On your first visit, you will be asked to complete a comprehensive personal health history form which is kept in your chart and updated at each visit. These medical records are confidential. A health-worker will take your vital signs: blood pressure, pulse and temperature. We do a finger poke to get a small blood sample to check your iron blood level or we may draw blood from your arm for various tests, each of which will be fully explained at the time. We may ask for a urine sample to test for a pregnancy or other tests.
The physical exam usually begins at the top. The practitioner, will do a breast exam to check for lumps, masses, discharge, or puckering of the skin which may indicate the possibility of cancer. She will show you how to perform your own monthly self breast exam. She will listen to your heart and lungs, feel your neck to check your thyroid gland, and press your abdomen to feel if there is enlargement of any organs or other abnormalities.
For the pelvic exam you lie down on the exam table with your knees or feet in stirrups at the end of the table. The practitioner visually checks your external genitals (vulva) and uses a finger to check internally for any glandular cysts. With one hand on your lower abdomen and the other hand inside, she can then check the size and shape of your uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes. She can also identify any unusual growths, tenderness, or pain. This is called a bi-manual exam.
To see inside, the practitioner will gently insert a speculum into your vagina - or you may insert it yourself. The speculum holds the vaginal walls apart and exposes your cervix. She will examine you for inflammation or unusual discharge and will take a Pap smear. You are invited to take a look using a hand mirror. This is an opportunity to see your own cervix and vagina, to know yourself inside and out.
For the Pap smear, she gently removes a few cells from your cervix with a swab. The collected cells are placed on a slide and sent to a lab to be tested for abnormalities which can indicate a possible infection or early signs of cancer. The results are usually ready in two weeks. We will notify you if the cells are not normal and schedule you for further testing to determine the cause.
You may choose to be tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea at this time. The nurse practitioner will gently remove more cells with a cotton swab and transfer them into a tube for testing.
The entire exam usually takes about 10 minutes. Not bad for a significant investment in your health! We invite you to ask questions throughout. At the end you will have a further opportunity to discuss concerns or ask about sexually transmitted infections, sexual practices, birth control, abortion, your menstrual cycle, self breast examination, HPV, or menopause.
Cedar River Clinics honors the choices you make about your body. We have a vision of a world where women freely make their own decisions regarding their bodies, reproduction and sexuality - a world where women can fulfill their own unique potential and live healthy whole lives.
