I recently got my results back from the doctor after a blood check. He said my testosterone level was high, actually quite high. I am 17 years old will be turning 18 in January and the reason i got this checked in the first place is because i have not gotten my period since last January. I have acne very minorly on my face, more on my chest and a little on my back. However i dont have facial hair, or hair on anywhere else it shouldnt be, and i don’t have a deep voice.I have quite a small frame with size C cup breasts. The doctor doesn’t know the reason for my high testosterone level so he is sending me to a gynocologyst. I am very nervous, so any thoughts as to why my level is high or what i can expect from going to the gyno would be very helpful.

Lively Women answers…

Great questions. I’m so glad you’re going to the doctor and that he referred you to a gynecologist. You’re so smart to take a proactive approach to your health at a young age.

I’m not a doctor, much less an endocrinologist, so I can’t really speculate as to why your testosterone levels may be high. What I can tell you, though, is that it’s very normal for hormone levels to fluctuate, especially in your teens, so this doesn’t make you weird or “a freak.” There are any number of elements that can affect those levels, including your growth and what you eat. I’m sure you and your doctor will get it straightened out. And especially since you’re not having any unusual or adverse effects from the high testosterone levels, it sounds like it could just be nothing at all. Some people’s “normal” is just higher or lower than “average.”

Now, as far as your first gynecologist visit goes, I bet you’re feeling pretty freaked out. I remember my first visit, and I was so nervous that I thought I was going to throw up. And afterward, when it was all over and I relaxed, I felt like kind of a dork for having been so nervous, because it wasn’t bad at all.

Every doctor’s office is a little different, but this is generally how it goes down:

1. When you arrive at the office, you do the same check-in, fill out the same paperwork, and read the same boring waiting room magazines as any other doctor visit while you wait to be called back for your appointment.
2. When they call you back, an assistant or nurse will generally weigh you and take a brief medical history (When was your last period? Do you smoke? Are you sexually active? Have you ever been hospitalized? Etc.). Sometimes they may draw blood and/or get a urine specimen, too. They will probably do both for you since they’re checking out your hormone levels.
3. You’ll be taken to an exam room where you’ll change into one of those fashionable paper gowns for your exam. When it’s your first visit, you’ll often meet the gynecologist before you even change, and he or she will see if you have any questions and tell you what to expect.
4. The actual exam usually begins with a breast exam, for which you’ll lay back on the examination table and the doctor will check your breasts, uncovering them one at a time, for abnormalities. The doctor will gently use his or her fingers to press on your breast tissue (which extends to your armpits) and feel for bumps, lumps, or anything else that shouldn’t be there. It takes about 30 seconds a breast. This is also an opportunity for the doctor to teach you how to do your own breast self-exam.
5. Next, the doctor will probably check your stomach for any tenderness by pressing down in various spots and asking if you feel any pain. You’re probably used to this from your pediatrician.
6. Last is the pelvic exam, the part that most women dread leading up to their first gyno visit. You’ll lie back on the exam table, scoot your butt down to the edge, and put your feet in the stirrups that stick out from the end of the table. This keeps your legs out of the way so the doctor can see what’s what. The exam will generally last less than 5 minutes. First, the doctor will probably insert what’s called a speculum, a metal or plastic instrument that looks like a duckbill. This holds your vagina open so the doctor can see inside and also to allow him or her to take a swab of cervical cells for your Pap smear. Most women report feeling a little pressure when the speculum is in, which makes sense because its job is to press on the vagina walls, but it’s not painful. Then, once the doctor removes the speculum, he or she will probably insert two fingers into your vagina to make sure everything feels right and may also press gently on your stomach at the same time to check for any pain. And then that’s it!

Be sure to let them know when you get there that this is your first appointment. The gynecologist and nurse or assistant will tell you what’s coming every step of the way so you’re not startled by anything.

I know it’s scary, especially since women make kind of a big deal out of not wanting to go and what a hassle it is and everything, but it’s really not that bad, honest. The worst thing that’s ever happened to me in 8 years of annual exams is that the doctor was running late last time I went and it made me late for my next appointment that morning.

So, relax, and give yourself props for taking care of your body.

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

Post from: Blisstree

Lively Women Q&A: High Testosterone and First Gyno Visit?

Still here? Great! Well, first of all, I was stressed because I had to change doctors since we moved and I’m now way too far away from my old OB/GYN office to make the drive. I used to use Planned Parenthood, and this move meant switching to a grown-up doctor. For real adults. Like one my mom would use. How weird. I hadn’t been to one of those since my first visit, back in high school, when my mom insisted that I use her doctor and accompanied me, which, for the record, was beyond awkward.

Aside: This is not to say that there’s anything lacking in the quality or maturity of Planned Parenthood. On the contrary, I was extremely happy with them. And the fact that I knew my questions would be the least interesting ones they got all day made me feel like I could ask or divulge anything and it wouldn’t be uncomfortable. (Not that my sex life has ever been particularly scandalous, mind you. But when you’re a 20something married chick who’s been withe the same guy for years, isn’t pregnant, and has no serious medical issues sitting in a waiting room full of teenage girls and their incredibly uncomfortable boyfriends, you just know you’ll be the most boring client of the day, or maybe even the week. It’s kind of a relief.)

Second, I had therapy right afterward (how’s that for planning?), and after I sat in the waiting room for almost 40 minutes before being called back, I was good and stressed about not making my next appointment. In fact, they were running so far behind (how exactly do you manage to be an hour behind already at 9:30?) that I actually had to call my therapist’s office on my cell phone while in the exam room in my paper vest and sarong combo as I waited for the nurse practitioner to come in and do the exam so I could tell her that I was being held hostage at the gynecologist’s office and might be late for or even miss my appointment. There were no magazines, so instead I read my Pap smear lab request form for about 20 minutes. I don’t want to ruin the ending or anything, but the grand finale is, you guessed it, a Pap smear.

Third, I always dread the assistant’s questions when they first take you into the exam room (that, and getting weighed. Our scale broke like two moves ago and I have never replaced it, so my annual exam is about the only time I weigh myself). I know I’m a hypocrite, but it’s not my fault: I just don’t remember to do my breast self-exam every month. I’m lucky if I remember three times a year. Of course, when I admitted this, I got that motherly disapproving “Tut tut” and a dramatic swish of the pen on my chart. I always feel like crawling under the exam table at that point. But then, when they take my blood pressure (which, incidentally, makes my heart race for some reason), I am redeemed because it’s always very low and they think I’m so healthy that it makes up for being an irresponsible breast owner.

Aside: I wonder how low my bp really is since I start having palpitations the moment they move toward the blood pressure cuff. It’s so bad that I have to tell them to do it once in the beginning and once at a random time during my visit without telling me ahead of time so I don’t have a chance to get anxious about it–but of course my breath gets short as soon as I realize what’s happening.

Fourth, I had to go through my entire medical history before the exam because their fax machine was messed up and they couldn’t receive my records from my old doctor’s office, so I felt like I walked into a surprise midterm in a class I’d never heard of. Yes, someone on my mom’s side had breast cancer, like four generations ago, and somebody on my dad’s side had heart disease, but I’m pretty sure those people died before my parents were even my age, so I have no clue of the specifics. But it’s all in my medical record, which is apparently trapped somewhere in the fascimile netherworld, so who knows?

Fifth, I had to confess that I’ve been so terrible about taking my birth control pills on schedule that I finally stopped taking them altogether and needed to request a different form of birth control that was harder to forget and didn’t involve anything that is progesterone only, which tend to make me gain huge amounts of weight in very short periods of time. And I kind of feel like we’re just a little too old to be buying condoms, you know? (That, plus ever since I tried to open one I don’t even remember how long ago and it shot out of the package and directly into my eye, leaving me half blind and stinging like the dickens, I’ve been kind of afraid of them to tell you the truth. But I digress.)

So, long story short (because believe it or not, this is the short version), I weighed in at 134 lbs fully clothed, managed to get a clean bill of health despite waiting f-o-r-e-v-e-r for my exam, and left with a free month (and a coupon for a free second month!) of NuvaRing, a once-a-month vaginal contraceptive that offers–get this–a free downloadable OR portable timer to remind you when to insert and remove it. Do these people know me, or what?

Now to psych myself up for next year. 360some days should be plenty of time, right?

How do you feel about your annual exam? Any tips? Any horror stories? Leave a comment!

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

Post from: Blisstree

Stayin’ Lively: My 2007 Annual Exam

Here’s who you need to call:

1. Your primary care practioner. You may be surprised to know that PCPs do more than just hook you up with antibiotics when you get strep from the kids or develop a UTI. They also provide preventive maintenance, for lack of a better term. Get a full physical, including a blood work-up, and make sure everything is working the way it’s supposed to.
2. Your ob/gyn. That annual exam really is important! Your doc can answer any questions you may have about stuff that’s going on down there, can remind you of the right way to do your breast self-exam, and provide valuable screening for cancer and sexually transmitted infections — all of which can save your life.
3. Your eye doctor. Even if you hate those glasses, you need to make sure they’re the right prescription, or they can cause lasting damage to your eyes. As we age, our vision changes. That’s why you need to make sure you’re getting an exam at least every 12 months, or more frequently if you notice eye strain or blurred vision.
4. Your dentist. Keep those pearly whites pearly white, and prevent and detect gum disease and all other kinds of lovelies from wreaking havoc in your mouth. And soon, your dental exam might also be an opportunity to screen for osteoporosis and breast cancer!

Now, grab that phone and start making those appointments. And when you’re all done, make one last phone call: to the salon to schedule a pamper session as a reward for your responsible health behavior.

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

Post from: Blisstree

Time for Your Annual Check-Up!

The debate has also carried over to Angela’s Herpes Simplex Help blog, where she and I are having a side discussion in which we both keep repeating ourselves with increasing degrees of urgency. Truly, we’re brilliant.

The folks who’ve thrown their two cents out there have had a heck of a lot to say. But the thing that blows my mind is that so few people have weighed in on this issue! We’re talking about women’s health here. We’re talking about your health, my health, your daughter’s/sister’s/cousin’s/best friend’s health. We’re talking about the health of women who haven’t yet been born. Educate yourself. Get informed, and speak up. This affects all of us, and now is no time to be shy.

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

Post from: Blisstree

The Vaccination Controversy Continues

The requirement will take effect in September of next year, and will require that all girls be vaccinated before they enter sixth grade. According to Merck, the vaccine can be administered to girls beginning at age 9, and it’s given as a series of three shots. Says Merck:

GARDASIL is given as 3 injections over 6 months and can cause pain, swelling, itching, and redness at the injection site, fever, nausea, and dizziness. Only a doctor or healthcare professional can decide if GARDASIL is right for you or your daughter.

And just in case you missed it, let’s just emphasize the last sentence in that little explanation:

Only a doctor or healthcare professional can decide if GARDASIL is right for you or your daughter.

Hmm, that’s interesting. Also interesting is that it was approved by the FDA less than a year ago, and clinical trials of Gardasil haven’t been long enough to determine either potential long term side effects or how long it remains effective.

As you can probably tell, I’m not entirely comfortable with the idea that a state government is mandating a that a brand new drug be administered to every school-age girl in the state (or else!). I’m not sure which would be more irresponsible, not mandating a potentially life-saving vaccination, or mandating a vaccination that hasn’t been in the marketplace long enough to determine whether it’s really (a) safe and (b) effective over the long term.

And I’m not the only blogger with these concerns. Check out what the ladies of the ESC have to say about it.

What do you think?

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

Post from: Blisstree

Texas Mandates HPV Vaccine

But did you know that January is National Cervix Health Awareness Month? The National Cervical Cancer Coalition’s Patient Information page is a great starting point to get (and keep!) you on the road to lifelong cervical health.

And speaking of cervical health, are you due for an annual exam? Don’t put it off! Click here for some tips to help get the most out of your next visit to the gynecologist.

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

Post from: Blisstree

How’s Your Cervix Today?