I get colonoscopies at the recommended age too. Not sure what you're trying to accomplish here.

So you think internal exams should be standard of care for non-sexually active 12 year olds?!

Stop lying. Establishing care with a gynecologist doesn’t mean having an internal exam. It’s smart for girls to learn what respectful responsive care looks like, to have a relationship with a gyn that they can ask questions if for some reason they don’t want to come to you or just want additional information/reassurance. My DD had an emergent situation freshman year of college and ended up needing surgery. I was glad that she didn’t have the additional stress of having that be her first experience with a gynecologist. It was her first internal exam, but she had already had several visits. She had conversations about multiple things including what happens during an internal exam. It was a scary time but much less so than it could have been.

American schools and families do a terrible job teaching girls about their body. Everything is focused on sexual practices and almost nothing on actual health. That’s another good reason to take your DD before there are problems.

I'm the European who responded earlier in the thread and this is so very true. I went for the first time at 15, it did involve an internal exam, but I've had dental visits that were MUCH more uncomfortable. If you teach your daughters that this is just a medical exam and not a right of passage or something you do after the first time you have sex, they'd be much better off.

I wonder if the PP understands that some young girls may hear about their bodies for the very first time during these visits. IT's just lunacy not to do it.

I think what you don't understand is that the girls who are "hearing about their bodies for the first time" are never the ones who would be brought to these exams. They are either a) too poor to spend money on what is at heart an informational medical visit or b) their parents have kept information about their bodies from them because they want to keep them ignorant/innocent/etc and thus would never bring them to the doctor for such a visit. America is very different from Europe in this regard.

Essentially what someone said earlier in the thread is true--bringing your daughter to the gyno at a very young age just to "get comfy" with the idea is the purview of extremely privileged, likely liberal, people.

But I didn't say that I would bring my daughter just to get comfy. It's a necessary medical exam just like any other.

OMG, so is she or isn't she getting a full internal exam? Because if she is, that's very different from what most people are proposing for their 12 year old.

You are talking to various people. The recommended age is between 12-15 because that's after the onset of puberty, menses, and all sorts of hormonal changes which affect their reproductive health. Of course, they should conduct the exam!

I'm sorry, but subjecting a sexually inactive 12 year old to an internal exam for *gesticulates wildly* reasons is bizarre to me. Also, I don't think that most Europeans are going to the gyno at 15, no.

You're as ignorant about Europe as you are about women's health. I grew up in Europe and we absolutely do.

Oh, Europe. Home to Moldova and the UK. Norway and Albania. So sure they do everything exactly the same.

Whether it's Norway or Albania, you know nothing about any of them.

Please educate us, o wise European. And which country *are* you from?

It's called Gofukyourselfstan. Ever heard of it?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My PCP has never once done a pap smear? I get them every 3 years at the gyn. If they're not doing the pap smear they don't even use the speculum anymore.

My mom had amajor issues caught on a first gyn visit (tumor that could have been an issue). So she took my sisters and me each when we turned 18.

I posted earlier that my friend's daughter died of cervical cancer at the age of 21. By that point, she had it for 3 or 4 years. I can't believe what I'm reading here. This should be common sense that we need to see a gyn after puberty.

I’m sorry about your friend’s daughter, but that is freakishly rare. Bowel cancer is also rare in young adults, but happens sometimes. Does that mean they should start giving colonoscopies to teenagers?

The HPV vaccine will likely mar a big difference for the generations able to get it.

You're ignoring the fact that the recommendation is to have your first gyn visit between the ages of 12-15. I get colonoscopies at the recommended age too. Not sure what you're trying to accomplish here.

So you think internal exams should be standard of care for non-sexually active 12 year olds?!

Stop lying. Establishing care with a gynecologist doesn’t mean having an internal exam. It’s smart for girls to learn what respectful responsive care looks like, to have a relationship with a gyn that they can ask questions if for some reason they don’t want to come to you or just want additional information/reassurance. My DD had an emergent situation freshman year of college and ended up needing surgery. I was glad that she didn’t have the additional stress of having that be her first experience with a gynecologist. It was her first internal exam, but she had already had several visits. She had conversations about multiple things including what happens during an internal exam. It was a scary time but much less so than it could have been.

American schools and families do a terrible job teaching girls about their body. Everything is focused on sexual practices and almost nothing on actual health. That’s another good reason to take your DD before there are problems.

I'm the European who responded earlier in the thread and this is so very true. I went for the first time at 15, it did involve an internal exam, but I've had dental visits that were MUCH more uncomfortable. If you teach your daughters that this is just a medical exam and not a right of passage or something you do after the first time you have sex, they'd be much better off.

I wonder if the PP understands that some young girls may hear about their bodies for the very first time during these visits. IT's just lunacy not to do it.

I think what you don't understand is that the girls who are "hearing about their bodies for the first time" are never the ones who would be brought to these exams. They are either a) too poor to spend money on what is at heart an informational medical visit or b) their parents have kept information about their bodies from them because they want to keep them ignorant/innocent/etc and thus would never bring them to the doctor for such a visit. America is very different from Europe in this regard.

Essentially what someone said earlier in the thread is true--bringing your daughter to the gyno at a very young age just to "get comfy" with the idea is the purview of extremely privileged, likely liberal, people.

But I didn't say that I would bring my daughter just to get comfy. It's a necessary medical exam just like any other.

OMG, so is she or isn't she getting a full internal exam? Because if she is, that's very different from what most people are proposing for their 12 year old.

You are talking to various people. The recommended age is between 12-15 because that's after the onset of puberty, menses, and all sorts of hormonal changes which affect their reproductive health. Of course, they should conduct the exam!

I'm sorry, but subjecting a sexually inactive 12 year old to an internal exam for *gesticulates wildly* reasons is bizarre to me. Also, I don't think that most Europeans are going to the gyno at 15, no.

You're as ignorant about Europe as you are about women's health. I grew up in Europe and we absolutely do.

Oh, Europe. Home to Moldova and the UK. Norway and Albania. So sure they do everything exactly the same.

Whether it's Norway or Albania, you know nothing about any of them.

Please educate us, o wise European. And which country *are* you from?

It's called Gofukyourselfstan. Ever heard of it?

Touchy, touchy. Maybe talk to your gyn? Moodiness can be a sign of hormonal dysregulation. Take your daughter, too. I'm sure she'd enjoy that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My PCP has never once done a pap smear? I get them every 3 years at the gyn. If they're not doing the pap smear they don't even use the speculum anymore.

My mom had amajor issues caught on a first gyn visit (tumor that could have been an issue). So she took my sisters and me each when we turned 18.

I posted earlier that my friend's daughter died of cervical cancer at the age of 21. By that point, she had it for 3 or 4 years. I can't believe what I'm reading here. This should be common sense that we need to see a gyn after puberty.

I’m sorry about your friend’s daughter, but that is freakishly rare. Bowel cancer is also rare in young adults, but happens sometimes. Does that mean they should start giving colonoscopies to teenagers?

The HPV vaccine will likely mar a big difference for the generations able to get it.

You're ignoring the fact that the recommendation is to have your first gyn visit between the ages of 12-15. I get colonoscopies at the recommended age too. Not sure what you're trying to accomplish here.

So you think internal exams should be standard of care for non-sexually active 12 year olds?!

Stop lying. Establishing care with a gynecologist doesn’t mean having an internal exam. It’s smart for girls to learn what respectful responsive care looks like, to have a relationship with a gyn that they can ask questions if for some reason they don’t want to come to you or just want additional information/reassurance. My DD had an emergent situation freshman year of college and ended up needing surgery. I was glad that she didn’t have the additional stress of having that be her first experience with a gynecologist. It was her first internal exam, but she had already had several visits. She had conversations about multiple things including what happens during an internal exam. It was a scary time but much less so than it could have been.

American schools and families do a terrible job teaching girls about their body. Everything is focused on sexual practices and almost nothing on actual health. That’s another good reason to take your DD before there are problems.

I'm the European who responded earlier in the thread and this is so very true. I went for the first time at 15, it did involve an internal exam, but I've had dental visits that were MUCH more uncomfortable. If you teach your daughters that this is just a medical exam and not a right of passage or something you do after the first time you have sex, they'd be much better off.

I wonder if the PP understands that some young girls may hear about their bodies for the very first time during these visits. IT's just lunacy not to do it.

I think what you don't understand is that the girls who are "hearing about their bodies for the first time" are never the ones who would be brought to these exams. They are either a) too poor to spend money on what is at heart an informational medical visit or b) their parents have kept information about their bodies from them because they want to keep them ignorant/innocent/etc and thus would never bring them to the doctor for such a visit. America is very different from Europe in this regard.

Essentially what someone said earlier in the thread is true--bringing your daughter to the gyno at a very young age just to "get comfy" with the idea is the purview of extremely privileged, likely liberal, people.

But I didn't say that I would bring my daughter just to get comfy. It's a necessary medical exam just like any other.

OMG, so is she or isn't she getting a full internal exam? Because if she is, that's very different from what most people are proposing for their 12 year old.

You are talking to various people. The recommended age is between 12-15 because that's after the onset of puberty, menses, and all sorts of hormonal changes which affect their reproductive health. Of course, they should conduct the exam!

I'm sorry, but subjecting a sexually inactive 12 year old to an internal exam for *gesticulates wildly* reasons is bizarre to me. Also, I don't think that most Europeans are going to the gyno at 15, no.

You're as ignorant about Europe as you are about women's health. I grew up in Europe and we absolutely do.

Oh, Europe. Home to Moldova and the UK. Norway and Albania. So sure they do everything exactly the same.

Whether it's Norway or Albania, you know nothing about any of them.

Please educate us, o wise European. And which country *are* you from?

It's called Gofukyourselfstan. Ever heard of it?

Touchy, touchy. Maybe talk to your gyn? Moodiness can be a sign of hormonal dysregulation. Take your daughter, too. I'm sure she'd enjoy that.

Awww so smart. But not smart enough to take your poor child to the doctor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My PCP has never once done a pap smear? I get them every 3 years at the gyn. If they're not doing the pap smear they don't even use the speculum anymore.

My mom had amajor issues caught on a first gyn visit (tumor that could have been an issue). So she took my sisters and me each when we turned 18.

I posted earlier that my friend's daughter died of cervical cancer at the age of 21. By that point, she had it for 3 or 4 years. I can't believe what I'm reading here. This should be common sense that we need to see a gyn after puberty.

I’m sorry about your friend’s daughter, but that is freakishly rare. Bowel cancer is also rare in young adults, but happens sometimes. Does that mean they should start giving colonoscopies to teenagers?

The HPV vaccine will likely mar a big difference for the generations able to get it.

You're ignoring the fact that the recommendation is to have your first gyn visit between the ages of 12-15. I get colonoscopies at the recommended age too. Not sure what you're trying to accomplish here.

So you think internal exams should be standard of care for non-sexually active 12 year olds?!

Stop lying. Establishing care with a gynecologist doesn’t mean having an internal exam. It’s smart for girls to learn what respectful responsive care looks like, to have a relationship with a gyn that they can ask questions if for some reason they don’t want to come to you or just want additional information/reassurance. My DD had an emergent situation freshman year of college and ended up needing surgery. I was glad that she didn’t have the additional stress of having that be her first experience with a gynecologist. It was her first internal exam, but she had already had several visits. She had conversations about multiple things including what happens during an internal exam. It was a scary time but much less so than it could have been.

American schools and families do a terrible job teaching girls about their body. Everything is focused on sexual practices and almost nothing on actual health. That’s another good reason to take your DD before there are problems.

I'm the European who responded earlier in the thread and this is so very true. I went for the first time at 15, it did involve an internal exam, but I've had dental visits that were MUCH more uncomfortable. If you teach your daughters that this is just a medical exam and not a right of passage or something you do after the first time you have sex, they'd be much better off.

I wonder if the PP understands that some young girls may hear about their bodies for the very first time during these visits. IT's just lunacy not to do it.

I think what you don't understand is that the girls who are "hearing about their bodies for the first time" are never the ones who would be brought to these exams. They are either a) too poor to spend money on what is at heart an informational medical visit or b) their parents have kept information about their bodies from them because they want to keep them ignorant/innocent/etc and thus would never bring them to the doctor for such a visit. America is very different from Europe in this regard.

Essentially what someone said earlier in the thread is true--bringing your daughter to the gyno at a very young age just to "get comfy" with the idea is the purview of extremely privileged, likely liberal, people.

But I didn't say that I would bring my daughter just to get comfy. It's a necessary medical exam just like any other.

OMG, so is she or isn't she getting a full internal exam? Because if she is, that's very different from what most people are proposing for their 12 year old.

You are talking to various people. The recommended age is between 12-15 because that's after the onset of puberty, menses, and all sorts of hormonal changes which affect their reproductive health. Of course, they should conduct the exam!

I'm sorry, but subjecting a sexually inactive 12 year old to an internal exam for *gesticulates wildly* reasons is bizarre to me. Also, I don't think that most Europeans are going to the gyno at 15, no.

You're as ignorant about Europe as you are about women's health. I grew up in Europe and we absolutely do.

Oh, Europe. Home to Moldova and the UK. Norway and Albania. So sure they do everything exactly the same.

Whether it's Norway or Albania, you know nothing about any of them.

Please educate us, o wise European. And which country *are* you from?

It's called Gofukyourselfstan. Ever heard of it?

Touchy, touchy. Maybe talk to your gyn? Moodiness can be a sign of hormonal dysregulation. Take your daughter, too. I'm sure she'd enjoy that.

Awww so smart. But not smart enough to take your poor child to the doctor.

You are so obsessed with my daughter being inspected. Are you a gyno?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My PCP has never once done a pap smear? I get them every 3 years at the gyn. If they're not doing the pap smear they don't even use the speculum anymore.

My mom had amajor issues caught on a first gyn visit (tumor that could have been an issue). So she took my sisters and me each when we turned 18.

I posted earlier that my friend's daughter died of cervical cancer at the age of 21. By that point, she had it for 3 or 4 years. I can't believe what I'm reading here. This should be common sense that we need to see a gyn after puberty.

I’m sorry about your friend’s daughter, but that is freakishly rare. Bowel cancer is also rare in young adults, but happens sometimes. Does that mean they should start giving colonoscopies to teenagers?

The HPV vaccine will likely mar a big difference for the generations able to get it.

You're ignoring the fact that the recommendation is to have your first gyn visit between the ages of 12-15. I get colonoscopies at the recommended age too. Not sure what you're trying to accomplish here.

So you think internal exams should be standard of care for non-sexually active 12 year olds?!

Stop lying. Establishing care with a gynecologist doesn’t mean having an internal exam. It’s smart for girls to learn what respectful responsive care looks like, to have a relationship with a gyn that they can ask questions if for some reason they don’t want to come to you or just want additional information/reassurance. My DD had an emergent situation freshman year of college and ended up needing surgery. I was glad that she didn’t have the additional stress of having that be her first experience with a gynecologist. It was her first internal exam, but she had already had several visits. She had conversations about multiple things including what happens during an internal exam. It was a scary time but much less so than it could have been.

American schools and families do a terrible job teaching girls about their body. Everything is focused on sexual practices and almost nothing on actual health. That’s another good reason to take your DD before there are problems.

I'm the European who responded earlier in the thread and this is so very true. I went for the first time at 15, it did involve an internal exam, but I've had dental visits that were MUCH more uncomfortable. If you teach your daughters that this is just a medical exam and not a right of passage or something you do after the first time you have sex, they'd be much better off.

I wonder if the PP understands that some young girls may hear about their bodies for the very first time during these visits. IT's just lunacy not to do it.

I think what you don't understand is that the girls who are "hearing about their bodies for the first time" are never the ones who would be brought to these exams. They are either a) too poor to spend money on what is at heart an informational medical visit or b) their parents have kept information about their bodies from them because they want to keep them ignorant/innocent/etc and thus would never bring them to the doctor for such a visit. America is very different from Europe in this regard.

Essentially what someone said earlier in the thread is true--bringing your daughter to the gyno at a very young age just to "get comfy" with the idea is the purview of extremely privileged, likely liberal, people.

But I didn't say that I would bring my daughter just to get comfy. It's a necessary medical exam just like any other.

OMG, so is she or isn't she getting a full internal exam? Because if she is, that's very different from what most people are proposing for their 12 year old.

You are talking to various people. The recommended age is between 12-15 because that's after the onset of puberty, menses, and all sorts of hormonal changes which affect their reproductive health. Of course, they should conduct the exam!

I'm sorry, but subjecting a sexually inactive 12 year old to an internal exam for *gesticulates wildly* reasons is bizarre to me. Also, I don't think that most Europeans are going to the gyno at 15, no.

You're as ignorant about Europe as you are about women's health. I grew up in Europe and we absolutely do.

Oh, Europe. Home to Moldova and the UK. Norway and Albania. So sure they do everything exactly the same.

Whether it's Norway or Albania, you know nothing about any of them.

Please educate us, o wise European. And which country *are* you from?

It's called Gofukyourselfstan. Ever heard of it?

Touchy, touchy. Maybe talk to your gyn? Moodiness can be a sign of hormonal dysregulation. Take your daughter, too. I'm sure she'd enjoy that.

Awww so smart. But not smart enough to take your poor child to the doctor.

You are so obsessed with my daughter being inspected. Are you a gyno?

You're an ignorant troll. You're also a creep who should have his computer search history checked.

[Anonymous]

Before college, 17-18.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My PCP has never once done a pap smear? I get them every 3 years at the gyn. If they're not doing the pap smear they don't even use the speculum anymore.

My mom had amajor issues caught on a first gyn visit (tumor that could have been an issue). So she took my sisters and me each when we turned 18.

I posted earlier that my friend's daughter died of cervical cancer at the age of 21. By that point, she had it for 3 or 4 years. I can't believe what I'm reading here. This should be common sense that we need to see a gyn after puberty.

I’m sorry about your friend’s daughter, but that is freakishly rare. Bowel cancer is also rare in young adults, but happens sometimes. Does that mean they should start giving colonoscopies to teenagers?

The HPV vaccine will likely mar a big difference for the generations able to get it.

You're ignoring the fact that the recommendation is to have your first gyn visit between the ages of 12-15. I get colonoscopies at the recommended age too. Not sure what you're trying to accomplish here.

So you think internal exams should be standard of care for non-sexually active 12 year olds?!

Since you seem very dense, let me explain it again. The initial visit isn't necessarily an internal exam. Did you even read the links? No, you just came on here with fake outrage trying to scare people.

Slow your roll, there are several of us who think you're a bit off. You were responding to a post about a 21 year old dying of cervical cancer, and implying this could have been avoided if she had gone to the gyno prior to 18. But since she was apparently asymptomatic, then without invasive internal exams, nothing would have been discovered. And you're claiming that these early exams wouldn't include internals, so the outcome would not have been different. It is just a very sad outlier of a case.

Why are you so hyper fixated on one poster’s story? Implying invasive exams on 12 yrs old. I am PP you’re responding to and I won’t slow my roll (whatever that means) so get mad I guess.

My kid had her first pelvic exam at 15 because she was having all sorts of pelvic problems. VERY heavy periods. Very bad cramps. First we went to our pediatric (CMA) who said oh yeah we can help with that but only certain providers in our practice do that. Took a month to get an appointment with one of the providers who deals with gyno issues. That provider prescribed birth control pills, but they did nothing to help symptoms. My DD was miserable and was suffering. CMA wanted us to keep coming every single month for bloodwork (aka pregnancy test) and urine sample (also another pregnancy test) but wouldn’t admit they were checking for that. She was not sexually active.

After 6 months of this insanity I called my gyno (CWC) and asked would they see my daughter at her age, and did she have to do a pelvic exam. They saw her the next day and did not require a pelvic exam the first visit. They took her issues very seriously, treated her like an adult, never shamed her, never made her feel self conscious. They were wonderful. After trying a different BCP and some ultrasounds she felt comfortable a month later for a pelvic exam.

Pelvic exams aren’t a walk on the beach but putting fear in teens and women about them is criminal and causes women to delay care because they’re scared, fearful and embarrassed. Stop doing this. Stop!

So your child had symptoms and you took her to the doctor. Great. Mine doesn't. I won't.

Ok. Good for you. Can you stop now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My PCP has never once done a pap smear? I get them every 3 years at the gyn. If they're not doing the pap smear they don't even use the speculum anymore.

My mom had amajor issues caught on a first gyn visit (tumor that could have been an issue). So she took my sisters and me each when we turned 18.

I posted earlier that my friend's daughter died of cervical cancer at the age of 21. By that point, she had it for 3 or 4 years. I can't believe what I'm reading here. This should be common sense that we need to see a gyn after puberty.

I’m sorry about your friend’s daughter, but that is freakishly rare. Bowel cancer is also rare in young adults, but happens sometimes. Does that mean they should start giving colonoscopies to teenagers?

The HPV vaccine will likely mar a big difference for the generations able to get it.

You're ignoring the fact that the recommendation is to have your first gyn visit between the ages of 12-15. I get colonoscopies at the recommended age too. Not sure what you're trying to accomplish here.

So you think internal exams should be standard of care for non-sexually active 12 year olds?!

Stop lying. Establishing care with a gynecologist doesn’t mean having an internal exam. It’s smart for girls to learn what respectful responsive care looks like, to have a relationship with a gyn that they can ask questions if for some reason they don’t want to come to you or just want additional information/reassurance. My DD had an emergent situation freshman year of college and ended up needing surgery. I was glad that she didn’t have the additional stress of having that be her first experience with a gynecologist. It was her first internal exam, but she had already had several visits. She had conversations about multiple things including what happens during an internal exam. It was a scary time but much less so than it could have been.

American schools and families do a terrible job teaching girls about their body. Everything is focused on sexual practices and almost nothing on actual health. That’s another good reason to take your DD before there are problems.

I'm the European who responded earlier in the thread and this is so very true. I went for the first time at 15, it did involve an internal exam, but I've had dental visits that were MUCH more uncomfortable. If you teach your daughters that this is just a medical exam and not a right of passage or something you do after the first time you have sex, they'd be much better off.

I wonder if the PP understands that some young girls may hear about their bodies for the very first time during these visits. IT's just lunacy not to do it.

I think what you don't understand is that the girls who are "hearing about their bodies for the first time" are never the ones who would be brought to these exams. They are either a) too poor to spend money on what is at heart an informational medical visit or b) their parents have kept information about their bodies from them because they want to keep them ignorant/innocent/etc and thus would never bring them to the doctor for such a visit. America is very different from Europe in this regard.

Essentially what someone said earlier in the thread is true--bringing your daughter to the gyno at a very young age just to "get comfy" with the idea is the purview of extremely privileged, likely liberal, people.

But I didn't say that I would bring my daughter just to get comfy. It's a necessary medical exam just like any other.

OMG, so is she or isn't she getting a full internal exam? Because if she is, that's very different from what most people are proposing for their 12 year old.

You are talking to various people. The recommended age is between 12-15 because that's after the onset of puberty, menses, and all sorts of hormonal changes which affect their reproductive health. Of course, they should conduct the exam!

I'm sorry, but subjecting a sexually inactive 12 year old to an internal exam for *gesticulates wildly* reasons is bizarre to me. Also, I don't think that most Europeans are going to the gyno at 15, no.

You're a sick troll, a man who has no idea how women's bodies function. The fact that you think that only sexually active teens have a reason to go should have told me all I needed to know. Why are you even discussing women's health since you're a man?

Not a man, just a woman who thinks we overmedicalize things and there's no need prior to 21 to go to the gyno if you're not sexually active or having symptoms of a gynecological nature. Waste of time, waste of money.

Great thing about the US is that is your right. So ok then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My PCP has never once done a pap smear? I get them every 3 years at the gyn. If they're not doing the pap smear they don't even use the speculum anymore.

My mom had amajor issues caught on a first gyn visit (tumor that could have been an issue). So she took my sisters and me each when we turned 18.

I posted earlier that my friend's daughter died of cervical cancer at the age of 21. By that point, she had it for 3 or 4 years. I can't believe what I'm reading here. This should be common sense that we need to see a gyn after puberty.

I’m sorry about your friend’s daughter, but that is freakishly rare. Bowel cancer is also rare in young adults, but happens sometimes. Does that mean they should start giving colonoscopies to teenagers?

The HPV vaccine will likely mar a big difference for the generations able to get it.

You're ignoring the fact that the recommendation is to have your first gyn visit between the ages of 12-15. I get colonoscopies at the recommended age too. Not sure what you're trying to accomplish here.

So you think internal exams should be standard of care for non-sexually active 12 year olds?!

Stop lying. Establishing care with a gynecologist doesn’t mean having an internal exam. It’s smart for girls to learn what respectful responsive care looks like, to have a relationship with a gyn that they can ask questions if for some reason they don’t want to come to you or just want additional information/reassurance. My DD had an emergent situation freshman year of college and ended up needing surgery. I was glad that she didn’t have the additional stress of having that be her first experience with a gynecologist. It was her first internal exam, but she had already had several visits. She had conversations about multiple things including what happens during an internal exam. It was a scary time but much less so than it could have been.

American schools and families do a terrible job teaching girls about their body. Everything is focused on sexual practices and almost nothing on actual health. That’s another good reason to take your DD before there are problems.

I'm the European who responded earlier in the thread and this is so very true. I went for the first time at 15, it did involve an internal exam, but I've had dental visits that were MUCH more uncomfortable. If you teach your daughters that this is just a medical exam and not a right of passage or something you do after the first time you have sex, they'd be much better off.

I wonder if the PP understands that some young girls may hear about their bodies for the very first time during these visits. IT's just lunacy not to do it.

I think what you don't understand is that the girls who are "hearing about their bodies for the first time" are never the ones who would be brought to these exams. They are either a) too poor to spend money on what is at heart an informational medical visit or b) their parents have kept information about their bodies from them because they want to keep them ignorant/innocent/etc and thus would never bring them to the doctor for such a visit. America is very different from Europe in this regard.

Essentially what someone said earlier in the thread is true--bringing your daughter to the gyno at a very young age just to "get comfy" with the idea is the purview of extremely privileged, likely liberal, people.

But I didn't say that I would bring my daughter just to get comfy. It's a necessary medical exam just like any other.

OMG, so is she or isn't she getting a full internal exam? Because if she is, that's very different from what most people are proposing for their 12 year old.

You are talking to various people. The recommended age is between 12-15 because that's after the onset of puberty, menses, and all sorts of hormonal changes which affect their reproductive health. Of course, they should conduct the exam!

I'm sorry, but subjecting a sexually inactive 12 year old to an internal exam for *gesticulates wildly* reasons is bizarre to me. Also, I don't think that most Europeans are going to the gyno at 15, no.

You're a sick troll, a man who has no idea how women's bodies function. The fact that you think that only sexually active teens have a reason to go should have told me all I needed to know. Why are you even discussing women's health since you're a man?

Not a man, just a woman who thinks we overmedicalize things and there's no need prior to 21 to go to the gyno if you're not sexually active or having symptoms of a gynecological nature. Waste of time, waste of money.

Great thing about the US is that is your right. So ok then.

DP, the PP is right. OP asked if she should take her to the gyn before college and the answer is not necessarily. If she is heathy and without gyn issues, then it’s more important for her to have an established PCP. They can cover self breast exams, birth control, STDs. These are all preventative primary care issues. She doesn’t need an internal exam or anything that only a gyn specifically can do. Most women don’t need to see a gyn yearly. Just like older teen boys and men aren’t going to the urologist yearly to turn their head and cough and get their prostate palpated. Specialists are for abnormal or complex issues that primary can’t or won’t handle. There aren’t enough gynecologists to see every woman, every year for a “well check”

[Anonymous]

Getting a yearly pelvic exam is no longer recommended for asymptomatic, non pregnant women with average risk as part of a yearly well woman check. Yearly paps are a thing of the past too.

https://www.acponline.org/acp-newsroom/american-college-of-physicians-recommends-against-screening-pelvic-examination-in-adult-asymptomatic

[Anonymous]

These responses 😩

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My PCP has never once done a pap smear? I get them every 3 years at the gyn. If they're not doing the pap smear they don't even use the speculum anymore.

My mom had amajor issues caught on a first gyn visit (tumor that could have been an issue). So she took my sisters and me each when we turned 18.

I posted earlier that my friend's daughter died of cervical cancer at the age of 21. By that point, she had it for 3 or 4 years. I can't believe what I'm reading here. This should be common sense that we need to see a gyn after puberty.

I’m sorry about your friend’s daughter, but that is freakishly rare. Bowel cancer is also rare in young adults, but happens sometimes. Does that mean they should start giving colonoscopies to teenagers?

The HPV vaccine will likely mar a big difference for the generations able to get it.

You're ignoring the fact that the recommendation is to have your first gyn visit between the ages of 12-15. I get colonoscopies at the recommended age too. Not sure what you're trying to accomplish here.

So you think internal exams should be standard of care for non-sexually active 12 year olds?!

Stop lying. Establishing care with a gynecologist doesn’t mean having an internal exam. It’s smart for girls to learn what respectful responsive care looks like, to have a relationship with a gyn that they can ask questions if for some reason they don’t want to come to you or just want additional information/reassurance. My DD had an emergent situation freshman year of college and ended up needing surgery. I was glad that she didn’t have the additional stress of having that be her first experience with a gynecologist. It was her first internal exam, but she had already had several visits. She had conversations about multiple things including what happens during an internal exam. It was a scary time but much less so than it could have been.

American schools and families do a terrible job teaching girls about their body. Everything is focused on sexual practices and almost nothing on actual health. That’s another good reason to take your DD before there are problems.

I'm the European who responded earlier in the thread and this is so very true. I went for the first time at 15, it did involve an internal exam, but I've had dental visits that were MUCH more uncomfortable. If you teach your daughters that this is just a medical exam and not a right of passage or something you do after the first time you have sex, they'd be much better off.

I wonder if the PP understands that some young girls may hear about their bodies for the very first time during these visits. IT's just lunacy not to do it.

I think what you don't understand is that the girls who are "hearing about their bodies for the first time" are never the ones who would be brought to these exams. They are either a) too poor to spend money on what is at heart an informational medical visit or b) their parents have kept information about their bodies from them because they want to keep them ignorant/innocent/etc and thus would never bring them to the doctor for such a visit. America is very different from Europe in this regard.

Essentially what someone said earlier in the thread is true--bringing your daughter to the gyno at a very young age just to "get comfy" with the idea is the purview of extremely privileged, likely liberal, people.

But I didn't say that I would bring my daughter just to get comfy. It's a necessary medical exam just like any other.

OMG, so is she or isn't she getting a full internal exam? Because if she is, that's very different from what most people are proposing for their 12 year old.

You are talking to various people. The recommended age is between 12-15 because that's after the onset of puberty, menses, and all sorts of hormonal changes which affect their reproductive health. Of course, they should conduct the exam!

I'm sorry, but subjecting a sexually inactive 12 year old to an internal exam for *gesticulates wildly* reasons is bizarre to me. Also, I don't think that most Europeans are going to the gyno at 15, no.

You're a sick troll, a man who has no idea how women's bodies function. The fact that you think that only sexually active teens have a reason to go should have told me all I needed to know. Why are you even discussing women's health since you're a man?

Not a man, just a woman who thinks we overmedicalize things and there's no need prior to 21 to go to the gyno if you're not sexually active or having symptoms of a gynecological nature. Waste of time, waste of money.

Great thing about the US is that is your right. So ok then.

DP, the PP is right. OP asked if she should take her to the gyn before college and the answer is not necessarily. If she is heathy and without gyn issues, then it’s more important for her to have an established PCP. They can cover self breast exams, birth control, STDs. These are all preventative primary care issues. She doesn’t need an internal exam or anything that only a gyn specifically can do. Most women don’t need to see a gyn yearly. Just like older teen boys and men aren’t going to the urologist yearly to turn their head and cough and get their prostate palpated. Specialists are for abnormal or complex issues that primary can’t or won’t handle. There aren’t enough gynecologists to see every woman, every year for a “well check”

You just won't stop. You made your opinion very clear, you are making this all about you and you only. Stop hijacking.

[Anonymous]

18, so they can have a private conversation with the doctor. For damn sure I am not risking my kid getting cervical cancer or other illness because she doesn’t want to say something about sex or pelvic symptoms to the male pediatrician she has known since she was born. And yes, children can ask for private conversation conversations with doctors, but kids aren’t stupid and know their parents can get their records.

And yes, I would rather she gets prompt care and isn’t a new patient later in life when she might want to see someone urgently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My PCP has never once done a pap smear? I get them every 3 years at the gyn. If they're not doing the pap smear they don't even use the speculum anymore.

My mom had amajor issues caught on a first gyn visit (tumor that could have been an issue). So she took my sisters and me each when we turned 18.

I posted earlier that my friend's daughter died of cervical cancer at the age of 21. By that point, she had it for 3 or 4 years. I can't believe what I'm reading here. This should be common sense that we need to see a gyn after puberty.

I’m sorry about your friend’s daughter, but that is freakishly rare. Bowel cancer is also rare in young adults, but happens sometimes. Does that mean they should start giving colonoscopies to teenagers?

The HPV vaccine will likely mar a big difference for the generations able to get it.

You're ignoring the fact that the recommendation is to have your first gyn visit between the ages of 12-15. I get colonoscopies at the recommended age too. Not sure what you're trying to accomplish here.

So you think internal exams should be standard of care for non-sexually active 12 year olds?!

Stop lying. Establishing care with a gynecologist doesn’t mean having an internal exam. It’s smart for girls to learn what respectful responsive care looks like, to have a relationship with a gyn that they can ask questions if for some reason they don’t want to come to you or just want additional information/reassurance. My DD had an emergent situation freshman year of college and ended up needing surgery. I was glad that she didn’t have the additional stress of having that be her first experience with a gynecologist. It was her first internal exam, but she had already had several visits. She had conversations about multiple things including what happens during an internal exam. It was a scary time but much less so than it could have been.

American schools and families do a terrible job teaching girls about their body. Everything is focused on sexual practices and almost nothing on actual health. That’s another good reason to take your DD before there are problems.

I'm the European who responded earlier in the thread and this is so very true. I went for the first time at 15, it did involve an internal exam, but I've had dental visits that were MUCH more uncomfortable. If you teach your daughters that this is just a medical exam and not a right of passage or something you do after the first time you have sex, they'd be much better off.

I wonder if the PP understands that some young girls may hear about their bodies for the very first time during these visits. IT's just lunacy not to do it.

I think what you don't understand is that the girls who are "hearing about their bodies for the first time" are never the ones who would be brought to these exams. They are either a) too poor to spend money on what is at heart an informational medical visit or b) their parents have kept information about their bodies from them because they want to keep them ignorant/innocent/etc and thus would never bring them to the doctor for such a visit. America is very different from Europe in this regard.

Essentially what someone said earlier in the thread is true--bringing your daughter to the gyno at a very young age just to "get comfy" with the idea is the purview of extremely privileged, likely liberal, people.

But I didn't say that I would bring my daughter just to get comfy. It's a necessary medical exam just like any other.

OMG, so is she or isn't she getting a full internal exam? Because if she is, that's very different from what most people are proposing for their 12 year old.

You are talking to various people. The recommended age is between 12-15 because that's after the onset of puberty, menses, and all sorts of hormonal changes which affect their reproductive health. Of course, they should conduct the exam!

I'm sorry, but subjecting a sexually inactive 12 year old to an internal exam for *gesticulates wildly* reasons is bizarre to me. Also, I don't think that most Europeans are going to the gyno at 15, no.

You're a sick troll, a man who has no idea how women's bodies function. The fact that you think that only sexually active teens have a reason to go should have told me all I needed to know. Why are you even discussing women's health since you're a man?

Not a man, just a woman who thinks we overmedicalize things and there's no need prior to 21 to go to the gyno if you're not sexually active or having symptoms of a gynecological nature. Waste of time, waste of money.

You're an idiot who should never have had children.

I wouldn’t say they’re an idiot, but probably very naive. My honors student daughter had sex at 16. I didn’t actually sign a permission slip! You may not find out your kid is sexually active until there’s an issue. Mine got a raging bacterial infection and had to take a pregnancy test as well as std panel!