I am 18F and having a few issues with my parts. As of late I’ve noticed when I get wet, the discharge smells terrible, like literal poo. I’m not sexually actively or anything, so I want to go to a gynecologist for the first time and get it checked out. However, I am extremely uncomfortable with getting anything inserted inside of my vagina. It’s ok if they have to look at it, but I’ve never had anything inserted before. Ofc I know inserting something like a Pap smear tool doesn’t take from virginity but it’s a personal choice. So basically my question is will they be okay with that? And would they be able to diagnose or solve my issue without it? Thanks, I’m not knowledgeable on this subject at all as it would be my first time going
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You can ask the gyno to use the pediatric speculum and ask ig you can insert it!!! This request has helped me a ton and most gyns allow it if it allows them to see everything
You may have bacterial vaginosis (BV) which is an infection arising from bacterial imbalance. Your doctor would probably swab your vagina with something like a long q-tip, and probably not go very far in with it (like maybe an inch). It’s very easily treated with antibiotic cream. It’s worth having the swab – when I had it it identified two different infections which required two different antibiotics, one in pill form.
Besides the speculum exam, which you can absolutely ask to postpone if you want, they may also want to do a swab to check for bacterial vaginosis or a yeast infection. You can probably do the swabbing yourself if that will make you more comfortable – ask the doctor. If you absolutely don’t want anything past the entrance, I’m not sure what the doctor would decide for treatment – but if whatever they try doesn’t work, they will probably ask you again to try a swab and/or exam.
Just to check a somewhat simple thing – do you use tampons? Any chance you might have forgotten a tampon in there?
They’ll most likely need to take a swab (looks like a very long Q-tip). Some gynos are okay letting you do this, as all you need to do is insert it and swab around your cervix. Some will be adamant about using a speculum, in which case you can ask for a paediatric one and insert it yourself. Some will want to have a look at your cervix and do a digital exam (using fingers) to check for abnormalities such as growths that can only be felt from the inside.
The dr won’t be able to look at your vulva and diagnose what’s going on with your vagina. Your vagina in its natural state is almost shut wall to wall, unless something is inserted to open it. There’s most likely some sort of bacterial infection going on, but they still need to swab it as different bacteria reacts to different antibiotics.
Some antibiotics even come in the form of cream, that you need to insert yourself with an applicator or they can also come in the form of pessaries.
I understand your discomfort, it’s valid, but you need to prioritise your health. Vaginal infections can be very dangerous if left untreated.
Call the office and ask for a “consultation.” I do it with new doctors all the time. Let them know you don’t want a full exam, just a swab for BV/infections. There is absolutely no law or medical requirement that every time you see an OB/Gyn that they do a pap /use a speculum and do a bimanual exam. As others have said, they will need to use a Qtip ton take a sample but it’s usually just around the edges. You can also ask to self swab, it’s really easy.
If you have a GP you trust, they can run the same tests. There’s no special infection testing only a GYN can do (lol it’s all going to the same lab).
The discharge smelling like poo worries me and is making me concerned you could have a fistula (basically a little tunnel between your rectum and your vagina). It’s unlikely, but what you’re describing is concerning and does warrant investigation. While hopefully it’s just something like BV which can just be diagnosed with a swab, it’s really urgent that you do go get checked out. The language you’ve used makes me think you could be maybe aussie or kiwi, which means hopefully you should just be able to start with your GP and go from there rather than having to see a new person for this.
I don’t blame you for not wanting the speculum, and you can communicate that you’d really rather avoid it, but if it comes down to it, they wouldn’t do it if they didn’t need to. You’re too young to need a cervical screening, and most are doing self collect anyway, so you should be able to avoid them in that context.
As I said, I’m hopeful it’ll just be something really easily dealt with like BV, but if they tell you they need to look, I hope you can trust that it’s necessary. It’s better to go through the discomfort and know for sure. I hope that this doesn’t come across as me trying to scare you or anything, but I know how easy it is to try and put off things like that because it’s embarrassing/awkward or bc you’re nervous about elements of the exam, but hopefully you have a nice GP that you trust and you can go to them. All going well, you won’t need to go beyond that.
It’s great you’re being mindful of your comfort level… and I’m sure the doc will appreciate your honesty, framing it as a sensitivity issue related to past trauma could help them understand and accommodate your request more readily.