How to prepare for your daughter’s first gynecology visit

By Lindsay Hughes
lahughes@health.southalabama.edu

Amelia Hewes, M.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and an obstetrician-gynecologist with USA Health, offers the following tips for parents of daughters preparing for their first visit to the gynecologist.

• Girls should see a gynecologist for the first time between 13 and 15 years old – sooner if she is having any issues.
• The first appointment is usually just a conversation. Unless she is having issues, she won’t need a pelvic exam or pap smear.
• During the visit, we discuss school, extracurricular activities and social life, as well as smoking, alcohol and drug use. Then we talk about sexual health, sexual orientation, and the changes that will occur as she continues to go through puberty.
• Boys and girls should start receiving the vaccination for human papillomavirus at age 9 – prior to their exposure to the virus. The HPV vaccine protects against genital warts and certain types of cancers.
• As parents, the most important thing is to respect her privacy. Your daughter is more likely to open up to her doctor if she is able to get some alone time and ask questions that she may not feel comfortable sharing with others in the room.

Hewes recently stopped by the FOX10 News studio to share her expertise on the subject.