The best time to see a gynecologist

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was consulted with MSc, Dr. Trinh Thi Thanh Huyen - Obstetrician and Gynecologist - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.
Gynecological examination is the examination and screening of diseases in the reproductive organs in women. This is something that should be given the same attention as regular health check-ups, in order to help detect diseases early and intervene early in treatment.

1. What is a gynecological examination?

A gynecological exam is an examination and examination of a woman's genital organs, including the vulva, vagina, uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, as well as the breasts.
Unlike men, due to inherently more complex physiological anatomy, gynecological examination in women should be considered as part of the annual routine examination with the goal of checking health status and screening for pathology. if any. From there, patients have the opportunity to receive timely treatment, avoiding dangerous complications when it is too late.

2. What are the steps in gynecological examination?

Because the concept of going to a gynecologist has not been widely spread, most women are quite shy about going to a gynecologist, especially when there are no symptoms at all. However, this should become a must-do to ensure your own health, especially in cases of sexual intercourse or around perimenopause.
The examination process is always done in a discreet, clean, well-lit room with appropriate temperature. Examination instruments need to be cleaned according to the procedure and ensure sterility. Specimen collection items are to be used only once and destroyed. Patients will be instructed to change clothes and lie down properly on the examination table. The doctor will first look outside, then examine with an instrument (speculum) and finally do a manual examination, looking for lesions, lumps.
If there is an abnormal discharge, a specimen will be collected for testing. In addition, the patient also has cervical smear to screen for cancer or ultrasound to investigate more about the structure of the uterus and ovaries inside; ultrasound, mammography to see the structure of the breasts... With complicated pathologies deep in the uterine cavity, the doctor may prescribe more advanced imaging tools such as computed tomography, laparoscopy or birth. necessary for pathology.

3. Gynecological examination on which day of the menstrual cycle?

The best time to have a gynecological examination is usually recommended by doctors 3 to 5 days after the period has stopped.
Women should not go to the doctor during the days of menstruation. Because the uterus is rushing with menstrual blood with peeling mucous, it is difficult to observe. At the same time, sampling for testing will also not be possible. In addition, in these days, the cervix is ​​dilated with a stagnation of blood and pus, the examination is easy to cause infection, bacteria have many opportunities to proliferate and cause disease. Besides, fatigue and sluggishness will also make women uncomfortable and difficult to cooperate when doctors visit.
If you have a gynecological examination in the period around ovulation, physiological vaginal discharge will be easily confused with abnormal white blood cells and make it difficult to obtain specimens. At the end of the cycle, about to come to menstruating, the endometrial layer will proliferate very thick, limiting the exploration of the wall structure and uterine lumen during ultrasound.
Therefore, choosing the correct time to go to gynecological examination also plays a great role in disease assessment. However, if women experience sudden onset of acute symptoms such as trauma to the intimate area, severe pain in the lower abdomen or heavy vaginal bleeding, they should be examined early for timely intervention.

4. What should and shouldn't be done before going to the gynecological examination?

Patients need to choose for themselves loose and comfortable clothes to make it easier for the doctor to visit.
Besides, women should also not use feminine hygiene solutions, suppositories, do douches deep inside the vagina or have sex in the previous two days to avoid confusion when analysis of patient samples. Do not use alcohol, sweet or greasy foods because it will increase the temperature in the genital area, increase the amount of secretions in the vagina and create conditions for bacteria to grow more than usual. This will cause the test to check incorrectly.

The last thing is that choosing a place for gynecological examination needs to be prestigious, polite and discreet. This not only helps to get reliable examination results, but also helps women to be safer, more confident and easier to cooperate with.
Vinmec International General Hospital provides female customers with a package of gynecological examination and screening. This examination package helps customers to detect inflammatory diseases early, thereby treating the disease easily and inexpensively. At the same time, Vinmec's gynecological examination service package also helps screen and detect cervical cancer early.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.