This is what I was doing for awhile earlier today
I was in stirrups.
I went to get a PAP smear. If you are one of the probably 3 male readers I have, this post may not be of much interest to you.
For the ladies, although the specifics of the guidelines have changed in recent years regarding how often you’re supposed to get a PAP, in general, this is what I found here:
Regular Pap tests are an important part of all women’s health care. You should start having Pap tests at age 21 years. How often you should have a Pap test depends on your age and health history:
- Women younger than 30 years should have a Pap test every 2 years.
- Women aged 30 years and older should have a Pap test every 2 years. After three normal Pap test results in a row, a woman in this age group may have Pap tests every 3 years if
- she does not have a history of moderate or severe dysplasia
- she is not infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- her immune system is not weakened (for example, if she has had an organ transplant)
- she was not exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES) before birth
So basically every 2 to 3 years, you need to get a PAP.
Along those lines, we need to be doing monthly self breast exams. And when it’s age-appropriate or when your family history suggests, you should have a mammogram.
After my time in stirrups, I needed chocolate.
Vegan No-Bake Fudge with Chocolate Sprinkles
Or maybe Sex on the Beach. No pun intended.
Fom my last post on Someone I Miss, it was touching to read all the comments about something or someone you miss in your life. There were some tear-jerker comments. It’s ok, a little cry-fest is good for the soul sometimes!
It was wonderful to read about the relationships you have with your grandparents and the loving memories, too.
I was blown away at the touching comments everyone left on that post. Thank you.
Questions:
1. Do you do monthly self breast exams or (mammograms/ultrasounds if age/family history appropriate)?
Yes, definitely.
2. Do you go the gyno regularly for a PAP or a checkups?
I think that as “healthy living bloggers” we care so much about food choices and the food we put into our bodies. We are so careful about the food choices we make from organic food to locally grown food to trying to avoid overly processed foods.
We also make exercise and work out choices to benefit our overall health, too.
For me, it seems that taking care of ourselves as women is just one aspect of staying healthy. We are doing ourselves a great disservice if we don’t stay on top of our health through regular checkups.
I am not a big “go to the doctor” person. In fact, sometimes I go years in between physicals or checkups since I don’t get sick very frequently. However, I do feel strongly about well-woman care and visits and staying on top of them.
Not to mention, many women need to go to discuss birth control options and get prescriptions for them so even if you’re not there for a PAP, you may need to go for birth control. Or perhaps to discuss issues, problems, or concerns you’re having.
3. Are you scared of going to the Gyno (or midwife/nurse practitioner)? Have you gotten over this, or not?
I don’t think any woman alive says with great enthusiasm, “Oh I ‘get’ to go to the gyno today. Yay!”
No.
It’s one of those things like going to the dentist that for some womens causes anywhere from an ugh reaction (but you grin and bear it) to being totally petrified of going (and the fear actually prevents them from going).
When I was younger I used to stress out for days before my annual exam.
However, having a baby definitely made me lose some of the inhibitions of going since for 40 weeks of pregnancy and then the birth, it’s kind of “open season” up there with someone always wanting to check something.
But, after the pregnancy is done and the baby is born, the “open season” has turned back to “closed for business” as it pertains to speculums and rubber gloves. Not with quite as much anxiety as pre-baby, but again, not how I’d ideally choose to spend my time. However, I deem it necessary.
Final Notes: This is one of those posts that as I am publishing it, I am wondering why I am doing it. I could just as easily not have brought up this topic, but I think it’s important to remind all the ladies that it’s important to take care of yourself, keep up with your exams, don’t be scared, and embrace your beautiful feminine selves.
Caitlin has done a whole series of posts on birth control and Gina has also discussed it in the past, too.
If you don’t agree with my approach or thoughts, that’s fine, because of course everything I mentioned today is simply my opinion. I am not a doctor or a medical professional and this is not to be considered medical advice.
Time to talk ta-ta’s and va-jay-jay’s. Talk to me about your experiences! And yes, using those words will prevent some of the spam and gross google searches I know this post may bring.
I think they changed the pap every 2 years guidelines this past year, right? Because I’ve always been really good about it. Safety first!
I do not do regular breast exams, but I should start.
I do get regular pap smears (last week actually!)
And I’m not afraid of going to my gyno ever since he delivered my baby. Plus now I realize that this is what they do, and there’s probably not much special about me compared to the hundreds of other women he sees every day.
:)
Yep, I do both of those things.
I am not scared to go to the gyno … but I tense up a bit before the examination. I get better each time.
Ugh, never fun appointments, but usually quick. And happy hour is a good thing after. :-)
1. Yes, they’re important and I remember having to pass around the fake boob in junior high.
2. Yeah, every 3 years now.
3. Nope, I was a little nervous for my first appointment as a teen, but got over that quickly. I think having so much family in the medical profession helped.
If I go to the GYNO like a good girl can I have that fudge with extra sprinkles? :D
I’m really bad about going to doctors in general; I reschedule my appointments indefinitely sometimes. I’m getting better about it, though! I just have an aversion due to some crappy docs in my lifetime. I’m learning how to search out the BEST ones, though. Not wasting anymore time or $$$ on incompetent jerks.
Planned Parenthood makes me get a Pap every year in order to renew my birth control, so I do that!
Going to the doctor has never really bothered me. I guess I’ve been lucky to have good doctors who make me feel comfortable. It’s funny that I read this today as I was at my doctor for a pap myself. I get one every year. I know I don’t have to, and I’ve never had one come up with any problems, but I just prefer to have a physical once a year. I also have to have bloodwork every six months so it’s just part of life. I was telling my doctor today that I often forget to self breast exams and he said now is the time I need to really start since I’m in my 30’s, so I’m going to try to be better about remembering.
Pleasepleaseplease get a check-up more often than that. I’m 19 and this past summer they found pre-cancerous cells on my cervix. They were removed, but now I have to get a pap every 4 months until I get 3 clean ones. THEN I get to have them only once a year. After my scare I learned that pre-cancerous cells like that are so common. And I don’t even have a family history of lady problems.
Pleasepleaseplease go once a year. Early detection really does make a huge difference.
Great information. I, however, am one of the unlucky females that has been treated for dysplasia several times. I believe my first gyn appointment was at 17 and ended with a biopsy then having cells on my cervix frozen…not fun!
Needless to say I am no longer scared of the gyno. I had a cryoablation back in August so hopefully that will help out with some of my female issues…so far so good. Of course this all means a yearly visit, sometimes two or three, is required.
I do not do self exams on my breast but should start. I have fibroid cycts in them which bother me when it is TOM :( Forturnately for me I currently do not know of any breast cancer in my family so maybe that will make up for all the female issues I seem to inherit.
I fail miserably at doing self exams, but I go to the gyno regularly and don’t really have a problem with it. I guess I fall in the “rather be safe than sorry” camp, so I don’t mind just getting those sort of appointments done and over with!!
This is important info.
Someone out there reading needs to see the facts you published, so good for you for sharing this. :-)
I love how you went from PAP Smears to brownies!! LOL!!
My belief is that nutrition is for prevention, allopathic medicine is for detection. If you live a healthy lifestyle, you won’t be spending much time at the doctor’s office, you’ll be eating Vegan No-Bake Fudge with Chocolate Sprinkles!! ;)
ha! the “open season” paragraph made me laugh!
to be honest, the last time I went was probably 4 years ago and I know I should go, but I had such a bad experience the last time I just don’t want to go now. and no, i don’t do monthly self-exams. ugh. I’m such a bad example for someone who works in health care!
Torri
If you can believe it, I’ve actually always had really good doctors and I’ve never really minded getting my yearly visit in. Maybe I just have very little modesty?
We were definitely on the same wave length tonight!
You did not take a picture of the pap smear chair! ha! Good message though :) So so so important.