Are yearly appointments (female) important?

[PeacefulChaos]

Just wondering. I know that 'they say' to get an appointment every year - a pelvic exam and all that jazz. I haven't been in a couple of years - I think I went in 2010, maybe in the spring? I really don't remember. It may have been November... :lol: Yeah, I guess I don't remember at all.

I know I didn't go last year and I keep forgetting to call for the appointment for this year. The one thing that is a pain with my obgyn is that I can only call like 2-3 weeks in advance, and I have to call at 8:15 in the morning or the spots will all be gone. They only schedule a particular time frame or something... at least that's what they were doing when I tried calling a few months ago.

I guess I should try to call again... but I'm just wondering if it's REALLY as big of a deal as people make it out to be. ????

[fraidycat]

Well, when I went two years ago, they told me that they recommend every two years now.

 

Then, when I went last week, IF your tests have always been clear/normal the doc told me that the newest recommendation is every 5 years.

 

So, I guess I'd go with No. Every year is not important, as long as you've not had abnormal results in the past.

[Crimson Wife]

Didn't they change the recommendation recently to every 3 years for women over 30 who are in a monogamous relationship? I could've sworn I heard that.

[DawnM]

Oh, good, then I am somewhat on track.....I went last in 2007. :D

 

Well, when I went two years ago, they told me that they recommend every two years now.

 

Then, when I went last week, IF your tests have always been clear/normal the doc told me that the newest recommendation is every 5 years.

 

So, I guess I'd go with No. Every year is not important, as long as you've not had abnormal results in the past.

[momtoamiracle]

My ob told me a pap every three years but a pelvic and breast exam still need to be done every year.

 

 

 

 

I go every year w/o fail-my insurance pays for it so I will take advantage of it. I have friends that didn't go regularly until their advanced cancers were discovered.

[fraidycat]

Oh, good, then I am somewhat on track.....I went last in 2007. :D

 

:D

 

I think my last one prior to the one in 2010 was 2006. Birth, IUD, IUD removal and all that jazz. :001_smile:

 

This time I would have pushed it off even longer except my hormones have gone completely wacky in the past couple of months (total pizza face at 36 years old!!! I didn't even get zits like this when I was a teen!), so I figured I might as well get it all checked out.

[Hilltop]

Didn't they change the recommendation recently to every 3 years for women over 30 who are in a monogamous relationship? I could've sworn I heard that.

 

I just went for my annual exam last week, and my ob/gyn said pap smears will be done every 3 years now, per the new recommendation.

[*lifeoftheparty*]

Yes, I think they are important.

 

Every single time I hear about a woman who has advanced/fatal cancer linked to her reproductive organs, said person hasn't had an exam in years.

 

The ones who have a better chance of survival and catch it early, are the ones who get regular exams.

 

My mom hadn't been to a GYN in like, a decade, and the woman is a NURSE. She moved up here and I made her go get her check-ups, well, the GYN just felt her abdomen and told her she needed an ultrasound b/c her uterus was enlarged. Come to find out, she had giant fibroids. She just had her hysterectomy last month.

 

Even though she must have had them for a long time, and they have been messing up her cycles and stuff, she never had any idea; SHE thought she was perfectly healthy. :glare:

 

I made her go to my Family Doctor too.... they gave her the usual round of blood tests.....she's pre-diabetic and has high cholesterol, as in, so high they told her she has 6 months to bring it down or she'll be on medication. She's only 52!!

 

I will NEVER, EVER understand why people don't go for annual/regular check-ups and exams, ESPECIALLY if their insurance covers it!! I understand if you have no insurance and can't afford it, but there really isn't any excuse if you do/can.

 

Also, I know what you mean about it taking a long time to get an appt. I switched to JUST a Gynecologist. She doesn't do Obstetrics anymore at all, so it's fairly easy to get an appt. with her. I go to the GYN for regular/annual exams, but the OB/GYN for pregnancy.

[*lifeoftheparty*]

I just went for my annual exam last week, and my ob/gyn said pap smears will be done every 3 years now, per the new recommendation.

 

My insurance pays for every year, so I go every year.

[stripe]

Yes, I think they are important.

 

Every single time I hear about a woman who has advanced/fatal cancer linked to her reproductive organs, said person hasn't had an exam in years.

 

Yes, and 80% of cervical cancers are in the developing world, where many women never get any gynecological exams, so I think that highlights even more why it is important.

 

I think the pelvic exam is still recommended annually but the pap smear is up to 3 years apart, depending on circumstances.

 

My mom recently lost one of her closest friends to cancer of this type. She had been having all manner of symptoms but attributed them to things like indigestion and food poisoning. Before she died, she had all her reproductive organs and other things besides, removed, and it was just really awful.

 

I hated when I was chastized by the nurse for not taking care of myself because it had been 18 mo since my last pap smear when the recommendation at the time was every 2 years or something. But anyway, don't feel horrible or guilty, just find time and schedule yourself an appointment.

[KungFuPanda]

I once waited so long that they made me fill in new patient paperwork again. I dont recommend waiting too long.

[wapiti]

I am guilty as charged. I haven't been in since my postpartum appt for dd3 :001_huh:, just because I've been busy (and annoyed with the thought of trying to arrange a sitter for such an appointment). Now all my kids are in school, at least for a few hours, so I do have an appointment scheduled for next month, and yep I did need to fill out new patient paperwork.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

My mom recently lost one of her closest friends to cancer of this type. She had been having all manner of symptoms but attributed them to things like indigestion and food poisoning.

 

THIS is what scares me. Ovarian cancer symptoms are known for being tricky and mimicking lots of the more mundane things that start happening to you as you get older, like indigestion, constipation, etc. And one of our own WTMers was just blindsided by this very thing last week :( So yes, I do think they're important (says the woman who's a year overdue for her own girly-bits exam).

[jayb842]

Well I did my yearly appointment every year around my birthday. My major worry has been breast. My mom died at 30 of breast cancer.

I did my pap yearly with my breast exam. I never worried about cervical cancer.

I had hoped my ex-husbands cheating wouldn't effect me again. ( I had only been with my ex-husband and my wonderful dh.) On my 35 birthday I got a call saying I had pre-cancer and hpv positive. After more testing my doctor found out it was stage 3 precancer. It was almost cancer. I had a hysterectomy in April.

 

My point is that I never had cervical issues until this year. I was tested for HPV the year before and tested negative. I went from no issues to almost cancer in one year. Cervical cancer should take years to grow but mine didn't follow the rules. I would get checked yearly.

[Sisyphus]

Well, if the recommendation changed to every 3years, I'm just a year over! Woohoo!

 

But seriously, I need to go. My iud is old, and I may or may not be having troubling symptoms...it's tough to tell since at my ahem...age...these things happen. Or not. Or may. I am actually a bit worried I have screwed the pooch by not going and some horrible cancer. I fully admit to being a terrible hypochondriac, though.

 

I promise to call Tuesday when they open!

[Stayseeliz]

I go every year without fail and will continue to do so. If your insurance doesn't cover it go to the health department or find a community health center to go to. When we didn't have insurance I went to a community health center that had a good nurse and she did the full "yearly" exam. It was something like $40 with the lab work.

[Elizabeth in MN]

Because of a family history with many forms of cancer I go every year. Better safe than doing Chemo, IMO.

[Joker]

I go every year. I've had abnormal paps in the past (had HPV) so my dr recommends them every year for me along with my exam. I feel it's important. I've had nothing abnormal in about 10 years, but I still get it done. It's usually only an hour total one day every year, so it's not that hard.

[happyhomemaker]

Because of a family history with many forms of cancer I go every year. Better safe than doing Chemo, IMO.

 

:iagree: I will never forget in college my best friend's roommate was diagnosed with cervical cancer at 21. She had no symptoms. You just never know when it might happen to you. I get tested every year.

[EthiopianFood]

Four years ago my good friend had her pap, no issues. One year and seven months ago she had another one because she found out she was pregnant. She had cervical cancer that resulted in a hysterectomy.

 

Yes, I would get them yearly, if your insurance covers them.

[EthiopianFood]

:iagree: I will never forget in college my best friend's roommate was diagnosed with cervical cancer at 21. She had no symptoms. You just never know when it might happen to you. I get tested every year.

 

Yes, this too. By the time you actually have symptoms with cervical cancer, I can't imagine how advanced the cancer would have to be. :001_huh:

[Jpoy85]

I dont go as often as I should, but I dont go years and years.

[Tress]

In the Netherlands they recommend a pap smear every 5 years after 30yo. Breast exams are every 2 years starting at 50yo.

I don't know anyone who goes for yearly pelvic and breast exams :001_huh:.

 

Threads like these scare me.

[EthiopianFood]

Here's a tin foil hat thought: maybe they're recommending them less often because it costs them to screen but not treat, but they make more money if something is caught at a more advanced state.

 

Oh man, what has burrowed in my brain the past year or so to make me even think of these things?? I'm telling you, you take one little step onto the "homeschooling is my right" boat, and somehow you're careening down the river of paranoia, with no way off....

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Oh man, what has burrowed in my brain the past year or so to make me even think of these things?? I'm telling you, you take one little step onto the "homeschooling is my right" boat, and somehow you're careening down the river of paranoia, with no way off....

 

:lol: You can send yourself off the deep end if you start going there!

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

In the Netherlands they recommend a pap smear every 5 years after 30yo. Breast exams are every 2 years starting at 50yo.

I don't know anyone who goes for yearly pelvic and breast exams :001_huh:.

 

Threads like these scare me.

 

Do you mean that they don't recommend regular exams until 30, and then every 5 years? I think that's a huge lag time, given how fast cancer can grow. 2-3 years of unchecked growth... that is frightening. I'm surprised to see that recommendation here too. I wonder if the cervical/ovarian/breast cancer rates are significantly different there compared with the US.

[Tress]

Do you mean that they don't recommend regular exams until 30, and then every 5 years?

 

Yes. After you have turned 30yo, you get a letter telling you you can go to your family doctor for a pap smear. Assuming everything is well, you will get the next letter after 5 years.

 

You only go to a gynaecologist if something is wrong, you don't really 'have' a gyn. I have never seen a gyn, got midwife care during my pregnancies, except the two times when I had to transfer to the hospital during labor and when I had an ectopic pregnancy this August.

 

I think that's a huge lag time, given how fast cancer can grow. 2-3 years of unchecked growth... that is frightening. I'm surprised to see that recommendation here too. I wonder if the cervical/ovarian/breast cancer rates

are significantly different there compared with the US.

 

I have no idea. Maybe :confused:.

 

Lots of things are different with female health. I had an ectopic pregnancy this summer, which resulted in surgery and removal of one tube. Afterwards noone said anything about extra ultrasounds or bloodwork in case of a new pregnancy, they just said 'good luck'. Which made me go a bit :001_huh:, after reading the stories here.

 

And don't even get me started about the absolute refusal to prescripe any medication during my HG pregnancies. 'Noooooo, we don't prescibe Zofran or other medication, that is waaaaaaaay too dangerous. Americans take way too many risks. You just keep on vomiting for nine months, girl.' :banghead:

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Yes. After you have turned 30yo, you get a letter telling you you can go to your family doctor for a pap smear. Assuming everything is well, you will get the next letter after 5 years.

 

You only go to a gynaecologist if something is wrong, you don't really 'have' a gyn. I have never seen a gyn, got midwife care during my pregnancies, except the two times when I had to transfer to the hospital during labor and when I had an ectopic pregnancy this August.

 

 

 

I have no idea. Maybe :confused:.

 

Lots of things are different with female health. I had an ectopic pregnancy this summer, which resulted in surgery and removal of one tube. Afterwards noone said anything about extra ultrasounds or bloodwork in case of a new pregnancy, they just said 'good luck'. Which made me go a bit :001_huh:, after reading the stories here.

 

And don't even get me started about the absolute refusal to prescripe any medication during my HG pregnancies. 'Noooooo, we don't prescibe Zofran or other medication, that is waaaaaaaay too dangerous. Americans take way too many risks. You just keep on vomiting for nine months, girl.' :banghead:

 

Ugh. There seems to be no happy medium, huh? I do think that we are so reliant on doctors for every little thing in the US. But now that I'm getting older, I'm getting more paranoid, especially as I see more and more friends and family and acquaintances struck down by terrible things.

 

I'm sorry about the HG :grouphug: I can't imagine going through that. No, Zofran's probably not ideal, but neither is persistent dehydration and potential malnutrition!

[Catwoman]

Go.

 

Just GO.

 

If I hadn't gone, I would probably be dead now.

 

I had a LEEP procedure done to remove pre-cancerous lesions several years ago, and had I not gone for a pap smear, I wouldn't have known there was a problem until it was too late. Once you have symptoms, it's cancer, and it's often quite advanced. But if they catch it while it's still in a pre-cancer stage, you can often have a procedure performed right in the doctor's office, go home, and be done with it.

 

I just went for my annual exam a few days ago and am waiting for the pap and HPV results to come back, which always makes me nervous, even though everything has been clear for several years now. I never thought I would have a problem... until I had one. I was in my early 40's, with no family history of cervical cancer. I didn't smoke or drink, and I wasn't overweight. I looked and felt perfectly healthy.

 

I have to schedule my mammogram tomorrow. I hate mammograms, but like the pelvic exams, they only take a few minutes out of my life once a year, and in the overall scheme of things, that's NOTHING. If the momentary discomfort of a mammogram or a pelvic exam or a colonoscopy is the worst thing that ever happens to me in my life, I will consider myself incredibly blessed.

 

I'm also due for another colonoscopy early next year... and that's a real nuisance because the prep is yucky... but my dad had colon cancer, so I get a colonoscopy every 5 years just to be safe. Again, it's worth a day of running back and forth to the bathroom and a few hours at the surgical center, because it could potentially save my life at some point.

 

So if you haven't been to the gyn in a while, just make the appointment and go. Don't think about it being a little uncomfortable. Just think that you'll go, and less than an hour later, you'll be on your way back home. And when you get your test results, everything will probably be 100% fine -- but it's better to know for sure.

 

OK... I'll get off my soapbox now. :blush:

Edited October 8, 2012 by Catwoman

[Ravin]

I seem to recall reading that the high rate of false positives that led to colposcopy in younger women, paired with the lower likelihood of cervical cancer and the likelihood of scarring from unneccesary colposcopies causing complications in childbirth, weighed out in favor of delayed/less frequent paps.

[Catherine]

Yearly pelvic exams are the ONLY "early detection" method out there for pelvic cancers that are not HPV-associated cervical cancers. And even though there is not enough evidence to show that, across a population, yearly exams save lives, you might be the individual who benefits.

 

And as far as cervical cancers, yearly Paps are not useful for monogamous women, who are partnered with monogamous men, and who've had several consecutive Paps that show no evidence of HPV. Otherwise, they should be yearly.

[Joyofsixreboot]

It's not just about the pap smear. A manual pelvic exam can catch other problems. And don't forget either a baseline mammogram or a scheduled mammo depending on your age/history. It's a drag to interrupt life for an appointment when you feel fine but illness is disruptive too, KWIM?

[FaithManor]

The last time I went was my six week check up after ds was born. He's twelve now!

 

Our insurance doesn't pay for it and it's $500.00 minimum. Yeah, you heard that right. It's a huge price gouge in this area to people who have to pay cash which is why most cash payers don't go. It doesn't help that the local GYN's all send their paps to the same lab, a lab that makes their techs read and make reports on a hourly quota so LOTS of mistakes are made. So far, three of my friends have all been treated for conditions they did not actually have because of "false positives" and mixed up reports. One underwent chemo for cancer she didn't have.

 

So, I guess until I can carve out the time to make a two hour drive (one way) to the city to a decent doc with a decent lab, I won't be going. After dd's wedding, I'm going to try to get into the rotation of one of the obgyn's at Beaumont in Troy. They are EXCELLENT down there and their hospital lab has one of lowest error rates in the entire midwest. But, there is a bit of a waiting list for new patients getting in who are otherwise healthy. Once I finally make it into the rotation, it will be fairly easy to maintain appointments...I hope. But, the cost is going to be astronomical and the four hr. drive on top of that....once every three-five years will be the closest I'll go.

 

Right now, I've got kids that need some dental work on top of the wedding so there is NO way I'm shelling out that $500.00 to one of the local screw ups, when ds has a wisdom tooth coming through at the tender age of 15 and dental insurance will probably only cover $500.00 of a $1500.00 bill.

 

Faith

[stripe]

In the Netherlands they recommend a pap smear every 5 years after 30yo. Breast exams are every 2 years starting at 50yo.

I don't know anyone who goes for yearly pelvic and breast exams :001_huh:.

 

Threads like these scare me.

 

I kind of love the Netherlands. While on a KLM flight, the flight attendant was horrified at the American woman buckling her baby in the car seat for take off, and came running over, emphatically saying, "No, no, we musn't do that, it's very dangerous!" Every moment in Schipol Airport ranks as truly fascinating. Maybe one day I will get out of the airport, but, seriously, I find Dutch people's behavior fascinating.

 

If you are following your government's recommendations, I wouldn't worry about it. It's sort of like eating raw milk cheese, in a way. Europeans think it's fine; Americans think it's a little bite of death.

[KidsHappen]

Didn't they change the recommendation recently to every 3 years for women over 30 who are in a monogamous relationship? I could've sworn I heard that.

 

Yes, if you are in a monongamous relationship and you have had 3 good ones in a row then the current suggestion is one every three years. This is recommended by both the AMA and the APA. I was told this by my doctor just this year when taking my middle two dds in. They do not have to be over 30.

[Night Elf]

I have Kaiser Permanente and they are usually really big into prevention, but they do every 3 years as well. My next recommended appt. is for April 2015. I also had a mammogram scare that turned out to be scar tissue. After following me every 6 months for two years, they moved my screenings to every 2 years. I always thought a mammogram was every year just like a pap.

[brehon]

Another thought I had. I don't go to the doctor much. For one thing I don't want to be treated for anything.

 

Do you mean you wouldn't want *any* treatment for whatever condition you might be found to have (i.e., insulin dependent diabetes)? I don't understand this statement.

 

Ok, that said, my mother lived at the doctors. She was treated for 100,000 things. And this was starting in her early 30s. I think she took about 20 different medications. She died at 49 from ovarian cancer.

 

I'm very sorry to hear about your mom. :grouphug: ovarian cancer is one of those types of cancer that is just hard to detect, period.

I'm in my late 30s and I don't take any medications. But I do concentrate on doing things to take care of myself. My mother did not do that.

 

My basic point is that going to the doctor and taking medications and being treated for things does not make one healthy.

 

Re your last sentence: true. And the converse is also true. I can't tell from what you said whether your mom was really sick or not (I mean aside from the ovarian cancer); either way it had to be hard for you and her. I think, though, there is a happy medium between living at doctors' offices and simply not going to see a doctor.

[momtolgd]

Good timing on this thread...I had my yearly check this morning. The docs at the practice I go to still recommend yearly paps/check ups, and I am glad that it is this way.

[swellmomma]

It used to be every year but my dr told me it has been switched to every 3 if your test comes back normal. Of course I waited almost 6 years and was chastised for it. But as long as your results are normal you can wait to have it done 3 years later.

 

The problems with my health were discovered during my physical but would have been addressed whether I had a pap that appt or not, they have nothing to do with that. SO I probably shuld have stuck with getting a physical annually even without a pap each year.

[EthiopianFood]

And as far as cervical cancers, yearly Paps are not useful for monogamous women, who are partnered with monogamous men, and who've had several consecutive Paps that show no evidence of HPV. Otherwise, they should be yearly.

 

You can get cervical cancer without HPV, I thought. My friend who had it had stage 2a, and had only had TeA for the first time three months ago. :001_huh:

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

THIS is what scares me. Ovarian cancer symptoms are known for being tricky and mimicking lots of the more mundane things that start happening to you as you get older, like indigestion, constipation, etc. And one of our own WTMers was just blindsided by this very thing last week :( So yes, I do think they're important (says the woman who's a year overdue for her own girly-bits exam).

 

Seeing as this was me, I thought I'd chime in here. My tumor was large enough that it could have been detected by palpation, but often, ovarian tumors are too small to be felt. I still think you should get your checkup. I might have discussed some of the symptoms I'd been having with my doctor instead of just attributing them to perimenopause and other things.

[Catwoman]

Seeing as this was me, I thought I'd chime in here. My tumor was large enough that it could have been detected by palpation, but often, ovarian tumors are too small to be felt. I still think you should get your checkup. I might have discussed some of the symptoms I'd been having with my doctor instead of just attributing them to perimenopause and other things.

 

How are you holding up, Lynne? I have been praying for you. :grouphug:

[Cortana]

I think it's important to go especially since the doctor might help with something not girly-bit related.

 

I went last year after not having gone for 3 yrs and only then because I had a large lump that I was finally scared enough to have checked out. Thankfully the lump was benign, but the ob/gyn was concerned that my thryoid felt larger than before (hypothyroidism and goiter). Ultrasound showed a nodule and biopsy said 90% liklihood of cancer. Post-op biopsy confirmed it was cancer. The nodule was in a spot that couldn't be felt by palpation and who knows how long it may have been before it was found.

 

 

I can't wait to go to my yearly exam this year just to be able to say to my doctor "thank you for saving my life".

Edited October 9, 2012 by Cortana

[Catwoman]

I went last year after not having gone for 3 yrs and only then because I had a large lump that I was finally scared enough to have checked out. Thankfully the lump was benign, but the ob/gyn was concerned that my thryoid felt larger than before (hypothyroidism and goiter). Ultrasound showed a nodule and biopsy said 90% liklihood of cancer. Post-op biopsy confirmed it was cancer. The nodule was in a spot that couldn't be felt by palpation and who knows how long it may have been before it was found.

 

 

I can't wait to go to my yearly exam this year just to be able to say to my doctor "thank you for saving my life".

 

I'm so glad you're OK!!! :001_smile:

[Cortana]

I'm so glad you're OK!!! :001_smile:

Thanks. :001_smile:

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

How are you holding up, Lynne? I have been praying for you. :grouphug:

 

Thanks, Cat. I'm doing pretty well. Can't wait to get the staples out of my belly on Friday. I can still feel everybody's prayers surrounding me and keeping me strong.

[phathui5]

Didn't they change the recommendation recently to every 3 years for women over 30 who are in a monogamous relationship? I could've sworn I heard that.

 

No, it's women who have always had normal Pap smears.

[Catwoman]

Thanks, Cat. I'm doing pretty well. Can't wait to get the staples out of my belly on Friday. I can still feel everybody's prayers surrounding me and keeping me strong.

 

I'm glad to hear that. When will the doctors have more news for you?

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I'm glad to hear that. When will the doctors have more news for you?

 

I go for my treatment consultation on the 19th. I should be pretty well healed from the surgery by then to deal with whatever they have to tell me.

[ktgrok]

You can get cervical cancer without HPV, I thought. My friend who had it had stage 2a, and had only had TeA for the first time three months ago. :001_huh:

 

You can get HPV without sex...even sharing bathing suits! (I researched this a ton many years ago when I was diagnosed with HPV, had an abnormal PAP, etc).