I've had some good discussions since I first wrote about the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology's (ACOG) decision to change the age that first Pap smears are needed in women to 21 years old regardless of sexual activity. That advice and recommendation stand.
I have had very healthy talks with my partners in the office, gynecologist friends and readers about the message that is being sent by this new recommendation. Many feel that
Around the time girls are starting to get their earliest breast tissue I start talking to those patients about puberty and all it brings. For some girls this could be as young as 8 or 9 years old; for others it isn't until they are 12 or 13. Talking about puberty is important and here's what I say:
What an exciting time this is for you! Your body is starting to change from a girl's body to a woman's body. This process of your body changing is
A colleague recently shared a story with me. She was in the exam room with a mother and her 13-year-old daughter. She was an only child and the mother and daughter seemed to have a close relationship. My colleague asked if the girl had started her period and simultaneously the mom said "no" and the daughter said "yes." Yikes. That the girl hadn't shared the important information with her mom despite a good relationship gave me pause.
I have a
Posted by: drmolly in teenager, sex, periods, pelvic exam, pap smear, menstrual, hpv, gardasil, cervical cancer, birth control on
Jan 17, 2010
I don't love going to the gynecologist for my annual exam even though I have a fantastic doctor with whom I feel totally comfortable. When I was a young woman, it was the norm to go to the gynecologist for your first pelvic exam around 16 years old. How times have changed!
Recently the American Academy of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) revised its recommendations for the age at which a girl should have her first pap smear to 21 years old
I remember my first real period. I was a junior in high school and the last person on earth to get it, or so I thought, and was thrilled to have finally joined the ranks of womankind. By then, I had seen my friends go through the first couple of years (at least) of theirs and knew being a bit irregular at first was normal and it seemed almost nobody had cramps the first few months.
After a year or so, I started having crippling cramps. Not
