A trip to the gynaecologist can strike fear into the heart of even the most confident woman.
It can be a little bit anxiety-inducing to think about what’s going on down there and whether you need to seek help.
Luckily, Mamamia spoke to Dr. Joseph Sgroi, a Melbourne based obstetrician, fertility specialist and gynaecologist about what women most commonly see their gynaecologist for and what to expect during your appointment.
“We’ve seen it all before,” Dr Sgroi said. “We’re medical professionals and there’s nothing that you’re going to say that’s going to shock us.”
What do women go to the gynaecologist for?
Dr Sgroi says he treats patients in four distinct areas – the vagina, the cervix, the uterus and the ovaries.
Top Comments
"Not normal to take a day off work for period pain". Said the male doctor who'd never had a period.
Said the male doctor whose entire area of expertise is the female reproductive system. Do you think he might possibly know what he's talking about?
I'm saying this as a woman who has experienced very severe pain during her period in the past, took multiple days off school and work because of it and who would have just continued to live with it, had my (male) GP not intervened. I was diagnosed with anaemia due to my heavy period and it was only after speaking to the doc that I learnt my flow was abnormally heavy and that the pain I had during my period was much worse than what most women get. I went on the Pill and all that ended. I am forever grateful my GP told me that wasn't normal. He changed my life.
But...it shouldn't be normal to be in so much pain that you have to take time off from work. There is something wrong, or at least abnormal, if this is happening, and that's why being frank and open with your gyno is important. Extreme pain during menses can be a direct result of endometriosis, PID, or fibroids - all underlying medical issues that can be treated. Also, I don't think you'd direct that level of snark to an oncologist who had never had a cancer diagnosis before. Just because you haven't experienced something first-hand doesn't mean you can't understand it. That's why doctors go to school for so many years, and are required to complete on-going training updates throughout their career. Signed, a woman who was told to "suck it up" by a female OBGYN, and whose debilitating endometriosis was left undiagnosed for seven years.
I don't think it's meant in a dismissive way. It's meant to mean that if you're experiencing so much pain that you can't go to work then you should go and see a gynecologist. That's not wrong?!
Sure he is a man and has he has never had a period, but is it normal to take a day off for period pain?? As a specialist in his area I suspect he is actually making a fair statement.
If someone is consistently having to take time off work for period pain and they have not explored a reason for the pain they probably should seek medical guidance as it can be a indicator for difference disorders.