Dr. Amanda Von Hoene, an OB-GYN in St. Elizabeth Physicians’ Cold Spring office, fields a lot of questions in her line of work, ranging from how long is too long to leave a tampon in to is exercise OK during pregnancy, but there are three questions she probably hears the most often.
They are:
When should my daughter start seeing an OB-GYN?
Mothers of daughters ask Von Hoene and her partners this question often, Von Hoene said. The answer isn’t always straightforward.
“Some pediatricians will see girls after they start menstruating, but some would prefer they begin seeing an OB-GYN at that point,” she said.
One telltale clue that your daughter is ready to see an OB-GYN? When she’s pregnant, Von Hoene said.
“Pediatricians aren’t going to be able to keep seeing you when you’re pregnant,” she said.
Another time your daughter should see an OB-GYN is if she’s experiencing irregular periods. Although heavy or irregularly timed periods can be normal when girls are young and likely will normalize as they get older, if the severity or duration of your daughter’s periods are affecting her life, she should see an OB-GYN for guidance and help.
Also, all girls should begin seeing an OB-GYN when they become sexually active, Von Hoene said, adding that she starts conducting routine Pap smears and breast exams on women at age 21 regardless of sexual activity.
What’s the difference between obstetrics and gynecology?
In a nutshell, obstetrics refers to the care of a woman during pregnancy, childbirth and after childbirth. Gynecology, on the other hand, is more of a blanket term that refers to the care of women over the course of their lifetime and the treatment of any disorder or disease related to the female reproductive system during their lifetime.
Although all doctors in the OB-GYN field train to do both obstetrics and gynecology, Von Hoene said, some doctors will stop doing obstetrics at some point in their careers and practice only gynecology, while some will specialize in obstetrics and not do any gynecology work.
“Sometimes, women will come in to see me for their annual Pap smear and ask who they need to see if they get pregnant, and they’ll say, ‘Oh, you do that? I didn’t know,’” she said. “It’s a common misconception.”
Are you worse than the dentist?
“So many people will have heard or will believe that a visit to the OB-GYN is worse than a visit to the dentist,” Von Hoene said, “but I believe we’re better!”
No matter your question, you should always feel free to ask your OB-GYN. Questions are welcome and none is too minor or too embarrassing, Von Hoene said, because, let’s face it: It’s been heard before!
