Gynecological examination: a barometer of women’s health
The need for gynecological examinations.
Health is an important factor for human survival and development, and eternal health is what people aspire to and pursue. Women’s health is related to the reproduction of human beings and is an important issue for future generations. With the increasing pressure of competition in contemporary society and the accelerated pace of life, people’s psychological pressure is getting bigger and bigger, along with the improvement of living conditions and the change of social culture, people’s lifestyle is changing, leading to an increasing number of diseases. Health checkups are designed to detect diseases hidden in the body as early as possible, so that early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment.
But many women’s health concept is still stuck in the “primary stage” of “good health if you can eat and drink, no pain, no itch”. In fact, many gynecological diseases, including gynecological cancers, have no obvious symptoms in the early stage, and patients are just like normal people. However, when patients feel uncomfortable, many diseases have already missed the best time for treatment and even become life-threatening. Therefore, women must raise their awareness of self-care and have regular gynecological check-ups.
According to the survey of World Health Organization, one-third of cancers can be prevented, one-third of cancers can be cured if detected early, and one-third of cancers can prolong life by reducing pain. Because of this, gynecological examination is a “talisman” for women.
Current research suggests that cervical cancer is closely related to human papilloma virus infection. Long-term chronic viral infection can lead to cervical precancerous lesions, and it takes about 5-10 years to develop from precancerous lesions to cervical cancer, so patients with cervical lesions have plenty of time for effective treatment. The 5-year survival rate of cervical cancer is close to 100% after early treatment, while the 5-year survival rate of late treatment is only 20-50%. Therefore, cervical cancer is a disease that can be detected, diagnosed and treated early, and it is crucial to have regular screening to prevent it before it happens. If early cervical lesions are detected in time and treated appropriately, cervical cancer can be defeated. Therefore, women should be reminded to cherish their bodies and regular gynecological checkups should not be neglected.
Who needs gynecological examination?
Generally, married women of all ages are the target of gynecological screening, but since the occurrence of gynecological tumors is trending younger in recent years, it is recommended that all women who have sex should actively participate in regular gynecological checkups.
Who are the high-risk groups for gynecological screening?
More than 150 years ago, it was found that cervical cancer rarely occurred in nuns. Later, many studies confirmed that sexual disorders, early sexual debut, early childbirth and multiple births are closely related to the occurrence of cervical cancer. The following groups of people are at high risk of cervical cancer and are priority targets for gynecological screening. They include
1. women who have married too early: having sexual intercourse for the first time under the age of 18 increases the chances of developing cervical cancer
2. women with a history of multiple births or abortions
3, women with excessive estrogen and abnormal metabolism: studies have found that estrogen is closely related to endometrial lesions and breast hyperplasia and breast cancer
4. women with multiple sexual partners or whose spouses have multiple sexual partners
5. women who have had or are suffering from gynecological high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection
6, women who have had cervical lesions (chronic cervicitis, precancerous cervical lesions, etc.) that are not treated in a timely manner and that persist
7, women whose spouse has penile cancer, prostate cancer or whose ex-wife has had cervical cancer
8.Women who are immunocompromised or are receiving immunotherapy
9.Women who smoke, use drugs, or are malnourished
10.Women with other sexually transmitted diseases
11.Women with cancer in their blood relatives
12.Women whose sexual partners are circumcised, which may also cause the risk of cervical cancer in women
13. having abnormal vaginal bleeding, such as non-menstrual or post-menopausal bleeding, or bleeding after sexual intercourse
14. Those with abnormal vaginal discharge.
15. Women over 30 years old, especially those over 40 years old.
Do unmarried women need to do gynecological examination?
There are very few unmarried women in the medical checkup population because people are influenced by the traditional concept that only married people can do gynecological examination, and unmarried women who do gynecological examination will be considered to have done something unspeakable and be talked about. Many girls are embarrassed to come for gynecological examination when they have irregular menstruation, excessive leucorrhea and other diseases, which often leads to delay or aggravation of the condition. In addition, some girls may have genital hypoplasia, abnormal uterine position, etc. These diseases need to be detected through gynecological examination. Some girls are also worried about damaging their hymens during gynecological examinations. In fact, depending on the situation, the doctor will carry out the examination through ultrasound, blood test or anal examination, without going through the vagina and without damaging the hymen. If the condition is complicated or the lesion is special and requires a vaginal examination, the consent of the family and the patient must be obtained beforehand, so unmarried women can participate in health checkups without worry.
Each stage of a woman’s growth has its own reproductive and physiological characteristics and faces different problems. Based on the developmental changes in sexual function, a woman’s life can be divided into infancy, early childhood, childhood, adolescence, childbearing, late childbearing, menopause and old age. The World Health Organization defines 10-24 years old as puberty, which is the most important stage in a woman’s life. During this stage, the body undergoes rapid changes as the central nervous system and the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, gonads and sex hormone target organs are in a stage of gradual development and maturation. During puberty, menstrual-related diseases such as dysfunctional uterine bleeding, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, etc. may occur; because of the vigorous endocrine function of the ovaries, follicular cysts, ovarian teratomas and cystic adenomas may easily occur, and the breast gland is also prone to lesions such as breast hyperplasia and breast fibroids, so women in puberty must be vigilant.
In addition, because the behavior of adolescence is easily influenced by the social environment, premature sexual activity can easily lead to gynecological diseases, leaving hidden dangers for future fertility and health. Therefore, young women are a group that deserves more attention. There are many reports in the literature that gynecological infectious diseases, gynecological malignancies and breast diseases have a tendency to become younger, so unmarried women should cherish their bodies, eliminate the shackles of secularism and actively participate in regular gynecological examinations in order to detect pathologies in time and avoid delays.
How often is it appropriate to have a gynecological examination?
There is no unified conclusion on how often to have a checkup, but it should be considered according to the natural history of various diseases and personal circumstances. (e.g., first sexual intercourse under 18 years of age, sexual disorders, poor menstrual hygiene, cervical erosion, etc.). The key high-risk groups should be checked once a year, for high-risk groups once every two years, for non-high-risk groups once every three years, and once every five years after two negative tests, and the interval between two tests should not exceed five years, so that cancerous lesions can be detected in time.
What are the contents of a gynecological examination and what problems it can find?
Vulvovaginal examination: It can observe whether there is inflammation, ulcer, redundant organisms and lumps in the vulva, whether there is hypopigmentation of the mucous membrane of the vulva skin, vaginal inflammation, cervical inflammation (cervical polyps, cervical erosion, glandular cysts and redundant organisms), whether there is bulging of the anterior and posterior vaginal walls, uterine prolapse and urinary incontinence, etc.
Duplex examination: This is the main part of the pelvic examination. It is performed to find out whether the vagina is open, whether there are deformities and masses, whether there is contact bleeding and tenderness in the cervix, whether the uterus, both adnexa and their surrounding tissues located in the pelvis are normal, and whether there are inflammations and masses such as fibroids, endometriosis, ovarian masses and pelvic inflammatory diseases.
Vaginal discharge examination: The examination and measurement of the discharge can be used to understand the nature of vaginal inflammation, such as mycosis fungoides, trichomoniasis and bacterial vaginosis.
Cancer scraping: Screening for cervical cancer and early detection of cervical cancer, as well as the presence of infections such as trichomonas, mycobacteria, human papilloma virus (HPV) and herpes virus at the same time.
Hormone level measurement: Vaginal cytology examination to understand this hormone level, which can guide treatment for diseases such as ovarian hypofunction and infertility.
Ultrasound examination: Ultrasound examination is divided into abdominal ultrasound and vaginal ultrasound to understand the condition of the uterus, endometrium, fallopian tubes and ovaries, such as uterine fibroids, endometriosis, ovarian cysts, teratomas, and the position of the intrauterine ring.
Mammography: In addition to local palpation, mammography can generally be performed with the aid of instruments, such as ultrasound, infrared scan, thermography, mammography, etc. Through a careful and comprehensive examination, common breast diseases such as breast hyperplasia, breast fibroids and mastitis can be detected, and more importantly, breast cancer can be detected at an early stage.
What are the common screening methods for cervical cancer?
Pap smear, liquid-based thin-layer cytology (TCT), human papillomavirus (HPV) gene high-risk type test, colposcopy, etc. Currently, Pap smear and TCT are generally used for cervical cancer screening.
TCT is the abbreviation of liquid-based thin-layer cytology test. TCT test is to detect cervical cells with liquid-based thin-layer cytology detection system and perform TBS cytology classification and diagnosis, which is one of the most advanced cervical cancer cytology examination techniques in the world. TCT cervical cancer cytology can detect more than 90% of cervical cancer cells, and can also detect precancerous lesions, microbial infections such as mycobacteria, and cervical cancer cells. It can also detect pre-cancerous lesions, microbial infections such as mycobacteria, trichomonas, chlamydia, etc.
What preparations should be made before gynecological examination?
Medical history and physical examination are the main basis for diagnosing diseases, and the correct diagnosis of diseases often depends on whether the medical history provided by the patient is complete and accurate. Therefore, close cooperation from the examinee is required, and the examinee must be objective and accurate when answering the doctor’s questions. Because of certain characteristics of gynecological diseases, the following questions should be recalled carefully and clearly before the physical examination.
General information: name, gender, age, workplace.
Menstrual history: age of menarche, interval of menstrual cycle, duration of menstruation, time of last menstruation, etc.
Marital history: whether married, age of marriage, number of pregnancies (including full-term births, premature births and miscarriages), number of deliveries and delivery methods, and contraceptive methods, etc.
Past history: the past health condition, what kind of diseases have been suffered from, whether there is a history of infectious diseases, genetic diseases, whether there is a history of surgery and trauma, whether there is a history of drug allergy, etc.
Family history of tumor disease: whether there are any family members with tumor disease or who have died from tumor disease.
What preparations should be made before ultrasound examination?
Abdominal ultrasound should be performed after holding enough urine. Method of holding urine: After urinating in the morning, drink about 1000ml of plain water or 2-3 cups of non-carbonated sugary drinks to hold urine for one or two hours. Patients with constipation should have their bowels emptied in the morning of the examination or the night before to avoid misdiagnosis. For ultrasound examination of liver, gallbladder and spleen, patients should fast from water in the morning of the examination day.
What should I pay attention to before having a cervical smear (cancer screening)?
You should avoid menstruation, have no sexual intercourse within 24 hours, and stop taking vaginal medication for at least 3 days for patients who have frequent vaginal medication, before the internal examination.
How to cooperate with the doctor when doing pelvic examinations?
Before the pelvic examination, the bladder should be emptied first, and those who have stool should solve the stool before the examination. Take a new disposable gynecological examination pad under the buttocks, take off one trouser leg, adopt the bladder stone position and fully expose the vulva. During the examination, the examinee’s hands are placed on both sides of the body, while fully relaxing the muscles of the buttocks and abdomen to keep the abdomen flat and soft, and if necessary, take deep breaths to help eliminate tension and cooperate with the doctor to complete the examination.
However, it should be noted that the gynecological examination should avoid menstruation as much as possible, and unmarried women can learn about the pelvic cavity through rectal-abdominal examination or B-ultrasound. The day before the examination, sexual intercourse should be abstained from, vaginal irrigation should not be done, and women who usually do vaginal medication should stop using medication one week before the examination to avoid affecting the results of vaginal cytology.
How to cooperate during the mammogram?
Detailed history taking and careful physical examination (breast palpation) is the best way to detect breast cancer. The examinee should answer the doctor’s questions carefully during the examination, and at the same time, should not be nervous and embarrassed, but should fully expose the upper body and relax the body. Note: It is better to avoid the pre-menstrual period for breast examination, because at this time, breast swelling and even tenderness are obvious, which can easily confuse or hide certain diseases.
What early symptoms should I be alert for and strengthen my medical checkup?
Once a woman has symptoms such as abnormal vaginal bleeding, abnormal leucorrhea, irregular menstruation, lumbosacral pain and lower abdominal cramps, she must not ignore them because they may mean a red light for your health, but what the problem is will be determined through standardized examination, so gynecological checkups are especially important.
1.Abnormal vaginal bleeding: It can be divided into vaginal bleeding with cycle pattern and vaginal bleeding without cycle pattern. Postmenopausal vaginal bleeding or bleeding from sexual intercourse should not be ignored and is often closely related to reproductive tract tumors.
2, abnormal leucorrhea: normal leucorrhea is egg white or white paste, no fishy smell, small amount. If the leucorrhea is yellow or grayish yellow, thin and foamy, beanbag-like secretion, purulent, blood-like or water-like leucorrhea is often a signal of inflammation or reproductive tract tumor, and should be examined in time.
3.Menstrual disorders: Many people think that menstrual disorders are not important diseases, so they often ignore them and end up with complications such as anemia, and more seriously, perimenopausal women with menstrual disorders often think they are pre-menopausal disorders and ignore them.
4.Lumbosacral pain and lower abdominal cramping: it is often a manifestation of pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis or tumor pressure.
5.Dysmenorrhea: The most common thing in adolescent girls is dysmenorrhea, which is a normal reaction of menstruation in most of them, but in a few cases, it may be related to excessive forward or backward bending of the uterus position, narrowing of the cervical opening, reproductive tract malformation, etc., which can be detected only through gynecological examination. Diseases such as deformities of the reproductive tract may have a great impact on future fertility. It is important to go to the hospital early for a gynecological examination to determine what is causing the problem, which can be corrected through surgery.
6. Those who have the following conditions should go to gynecological department for examination: vaginal bleeding before the age of 8, not yet menstruated at the age of 16; amenorrhea for half a year after menarche or menstruation for more than two months after regular menstruation; scanty menstruation; excessive menstruation; severe dysmenorrhea; multiple retrograde menstruation; leucorrhea, itchy or inflamed vulva; abdominal (especially lower abdomen) mass; acute lower abdominal pain; undeveloped breasts, hirsutism; trauma occurred in the pubic area, etc.
The appearance of the above symptoms indicates that your health has gone wrong, you must be vigilant, timely gynecological examination, early diagnosis and treatment.
Which gynecological operations during gynecological examination should be noted to avoid sexual life?
Diagnostic scraping: referred to as “diagnostic scraping”. Diagnostic scraping is performed when menstrual disorders, infertility, suspected endometrial adenocarcinoma or menopausal menstrual disorders require exclusion of endometrial cancer. Intercourse should be prohibited 3 days before and 1 month after the procedure to prevent uterine infection.
Cervical biopsy: A cervical biopsy is often needed when the doctor suspects that a person may have cervical cancer. Generally, intercourse is prohibited for 2 weeks after the procedure. If there is still bleeding after 2 weeks, sexual intercourse should only be allowed 1 to 2 weeks after the bleeding has stopped.
Cervical polyp removal: Any small lump attached to the cervix with the help of a slender tip can be clinically referred to as a cervical polyp, which is a benign lump. Intercourse should be prohibited 3 days before and 2 weeks after the procedure.
After treatment of severe cervical erosion: Cervical erosion can be divided into 3 types: mild, moderate and severe. Anyone who has less than 1/3 of the total area of the cervix is considered mild; those who account for 1/3 to 1/2 are considered moderate; and those who have more than 1/2 of the total area are considered severe cervical erosion. For the treatment of severe cervical erosion, electro-ironing, laser cautery or conical excision can be used. Intercourse should be prohibited for 2 months after surgery to avoid scabs falling off and causing more bleeding.
Dear fellow women, health is the basis for you to become a good wife and mother, and regular gynecological examination is a barometer of your health, which can accurately detect hidden diseases in your body in time. To be a healthy woman, what are you hesitating for? Start regular gynecological checkups now!