https://dark-blue44.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] dark-blue44.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] vaginapagina2010-09-17 09:49 am
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Period at the gyno...

Hi ladies...

I have a gyno appointment scheduled for October. They're limited for spots so I let them fit me in whenever they could. All was fine and dandy until I realized I may be on my period on the date of the exam. There's no guarantee because my periods are irregular (that's half the reason I'm even going in the first place) but now I'm paranoid that I will be on it. Think I should cancel the appointment and try to reschedule? Or wait and see... I just imagine it'd be really uncomfortable for the doctor, and myself. I've only been to the gyno once before and that was when I was 19 or so. I'm 22 now and think I should start going regularly. It's embarrassing enough as it is...but with my period added on, I just feel weird about it.
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[identity profile] lepasse.livejournal.com 2010-09-17 01:56 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't know if it would affect the results of a Pap smear or anything, but I can tell you that an OB/GYN would not be uncomfortable with a menstrual bleed. I mean, considering the seemingly massive amount of blood on the floor after my very normal vaginal delivery, I'm pretty sure they're used to it!

[identity profile] frankie4.livejournal.com 2010-09-17 02:02 pm (UTC)(link)
This happened to me a few days ago. I called in the morning and told them I was on my period, the nurse said to come in and if it was to heavy they would reschedule. My doctor was not able to do a pap because she said my bleeding was to heavy and she made me an appointment for about 2 weeks later. I thought it would take forever to get another appointment as it usually does, but they fit me right in. She told me if it is light bleeding they have no problem performing any tests.

[identity profile] jarien.livejournal.com 2010-09-17 02:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Call your GYN office and ask the scheduling person if your doctor wants to know ahead of time if you're having your period then, if you should call that day in case you need to reschedule, etc. They deal with this stuff all the time, ask them what they prefer to do with it.

[identity profile] dark-blue44.livejournal.com 2010-09-17 06:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks for the help everyone! Think I'll call the office closer to the appointment and see what they think first...

[identity profile] jocelina.livejournal.com 2010-09-18 12:46 am (UTC)(link)
It's totally okay to reschedule if you think you'll feel uncomfortable, but I wouldn't worry about the doctor feeling that way -- he or she probably won't mind a bit. As others have said, there might be an issue if you're bleeding too heavily for your doctor to get a good sample for the Pap smear, but otherwise it shouldn't be an issue. However, you could always call and see what their protocol is, just in case. :)

Also, I did just want to mention that there are a lot of people in this community who don't identify as "ladies", even if they might be female-bodied. People of many different genders (http://vaginapagina.com/index.php?title=VaginaPagina_FAQ#Is_VP_for_women_only.3F) participate in VP, and in an effort to avoid making anyone feel unwelcome, we've been asking members to use inclusive language whenever possible. You can read more about why/how here (http://community.livejournal.com/contact_vp/tag/language).
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