Callie could feel her heart rate increasing as she pulled up to the clinic. Her stomach churned nervously as she took a deep calming breath to relax. She didnt know why she was so nervous- after all it was just another routine gyno appointment, right? She knew the drill, had been a few times before.

The cause of her anxiety was the fact that her regular doctor’s office had referred her to this “ gynecologic specialist” for an evaluation. What did that even mean? The reception had reminded her that at her last appointment, Dr. Manning had suggested that a different doctor should doublecheck her pelvic tone. Dr Manning had been Callie‘s gyno since her first exam over a decade ago.

Although Callie still dreaded the exams, Dr. Mannings grandmotherly presence, gentle touch and speedy exams had been a relief.

As Callie entered the lobby to Dr. Alex Welch‘s office, she took several deep breaths to steel herself. After all, no matter how awkward it was- all yearly exams had the same components: vitals, breast exam, speculum exam, and then bimanual exam. She reminded herself that no matter how awkward the exam, the entire thing would be over in less than 10 minutes. She internally scolded herself for being so dramatic.