I definitely agree that time is really important for dealing with these kinds of issues. I've worked really hard to learn better strategies for dealing with my mental health over the last few years and it's really made a difference in my ability to have normal, day to day interactions with people wi...

Thank you for all the information, that's really helpful. I tend to have a mindset of "the doctor is in charge, you have to do what they tell you without any pushback or questions or discussion of other options," which I'm trying to unlearn, but it's very difficult. It's reassuring to have...

Thank you so much for the kind response. I would definitely appreciate any ideas on how to make this type of exam less upsetting in the future. I think part of what's stressing me out so much is that I'm not sure what I can do to make it a less unpleasant experience next time, so it feels like this ...

Hi, this is my first time posting here. Possible cw for sexual trauma -ish stuff and mental health issues, I guess? I'm 24 but have only started having regular gyn exams recently (first exam + pap smear a year ago, and had this year's annual appt earlier today). I had a really bad time with last yea...