As a gynecologist I meet people all day every day who within a few minutes of our interaction disclose some of the most intimate details of their lives and fully undress so I can examine some of the most private parts of their bodies. I have 15 minutes for patients who have seen me or one of my partners at any time within the past few years and 30 minutes for a brand new patient. This includes the patient registering, being triaged by a medical assistant, going to the bathroom, and undressing. Realistically, in the best circumstances, I have around 10 minutes to make someone comfortable with me, gain their trust and confidence, and give them the space to speak and be heard without appearing rushed. I apologize in advance if I am running late, but now you know it isn’t because I don’t value your time and was out getting coffee. I must gather a full history, ask sensitive details about my patients’ lives including if they have a history of trauma or abuse, their mental health, how they identify, who they have sex with and what kind of sex they have, if they use birth control and/or protection from sexually transmitted infections, if they have ever had a sexually transmitted infection, an abortion, or a miscarriage, and often tease out details such as if they have pain with intercourse, abnormal discharge or bleeding, or leakage of urine. Learning to communicate and interact with patients in a way that makes them feel safe and welcome to share things with me that not even their closest family or friends may know is an art that I will continue to work on improving for the rest of my career.
If you can’t tell your GYN, who can you tell?
If you can’t tell your GYN, who can you tell?
If you can’t tell your GYN, who can you tell?
As a gynecologist I meet people all day every day who within a few minutes of our interaction disclose some of the most intimate details of their lives and fully undress so I can examine some of the most private parts of their bodies. I have 15 minutes for patients who have seen me or one of my partners at any time within the past few years and 30 minutes for a brand new patient. This includes the patient registering, being triaged by a medical assistant, going to the bathroom, and undressing. Realistically, in the best circumstances, I have around 10 minutes to make someone comfortable with me, gain their trust and confidence, and give them the space to speak and be heard without appearing rushed. I apologize in advance if I am running late, but now you know it isn’t because I don’t value your time and was out getting coffee. I must gather a full history, ask sensitive details about my patients’ lives including if they have a history of trauma or abuse, their mental health, how they identify, who they have sex with and what kind of sex they have, if they use birth control and/or protection from sexually transmitted infections, if they have ever had a sexually transmitted infection, an abortion, or a miscarriage, and often tease out details such as if they have pain with intercourse, abnormal discharge or bleeding, or leakage of urine. Learning to communicate and interact with patients in a way that makes them feel safe and welcome to share things with me that not even their closest family or friends may know is an art that I will continue to work on improving for the rest of my career.