n/m

[hsmom2011]

n/m

[vonfirmath]

If I am done having children and approaching menopause, is it really necessary to continue seeing an ObGyn for "that" exam? Since I know many primay care docs take care of that in addition to everything else, I am thinking about dropping my ObGyn to make life a little easier. Any thoughts on this? Thanks :blush:

 

I never saw an ObGyn until I was pregnant with my 2nd kid. (Had a conflict with the only midwife in the area that could practice in a hospital so I changed to a obgyn instead at about 7 months)

 

I just went to my Family Doc for everything.

[umsami]

If you have a family physician who you like, and who will do the exams, why not? If they find something that needs referring to an OB, they will.

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

Are you referring to pap smears? Because I think you can still get cervical cancer even after menopause.

[Pawz4me]

I'm 50 and stopped seeing my gynecologist for annual exams a couple of years ago. I do "one stop shopping" and let my internist handle everything. If he finds a problem I can always go see my gynecologist. I don't see the extra hassle of (and paying for) an extra doc appointment for a pelvic exam that takes all of a minute to do. Plus the recommendations have changed (again) and now "they" say most of us don't even need a pelvic exam every year.

[Ottakee]

In our area there is a GYN that does NOT do OB but rather focuses on women from about 40 and on. She specializes in menopause and older women's issues. I am thinking of going to her for my next visit. Otherwise I have had a NP at the family practice office all along (except when we were dealing with infertility and seeing an OB at that time).

[Ottakee]

Oh, and our primary said I don't need :"that" exam each year but every other to even every 3rd year if there are no problems since I am not "high risk"---married to same dh for 20 years etc.

[Anne]

I've been going to the same family practice doctor for the last 25 years... She refers me to someone else when I need to be referred...

 

Anne

[kewb]

I see a GYN that does not do OB. It is great. She specializes the 40+ crowd.

[magnificent_baby]

I'm sure a family practice would be just fine. If it were me, I would stick with the OB/GYN just in case of needing anything menopause related though.

[SKL]

I'm 46 and I've never been to a gynecologist (nor OB since I've never been pregnant). Nor do I intend to ever see one, unless my GP refers me for some specific issue. My parts work fine.

[hsmom2011]

n/m

[texasmama]

Your family doctor can do a pap smear (recommendation is every three years for the over 40 crowd, I believe). I do have a GYN. She delivered my last baby, and I love her. She did a uterine ablation for me last year, but I may let me family doctor do my next pap smear/pelvic exam since my beloved Gyn still delivers babies, is very popular, and I can count on being there for four hours or more to see her.

[hsmom2011]

n/m

[SKL]

Does your GP do pap smears? My parts worked fine for 50 years, and then they didn't.

 

OP--If a primary care doctor can do the exams, then that should be fine. Mine didn't. I was referred to a OBGYN after some heavy bleeding, 2 years post menopause. He said that I should still have an exam yearly, even though "my parts" consist of one lone ovary.

I opt out of pap smears because I'm not sexually active nor in a high-risk group (and cervical cancer is rare). I also think the procedure itself creates unnecessary risks. However, I did have a couple done years ago by a GP. I would think most GP would do a pap smear, or, it should be easy to find one who would. .... If you have had your stuff removed, and someone is charging you for a pap smear, you might want to look into the ethics of that. My mom was in that exact situation and was told that particular screen is no longer warranted. (And she's a [colon] cancer survivor.)

[Ravin]

The pap often isn't needed yearly, but the other parts of the exam, as I understand it, are still important yearly.

[Pawz4me]

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is rather vague about yearly pelvic exams for asymptomatic women:

 

ACOG recommends yearly full pelvic examinations for patients aged 21 years and older, but notes that the advice is based on "expert opinion, and limitations of the internal pelvic examination should be recognized." For example, the bimanual examination is useful for evaluating the uterus, but has a low sensitivity for detecting "adnexal masses," which include ovarian cysts and ectopic pregnancies.

Although annual pelvic exams for women older than 21 years seem "logical," the opinion notes that "[n]o evidence supports or refutes the annual pelvic examination or speculum and bimanual examination for the asymptomatic, low-risk patient." In addition, no data exist on when and how often to perform the exam. Ultimately, the decision whether or not to perform a complete pelvic examination "should be a shared decision after a discussion between the patient and her health care provider."

 

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