Dr. Kim Hoover is an obstetrician and gynecologist with UAB Medicine. She graciously spoke with Birmingham Mom Collective recently to discuss that very first gynecology visit and what we, as moms, need to know.
When To Go
Dr. Hoover says that first visit should ideally occur between ages 13 and 15. The majority of the time, this is simply a face-to-face visit (without a pelvic exam). It’s a great time for your teen to get to know her gynecologist, ask questions, and learn how to take care of her body. Eight times out ten, patients ask Dr. Hoover what kind of doctor she is and why their mom made them come! She doesn’t mind, and she is happy to be one of their integral sources of empowerment during adolescence.
However, if your daughter is sexually active, Dr. Hoover recommends she go ahead and come in for STI screenings, blood work, and urine testing. Otherwise, a full pelvic exam, including a pap smear, can wait until she is 21 years old.
The Dark Hole of Social Media
Dr. Hoover mentioned the trend she’s now seeing with teenage girls and body dysmorphia. Ten years ago, the type of body dysmorphia she treated often went hand-in-hand with anorexia and bulimia, but today she sees something much different.
Many teens are concerned with the appearance of their breasts and genitalia not looking like images they’re seeing online. Dr. Hoover has found these girls aren’t aware the images they’re seeing have been photoshopped and are not what normal anatomy looks like.
Dr. Hoover said at least four times each week, her teen patients ask about having their labia cut off or reshaped. This is directly linked to photoshopped images they are seeing online or photos they are taking of themselves and passing around to their friends.
Dr. Hoover shared an example where she had to pull out a medical textbook to convince a teenage patient that her body looks exactly how it’s medically supposed to look. She also explained to her that the labia grows first and will seem larger than the area around it until she’s about 18 to 21, or once she finishes filling out.
For teen girls with genitalia body dysmorphia, she recommends showing them the artwork piece entitled The Great Wall of Vagina to help them see what real bodies look like. She also recommends we teach our girls not to Google their body questions but to go directly to a medical expert with correct information. That’s why it’s important for them to begin a relationship with a gynecologist at a young age.
Resources for Moms
In addition to setting up an appointment for your daughter to discuss her questions with a medical professional in a safe space, Dr. Hoover recommends checking out a few websites where teens get information, even if it makes you uncomfortable. Here are three she mentioned:
Remember, Moms, knowledge is power. We want to set our daughters up with the knowledge they need to be healthy individuals, and we want them to have correct information.
