Friday, April 11, 2008

Go Get a Pelvic Exam

I was listening to a radio show today called White Coat, Black Art. It covers a lot of really interesting aspects of health care that the end users, us, rarely think about. It's a Canadian show but I'm betting most of the issues are applicable to US listeners as well and I heartily recommend you subscribe to their podcast. The one I listened to today was about pelvic exams:

The sound of the running water. The metallic speculum bills tapping against one another. Suddenly, you feel your sock-covered feet in the stirrups. Well, at least half of you know what we're talking about. Today, on White Coat Black Art... the perils and the puzzles of the pelvic exam.


It's a good one and had me in stitches for much of the show. Besides, haven't you always wanted to know where the oldest speculum in history was discovered and hear the term, "satanic vagina"?

Anyhow, it got me thinking about a post Andrea wrote a little while ago:

If it has been more than a year since your last checkup, do me a favor. Tomorrow morning, instead of checking in my blog or surfing a few sites or even buying a bunch of daffodils to raise money to cure cancer, pick up the phone. Call your doctor and make an appointment. Yeah, it’s a hassle, I know. If you can’t do it for yourself, do it for your family. Do it for me.
 Andrea's right. Go get it done. It's not a big deal and should be an essential part of every woman's health regimen. Listen to the show first though. The story about the flying speculum is priceless.

6 comments:

Andrea R said...

:) Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Yeah I'm kinda bad with that. Only a few times in my life because I hate it - I have a male family doctor. Blech.

Dawn said...

Can you ask for a refferal to a female OB/gyn?

Anonymous said...

I actually don't know - I've always assumed there wasn't really a choice, that you just have to use your own doctor. I should check. I suppose I've also been partly head-in-the-sand about it. Meeeep.

(Yes I'm hiding behind the anon function because it's sort of an embarrassing thing to discuss and I'm shy like that.)

Anonymous said...

I finally got my 80 yo mother to go get a pelvic exam- her last one was about 15 years. She is also getting her second mammogram- her first was also about 15 years ago. Poor thing- she almost couldn't walk yesterday, but I was proud of her for getting it done. Of course, my insistent nagging may have provided motivation- I am really obnoxious sometimes. :D

Dawn said...

Another thing to consider Anon (that's mentioned in that radio show) is that if you're not comfortable having your family doctor do your pelvic exam then maybe that's a sign that you need a different doctor. You need a doctor you can discuss intimate and sometimes embarrassing problem with. There's no better taste of that relationship then asking whether you would mind having your doctor's hand poking around your uterus. :D