Not Planning To Get A Pelvic Exam? 2 Reasons Why You Should
Most women do not like to get a pelvic exam each year. Because of this, many people choose not to go. Unfortunately, it is very important that you go because the gynecologist can spot many problems, and some of these problems can be life threatening, such as uterine cancer. Besides cancer, there are other issues a gynecologist can diagnose, two of which are listed below.
Tell You Why You Have Problems with Sex
If you are having any type of sexual problems, this can affect a relationship. Fortunately, your gynecologist may be able to tell you exactly why you are having this problem. If you are an older woman, the problem could be due to having vaginal dryness. You may not realize you have this until you have sexual intercourse, which would then cause you a lot of pain.
Vaginal dryness happens because as a woman gets older her estrogen levels drop drastically. Once this happens, the walls of the uterus become very thin and dry. To treat this problem, the gynecologist can subscribe vaginal estrogen. This helps build up your walls of your uterus, so you will not be near as dry.
There are three types of products for this problem. One type is a vaginal cream, which is inserted via an applicator into your vagina. Another type is an estrogen pill, which is inserted the same way the cream is. There is also a device the gynecologist inserts into your vagina that releases small amounts of estrogen each day. You do have to have this device replaced every few months.
Tell You Why You Have Problems with Incontinence
Your bladder has muscles that hold it up. This is important as if your bladder drops it pushes against your vagina, which can then make you leak urine, especially if you already have to go to the bathroom. You may also notice urine leaking out when you do things like sneezing, laughing, and coughing.
There are many things that can cause incontinence. For example, if you are pregnant, your hormones are going crazy and the fetus also puts a lot of weight on your bladder. If you have recently had childbirth, this can weaken your muscles. This is only temporary, however, as your muscles will tighten over time.
If you have recently gained a lot of weight this extra weight puts a lot of pressure on your bladder muscles, which can lead to incontinence.
How incontinence is treated depends on why you are having it. If your gynecologist is not able to treat the problem, such as with hormones, they will refer you to the right type of doctor.
Talk with a gynecologist, such as at Naples Ob-Gyn, about these two problems and they can give you more information.