After I found out that I was pregnant, I decided to focus on finding an excellent prenatal care. I started looking for an OBGYN who could help me with the kind of care that I needed, but it was overwhelming at first. I was nervous that I would choose the wrong provider and that it would complicate my pregnancy, but I was able to find a great doctor who could help me along the way. He walked me through prenatal care requirements, and it was really fantastic to see the difference that it made in my life. This blog is here to help other people to understand prenatal care.
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Understanding Prenatal Care
Tips For Getting A Pap Smear After Being Sexually Assaulted
Regina Cooper
If you have been sexually assaulted, you might feel very vulnerable with regards to the parts of your body that were physically assaulted. This could make putting your feet in stirrups and having a pap smear completed very triggering for you, to the point where you might avoid it entirely in order to avoid reliving your trauma. This is a problem due to the fact that you will need to make sure that you get a pap smear to get birth control or to generally ensure that you are healthy. Here are some tips for getting a pap smear after being sexually assaulted.
1. Find a Doctor That Specializes in Helping People Who Have Been Sexually Assaulted
You are not alone in being sexually assaulted, and you are not alone in not feeling entirely comfortable with a stranger near your genitals. Doctors know this. There might be a gynecologist near you that specializes in helping people who have been sexually assaulted. He or she will be the best suited to perform a pap smear in a way that is gentle and mindful of your triggers.
If you cannot find such a doctor, when you make an appointment to see a gynecologist, mention that you have recently been sexually assaulted and ask if the gynecologist has experience helping women in that situation. Don't accept an appointment until you find a receptionist that will tell you that the gynecologist that he or she works for is experienced in helping women in your situation.
2. Require That Consent Be Requested Before Any New Moves
The next thing that you will want to do is make sure that the gynecologist explains what he or she is going to do before he or she does it and that he or she asks for consent before any action is taken. This will allow you to feel as though you are remaining in full control of the situation. It will let you prepare yourself, which can make the pap smear easier to bear. It can also allow you to ask questions about what you are going to be feeling and decline any part of the process that you are not comfortable with. Gynecologists that have a history of working with victims of sexual assault will often do this and will not be troubled by this request.
For more information, talk to a gynecologist at a medical center like Contemporary Women's Health Care.
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