How Often Should I See My Gynecologist (Ob/Gyn)?
As a general rule, all women should have a pelvic exam once per year.
Women should start seeing their gynecologist at least once every year when they turn 18 years old, or when they start being sexually active.
Your ob-gyn will also examine the walls of the vagina and cervix. A Pap test is often done during the pelvic exam. Your Dr. will remove a sample of cells from your cervix using a small brush. ... To test for STDs, they will take a swab of tissue during the pelvic exam and/or check blood tests. They are also testing for certain cancers.
Many women do not know what they are being tested for, there is no shame in not knowing. I didn't know either until I started going through some issues in my mid 40's. That is when I started asking lots of questions.
My doctor actually tested me for STD's over and over because I was having so many vaginal issues with the yeast infections, mind you, I have been married to the same man for over 30 years...So, I had a lot of questions!
Thank goodness for me, it all came down to my hormones and not STD's. So it is normal when we just go to the doctor and they do their thing "down there" and we really don't understand what they are doing or what they are testing for.
Ladies please it is very important to get those exams whether you are having issues or not. I can't stress enough, get those pelvic exams and breast exams every year!
