Seeing a gynaecologist as a grown woman can often be daunting, and unsurprisingly even more so for a child or teenager.
Worries around ‘girl’s bits’ and troubles around puberty can often feel scary and awkward, which is why it is so important to seek help from someone who has a sensitive, specialised approach. At Eve Health, we have gynaecologists who are highly experienced with assessing girls and teenagers, and who can deal with any issues you or your child may be experiencing in a relaxed and personalised fashion.
Some common problems that can arise in this age group include:
- Pubertal problems
- Early onset of periods and/or breast development
- Late onset or absence of periods and/or lack of breast development
- Period problems
- Heavy bleeding
- Irregular periods
- Painful periods
- Sexual development disorders
- Absent vagina
- Absent uterus
- Abnormal development of the uterus and/or vagina
- Hymen problems
- Endocrine disorders
- Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
- Hirsutism (excess facial and/or body hair)
- Acne
- Pelvic pain
- Ovarian cysts
- Endometriosis
- Infections
- Vulval skin disorders
Puberty is a tricky time for many young women and often what is normal and what is not is not talked about openly. If you have any concerns, we can help to address them. If it turns out there is a problem, we will discuss treatment options and decide on a course of action together, and if everything is normal, our experienced and personable clinicians can provide reassurance. We also work with a psychologist, physiotherapist and dietitian within our team who can help to treat any issues with a multidisciplinary approach if needed.
What will happen at your first visit
The first visit is usually a longer appointment to allow time for your doctor to get to know you and for you to feel comfortable with your doctor. The first part of the consultation is usually spent talking about YOU, rather than (just the issue that is worrying you). The next part of the consult is spent talking about your problem and how it affects your life.
If you are a teenager, we usually ask mum or dad to leave the room for a short period of time so that you are able to disclose any personal information without being worried about having to tell mum or dad. This is also helpful as it teaches you as a young person to talk to talk with doctors on your own.
There will be no internal examinations if you are not sexually active, and all other examinations will only take place if you feel comfortable.
If you are sexually active, it might be appropriate for the doctor to perform a vaginal exam or an internal ultrasound. If this is recommended, rest assured that all procedures will be explained before they happen and will only happen with your consent. It is important to remember that you should always feel in control and safe within the consultation and we are here to ensure that this is always the case.
After we are confident that we understand the breadth of your problem and how it affects your life, we will spend some time talking about the options for treatment together. Sometimes there is one specific course of action, but more often there are a handful of possible treatment options. In this case, we talk about the pros and cons of each option as well as provide a detailed explanation of what each treatment option involves before deciding on what is best for you. We will also ensure that we provide you with the most up to date information and resources that you can refer to when you leave the appointment. Most importantly by the end of the consult, you should feel as though you have a plan outlined for how we are going to tackle the problem, be armed with information and have had an opportunity to ask any questions you may have.
At Eve Health, we have several gynaecologists who are highly experienced with assessment of young girls and teenagers and who will provide a relaxed and personalised approach to their issues. This can be particularly important for parents of teenage girls. Please call us on 07 3332 1999 or ask your GP to consider referring you to an Eve Health gynaecologist for further assessment and investigation.
Comments are closed.