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Navigate: FAQ Home Page > Female -- Ob/Gyn Visits > Time to see a gynecologist?
Posted on: 05/06/2008
Question
I am 16 and my mom thinks it's time for me to see a gynecologist, but I'm worried. She says it's no big deal and that every girl has to see one, which I believe, but she hasn't told me what exactly they do. I'm not comfortable with people looking at me in places where people don't usually see. Can you help me by giving me some information?
Answer
A gynecologist is all about reproductive health care, so once a woman starts being sexually active, it is recommended she see a gyn each year, get a pap smear, which checks for cervical cancer, start a birth control method, and be tested for sexually transmitted infections. If you are not sexually active, you do not really need to see a gyn.
The pap smear requires you lay back and the doctor will insert a speculum into your vagina and open it, so she can see your cervix and get a little sample to examine. There is more information about the first exam here: www.pamf.org/teen/health/femalehealth/gynecologist.html