Surprise At First GYN Exam

What surprised you most at your very first gyn exam?

Maybe you expected some of the process but not all. Maybe you weren't expecting to have one. Did you expect to have a certain experience and it didn't happen? Maybe everything went exactly as planned?

I'm interested in what the expectations were and how it played out.

For me I think it was how short the invasive part of the exam was. From the talk I'd heard from others I had in my mind that would be some long ordeal. I hadn't counted on less than a minute.

Other than that I was surprised by how much pressing from outside there is when doing the internal. I was expecting to be uncomfortable about someone having fingers inside me and hadn't considered that the pressing on my abdomen would be more unpleasant.

Similar to what the previous poster said, it was surprised by all the pushing on my abdomen with her fingers inside me. It wasn't painful, but a lot going on at once. My brain didn't quite know how to process all of it, I think!

Vulcan Girl

The doctor who did my first pelvic exam was very gentle and nice so I cannot remember anything unpleasant from that particular exam. What surprised me the most was how much I enjoyed lying there exposed with my legs wide apart and having his fingers inside me.

It didn't take long before reality of pelvic exams sunk in though so now I know that real exams aren't much enjoyable at all.

Thank you for the feedback.

Interesting that two of you talked about the pressing on the abdomen as that's not what I would have guessed. Very glad you three answered. Thanks.

I knew that the doctor's fingers would enter my vagina, and thought it would be uncomfortable. But I found it quite pleasant!

I was shocked at just how involved and detailed and personally invasive the exam really was.

I was shocked mostly about the rectal element at gyn exams. Despite reading up talkng to friends etc was not something I had been expecting and agree with jill seemed more invasive then the description

I'm always surprised with how quick it is. I think the breast exam part takes longer than the pelvic part! I've never had a rectal with my annual exams, so I guess that part is surprising to me too. Though the exam I had in the ER was quite different. I went in for a pain in my side and ended up with more than I bargained for. Fingers way up inside, feeling around my ovaries a lot more. Then a quick catheter to collect urine and a rather rough and unexpected rectal exam. I wasn't expecting any of that. I wished I had known it was coming! There was no warning on the rectal part. I nearly jumped off the table!

The biggest surprise to me on my first gyno exam was the COLD insturments and of course the digital rectal exam which I was not expecting or prepared to undergo. It immediatly brought tears to my eyes and I felt violated. Since that time I have come to realize that it is both normal and necessary, but COLD insturments still bother me.

The fingers inside is always the best part.

Molliewhite and gwendolips - I totally agree about the surprise of the rectal as part of the first exam. I thought the gyno was just about the vaginal exam, I had no idea the doctor would go THERE! It was a total shock feeling the finger being pushed into my rectum and probing around, and yes, felt totally violated by that part! Such a strange feeling to have the doctor's fingers in both places at once too, so very awkward and weird the first time!

The pressure feeling in my lower tummy when the speculum was opened up and the unpleasant feel of the cytology brush thing

I only had a vaginal and speculum exam during my first gyn visit at age 15. Even when the nurse told me what would happen, I didn't fully grasp it until I was being examined. I was more surprised that my aunt was there watching. It didn't even bother me that the doctor was male.

My second exam at age 18 was more detailed. I was surprised that I had to fully undress and put on a gown. That was when I had my first breast exam, pap smear, rectovaginal and rectal exam.

What surprises me about this conversation - and other comments on Zity - is how many women report experiencing either a rectal and/or rectovaginal exam at the GYN. In my quarter century of well woman exams, I’ve never once experienced either one. It makes me wonder. Have I just had an ongoing string of shoddy doctors? Is it something that docs who are men do with more frequency than their female counterparts? I’ve never had a male GYN so I can’t speculate on the latter.

I think that it depend how doctor learn how to do gyno exam, where they make their internal, and with who.

It depend the country and how they think ... In France, eht

What surprises me about this conversation - and other comments on Zity - is how many women report experiencing either a rectal and/or rectovaginal exam at the GYN. In my quarter century of well woman exams, I’ve never once experienced either one. It makes me wonder. Have I just had an ongoing string of shoddy doctors? Is it something that docs who are men do with more frequency than their female counterparts? I’ve never had a male GYN so I can’t speculate on the latter.

@HeartbeatLilly it may be due to the positioning of your uterus that you have not experienced a rectal exam. as I have learned though my extensive (unofficial) training, if the position of the patient's uterus is retroverted, it is more easily palpated via the rectal finger. if the position of the patient's uterus is anteverted, there would be no need for the rectal exam, barring a specific complaint.

perhaps if I were to take a look at you, i could further answer any questions you may have about whether a rectal exam is right for you.

@matt83

perhaps if I were to take a look at you, i could further answer any questions you may have about whether a rectal exam is right for you.

No, thanks.

@CassieST Out of curiosity, why did you have that gyn visit at age 15?

I was most surprised by the fact that I could feel the little brush when the doctor was performing the pap smear. I had never really thought before about how I would be able to feel what was happening in there. It didn't hurt but it definitely felt strange.

I have told this before. I had unprotected sex when I was 17 and wanted on the pill. My sister told me that she would help me and she stood there while I called and made the appointment. I questioned her about what would happen over and over. See my sister had already been through it. So she told me step by step. Then when the day came I was nervous. I came out of the changing room with the gown and my panties. My sister said, "Nope those have to come off too." Then the doctor came in and was explaining every part of what she was doing as she did it. I was thinking this isn't that bad. My sister was standing beside my head holding my hand and smiling. Then the doctor said, "Now push down like you are trying to have a bowel movement." That is when I felt her finger go into my rectum. My sister said I looked like I was going to kill her and she had this huge smile. The only thing I had ever had in me back there was thermometers, mom's finger to lube me, and a nozzle when I was nine for my one and only enema. I hated anything back there. I thought it was dirty and gross. My sister has never told me why she didn't tell e about the rectal. Maybe she thought I wouldn't go. Now I don't mind any fingers, nozzles or toys back there.

I was surprised how much lube they used. It would still be coming out of me hours later.

Personally, I wasn't suspect that would be felt exam even on second day (stretched my virgin, narrow pussy) and that doc noticed that I am using tampons regularly.

Almost everything did. Rectovaginal shocked me the absolute most...

@PatientH Rectovaginal is one finger in rectum another in vagina and feel the wall between the two, right? Do you know why this was done on your first exam?! I thought it was only done on women with a risk of damage there.

@Pecan nutjob My wife has had many exams by multiple doctors, however there is one doctor that has always done a rectovaginal on every exam he has ever given her. This doctor has been the one to do probably 60 -70% of her exams over the last forty-three years. I think it may have more to do with when and where they were trained.

My first exam was at my mom's gyno. She told me what to expect and took me to the appointment and I asked her stay in the waiting room while I got examined. Knowing what they would do and the experience were two completely different things. I was surprised how exposed I felt in the stirrups and the invasive nature of the pelvic exam.

@KatyR In other postings you mention rectal exams. Was there one during that first gyn exam?

I didn’t get a rectal at my first exam or anytime from that doctor.

@CassieST Out of curiosity, why did you have that gyn visit at age 15?

I just saw your question. I've talked about it on other forums. I had heavy bleeding.