About PMS, delays, contraception, genital infections and not only we learned firsthand.

10 questions to the gynecologist

Despite the fact that the gynecologist is the chief female doctor, it is often awkward to ask him a question. We have collected popular questions from the section "inconvenient" and not only, they were answered by obstetrician-gynecologist, surgeon Anna Viktorovna Dobychina. 


1. What do you need to tell exactly about yourself to the gynecologist at the examination?

The first thing that happens at the gynecologist's examination is the collection of complaints. The doctor should receive information about when these complaints appeared, if there are diseases, it is important to understand how they developed, what treatment the patient received, whether she had any surgical interventions, what medications were taken. At the reception, you need to talk about what the pregnancies were , how they ended, how they proceeded, what are the plans for further pregnancy.


Even if the patient is not worried about anything, the doctor will still ask her about the menstrual cycle and diseases, both gynecological and non-gynecological. Also, the doctor will ask you to talk about comorbidities, and what drugs are taken to combat them. It is important to clarify with the patient with regards to heredity - what the patient's closest relatives were ill with, especially in the female line.


Be sure to take your latest research with you to the appointment - the results of smears, ultrasound, the results of hormonal studies and other tests. If the patient has already been observed for some disease (especially for a long time), then it is advisable to take the results of examinations and analyzes throughout the management of the entire disease (possibly several years). This is necessary for the gynecologist to assess the picture of the disease, its dynamics.


2. Does PMS always have such a nervous and emotional state?

In PMS, there is not always a change in the nervous and emotional state. Although it is often found, and this is characteristic of premenstrual syndrome, it does not happen in everyone and not always.


3. What period of delay in menstruation can be considered normal, and what is no longer?

The normal cycle is 21-35 days, anything more or less is considered not the norm, and sometimes it can be very dangerous, for example, if the lack of regularity is caused by some kind of disease, hormonal or organic changes in the reproductive system. In this case, a visit to a gynecologist is mandatory, it is important to understand the situation, an irregular cycle can be an indicator of a very serious illness.


4. Is it possible only by delay to understand whether she is pregnant or not?

Signs of pregnancy are different: in addition to a delay in menstruation, it can be: engorgement of the mammary glands, an increase in their size, their soreness. Changes in taste, mood changes, drowsiness are also possible. Sometimes pregnancy may not show any symptoms and no signs - a woman may not understand and feel any changes at all, so only a pregnancy test or, most accurately, a blood test for pregnancy (for chorionic gonadotropin).


5. Is an irregular cycle dangerous?

Violation of the cycle occurs in women for various reasons - stress, climate change, etc. Of course, it is better to consult a doctor in order to understand whether this condition is temporary, whether it is caused by any disease. Perhaps the doctor should examine the woman further and provide assistance in time.

6. Should your period be painful?

A slight soreness during menstruation may be, all women experience it to some extent, as a rule. But very painful periods are not the norm.Severe soreness can be a symptom of sometimes very serious diseases. Therefore, when there is painful menstruation, you need to see a gynecologist and get tested.

7. Why shouldn't emergency contraceptives be used all the time if they are so effective?

Emergency contraceptives cannot be used all the time, but they can be used no more than once or twice a year, when there really is an indicationbecause they contain a high enough dose of hormones and can lead to serious hormonal changes in the body. This is a very big blow to the ovaries, to the female reproductive system, therefore, in no case should it be abused.

8. Is it true that suppositories are always more effective than any tablets?

This is not to say that candles are always more effective than any pills . Everything is assigned according to indications. Suppositories and tablets are often prescribed for the treatment of vaginal infections in combination - that is, both suppositories and tablets. Everything is individual, and the doctor chooses the treatment.

9. How often do you need to get tested for STDs and which ones are the most important to know about?

It is necessary to be tested for STDs after changing the sexual partner, if you have several sexual partners, after rape, if the sexual partner has another third-party partner - all these are prerequisites. In any case, a woman should contact a gynecologist with complaints of leucorrhoea, itching in the vagina, burning sensations, discomfort, discomfort, and an unpleasant odor. The gynecologist will definitely assign her studies on the flora of the vagina, for dysbiosis also studies, which include tests for STDs. These include: gonorrhea, syphilis, trichomoniasis, HIV. Can also be transmitted: genital herpes, cytomegalovirus infection (CMV), human papillomavirus . They are all important.

Each of them can cause very serious diseases, sometimes leading to infertility and changes in the female reproductive system, as well as to organ dysfunctions and irreversible changes. Probably the worst thing is infertility, and we all know what HIV can lead to, that is, up to lethal outcomes.

10. Decreased libido - a reason to see a gynecologist?

When libido decreases , this is also a reason for contacting a gynecologist. The reasons may be different at different ages, therefore, the gynecologist in each case and each age will prescribe an additional examination and will understand why this process occurs. If the need arises, the patient will later go for a consultation with related specialists.