Girls Trip to the Gyno?
The first time I’ve spread my legs for someone and had full faith that they knew what they were doing down there.
I got my first pap smear last week and perhaps strangely, I loved it. My gynaecologist and I were besties. We giggled at my T-shirt that says “SAFE SEX”, spelled out with naked women. We rolled our eyes together and agreed that a man’s biggest red flag was not wanting to use a condom. I was waiting for us to sit cross legged and braid each other’s pubic hair.
I’m very lucky to say that the appointment was an absolute pleasure. The doctor was extremely clear and communicative, she told me everything she was going to do before she did it, which really helped settle the nerves. We chatted for a bit and then after the initial consultation she gave me a disposable hospital gown to put on, asked me to take off all my clothes and have a seat on the bed. I laughed at the sight of myself, putting on a barely opaque hospital gown, but also still wearing my bright red Mary Janes. It’s always weird to be naked except for your feet. As I lay down and put my legs in the stirrups I realised this was the first time I’ve spread my legs for someone and had full faith that they knew what they were doing down there. “How refreshing” I thought to myself. The speculum went in and she swabbed my cervix. I had mentioned a change in my periods recently so she did an internal ultrasound to check if there was anything weird she could see, as well as an examination with her hand. We chatted away casually the whole time, I told her I don’t actually live in Lisbon but a nearby town. She asked me what I was doing for the rest of my day in Lisbon and I told her how I planned on treating myself with a trip to the Asian supermarket in Martim Moniz, for being so brave at the gynaecologist. She agreed that I deserved a treat. We chatted away and I was barely aware of her head being in between my legs. The whole experience wasn’t sore, just slightly uncomfortable when she was swabbing my cervix.
There’s something empowering about getting a pap smear, and gaining knowledge about your body, especially a part we’re maybe not as familiar with. This is why I am also the biggest campaigner for regular STI testing…having sex with someone is a lot more fun if you’re not wondering whether you might be sharing something with them that they don’t want.
I left the appointment with a sense of womanhood I hadn’t felt in a long time.
As a 25 year old, I don’t have many milestone “firsts” left:
I’ve kissed someone.
I’ve had sex.
I’ve gone on a date.
I’ve driven a car.
I’ve been drunk.
I’ve had an STI (and gotten rid of an STI).
But getting a pap smear felt like one of those milestone “firsts” again. It almost felt like the final step of becoming a woman - I’m aware menopause is still to come but I have a while before I have to confront that. After my pap smear I was left with the same feeling that I had when I got my period for the first time. I’m now part of the secret “grown up lady club” where we have to deal with all the trials and tribulations of having ovaries and a vagina. We love it and we hate it. But we all go through it. Now I have the honour of joking with other women about how the speculum made a creaking sound when it opened my vaginal canal, because “that’s how long those doors have been closed”.
I am extremely lucky that I have no trauma or fears that hold me back from going to the gynaecologist, and I sympathise completely with anyone who does. I know everyone will be sick of hearing it, but these check ups are an important part of routine health care for people who have a cervix (this includes women, non-binary people and transgender men who still have a cervix). Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women, worldwide1. The leading cause of cervical cancer is persistent HPV infection of the cervix2. Almost all sexually active people will be infected with human papilloma virus (HPV) at some point in their lives, usually without symptoms. In most cases the immune system clears HPV from the body, but persistent infection with high-risk HPV can cause abnormal cells to develop, which go on to become cancer3. In a world where it seems that women’s rights are being taken away every day, it’s important to have this autonomy and awareness of our body that a visit to the gynaecologist can provide. If you’re nervous about it, ask the people in your life about their experiences, or take a friend with you to the appointment. However you do it, if you just make sure you get to the gyno.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cervical-cancer
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/human-papilloma-virus-and-cancer
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cervical-cancer