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Fear of Gynecological Exam
Over 20 years ago, when I was a teenager, my mother forced me to have an abortion. It was my first visit to the gynecologist. I haven't been to the gyn in over 10 years because just being there produces severe panic attacks, and sometimes self-injurious behavior. Has anyone ever had this happen to them? I know that nobody LIKES going, but now I am having abnormal bleeding between periods and pelvic pain and I just can't bring myself to go. Tried therapy...didn't work. So what now?
I seriously believed I was the only one. The missed appointment. The crying before, during and after. I've been sexually active since last year, am 21 and have only had one swab test which had to get stopped half way through. The nurse could only get one swab as I couldnt bare it. And that was WITHOUT the speculum/opening device. I get tense, it is a SHOCKING, stabbing sharp pain and I truly believe the women who say it s only uncomfortable either have a different pain threshold or are not as restricted/tight down there I seriously only see SEDATION as an alternative. And Id love to have the all clear health wise.
I've always gotten urine and blood checked but this is something that makes me anxious, upset and teary everytime I think about it. I believe it will until it gets done. Simply relaxing and taking a pill will not help. I am so sensitive down there and during sex it hurts. Its such a consolation to know I am not the only one. Woen, you are brave for trying to combat this issue, I like some of you do not cry easily but something as invasive as this? I feel your pain. I am seeing a doctor at a sexual health clinic on friday and will keep you updated. They seem so reluctant to provide sedation as 'everyone else has to do it' without considering we are all DIFFERENT.
I've always gotten urine and blood checked but this is something that makes me anxious, upset and teary everytime I think about it. I believe it will until it gets done. Simply relaxing and taking a pill will not help. I am so sensitive down there and during sex it hurts. Its such a consolation to know I am not the only one. Woen, you are brave for trying to combat this issue, I like some of you do not cry easily but something as invasive as this? I feel your pain. I am seeing a doctor at a sexual health clinic on friday and will keep you updated. They seem so reluctant to provide sedation as 'everyone else has to do it' without considering we are all DIFFERENT.
A pelvic exam is rape.
"Discomfort/pain, shame/embarrassment, and/or a feeling of being violated, as a result of penetration of the sexual organs by a person in whom a woman has no sexual interest, achieved through coercion, fear, and/or intimidation."
http://agalltyr.wordpress.com/2010/11/28/a-pelvic-exam-is-rape/
"Discomfort/pain, shame/embarrassment, and/or a feeling of being violated, as a result of penetration of the sexual organs by a person in whom a woman has no sexual interest, achieved through coercion, fear, and/or intimidation."
http://agalltyr.wordpress.com/2010/11/28/a-pelvic-exam-is-rape/
Also, before you even think of starting mammograms at 50, look at the information sheet put together by the NCI - they were so concerned about the misleading and incomplete information given to women, they drafted their own unbiased summary.
"The risks and benefits of mammograms" is at their website.
I don't have mammograms - the risks exceed the benefits, in my opinion...
Make your own decision after reading the risks and benefits.
"The risks and benefits of mammograms" is at their website.
I don't have mammograms - the risks exceed the benefits, in my opinion...
Make your own decision after reading the risks and benefits.
I discovered the Nordic Cochrane Institute looked at the value of clinical breast exams and found they don't help, but cause biopsies and some believe they are a risk factor for cancer.
I've decided to be "breast aware", a method devised by Dr Joan Austoker from Oxford University - you look at the shape and texture of your breasts every morning in the mirror after showering (no touching) - and report anything unusual to my Dr.
Breast self-exams have been OUT for years, they don't help but lead to biopsies.
See: Hands off my chest Dr (online) & the research on CBE's at the NCI site.
The entire gyn exam pushed annually in the States is unhelpful and likely to harm you - if you want a pap smear,
look at the risk factors and your level of risk, if you're sexually active and want one, consider the Finnish program of 5 yearly from 30 - any more than that and you carry a much higher risk of false positives and unnecessary and potentially harmful over-treatment and biopsies. Routine pelvic and breast exams are unhelpful, unnecessary and likely to harm you.
I've decided to be "breast aware", a method devised by Dr Joan Austoker from Oxford University - you look at the shape and texture of your breasts every morning in the mirror after showering (no touching) - and report anything unusual to my Dr.
Breast self-exams have been OUT for years, they don't help but lead to biopsies.
See: Hands off my chest Dr (online) & the research on CBE's at the NCI site.
The entire gyn exam pushed annually in the States is unhelpful and likely to harm you - if you want a pap smear,
look at the risk factors and your level of risk, if you're sexually active and want one, consider the Finnish program of 5 yearly from 30 - any more than that and you carry a much higher risk of false positives and unnecessary and potentially harmful over-treatment and biopsies. Routine pelvic and breast exams are unhelpful, unnecessary and likely to harm you.
i'm 18 and just had my first visit to the gynecologist for pelvic pain. my doctor was rude. the exam was very painful for me because of my intense pelvic pain and i was holding back tears telling her that it was very painful and she just replied "yeah, i would think so" and just roughly used her tools. she immediately assumed that i sleep around like a skanky teenager and basically told me without test results (which ended up negative!) that i definately had chlamydia and dismissed me with an antibiotic for chlamydia and refused to consider anything else...guess what! a month later and my pain is worse, and its really messed things up for me. i think that gyn's need to be more considerate of their patients.
I know it seems like sex and pelvic are related, same region of the body. BUT, for me, its totally different. Doesn't even cross my mind in the process. Actually, makes you feel happy and normal. Hope it will be for you too.
Do NOT go back to the same place you had the transvaginal. The tech was an idiot. You deserve to be treated better.
Do NOT go back to the same place you had the transvaginal. The tech was an idiot. You deserve to be treated better.
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