Pediatric gynecologist: when and why to take a girl to this doctor

Every woman should go to a gynecologist for professional examinations at least once a year. Unfortunately, we often neglect this recommendation. If in a woman's way everything is more or less normal and we are not bothered by some very obvious problems, the doctor is postponed until the moment "when there will be time." You cannot be careless about children's health. Little ladies need to be taken to the gynecologist regularly. Until adolescence, doctors advise you to do this at least three times: at 3, 6-7 and 9-10 years old. What is it for? What will the doctor watch at the appointment? A pediatric gynecologist talks on his Telegram channel Anastasia Gerasimova.

Every little girl undergoes her first gynecological examination while still in the hospital. At birth, a neonatologist examines the baby. The doctor checks the external condition of the baby's intimate organs for any congenital anomalies. Further, up to a year, the pediatrician takes over the control of the development of children's genital organs. And the girl should make the first visit to a specialized specialist before starting a visit to kindergarten.

3-4 years

The first visit to a pediatric gynecologist should be done before kindergarten / istockphoto.com

Kindergarten is the first stage of a child's independent life. And, most likely, already in the younger group, your baby will have to learn to go to the toilet without assistance. This is what a pediatric gynecologist should focus on. On examination by a doctor, mother and child will be told the basics of intimate hygiene and the rules for using toilet paper. By the way, girls are advised to use it not only after hiking, but also after urinating.

The doctor must necessarily touch on the so-called "rule of underwear": those places that are closed by panties, in no case strangers must touch (the exception is a doctor and a kindergarten teacher, and then until the girl learns to go to the toilet on one's own). In addition, at the first appointment, the gynecologist must examine the child's external genitalia in order to exclude some developmental defects: for example, synechia (congenital or acquired fusion) of small labia.

When is it necessary to go to the gynecologist?

Anastasia Gerasimova identifies several reasons that should alert her mother. If the child has at least one of them, the visit to the gynecologist should be done not according to plan, but at any (earlier or later) age.

• Mom, while washing, notices signs of synechia of the labia minora in the baby
• the child has an unnatural reddening of the vulva
• mom notes unpleasant (viscous, slimy, with a bad smell) vaginal discharge baby
• the baby has a foreign body in the vagina (sometimes girls, for the sake of curiosity, can put small objects in there - for example, parts from the designer; also in the vagina of the child, there is often an accumulation of lumps of toilet paper due to improper use)
• any trauma and damage to the female genital organs

6-7 years old

An examination by a pediatric gynecologist before school is required / istockphoto.com

Before going to school, the girl will have another preventive examination by a gynecologist. At this age, the child already perceives information more consciously, so the doctor again conducts a conversation on the topic of intimate hygiene and the "rules of underwear." Also at this age, the doctor should exclude possible pathologies of the development of the external genital organs and various inflammatory diseases (for example, vulvovaginitis), which arise just because of improper hygiene.

Already at 6-7 years old, a baby may show signs of premature puberty (gynecologists say that now this problem is becoming more common). This may be the result of heredity, or it may indicate the presence of serious problems (for example, tumors). By the way, some female diseases can also be inherited from the mother to her daughter. If you have a history of endometriosis or polycystic disease, be sure to inform your doctor about it at the examination: this is a serious risk factor for the development of similar diseases in a child

When is it necessary to go to the gynecologist?

• the child has uncharacteristic vaginal discharge (leucorrhoea, cheesy consistency, reddish, yellow or green discharge, unpleasant odor)
• complaints of pain when urinating, burning and itching in the vagina
• redness or swelling of the vulva
• the appearance of the first hair under the armpits and / or on the pubis
• breast augmentation
• the beginning of menstruation
• any trauma and damage to the female genital organs

9-10 years old

A teenager needs to be seen by a female doctor regularly / istockphoto.com

Usually first menstruation in girls, it begins at the age of 10-14 years. Until that time, it is very important to conduct a "sexual educational program" for the child. If a mother does not know how to properly tell her daughter about puberty, a pediatric gynecologist may well do this. The doctor will tell you how the female reproductive system works, from what and why menstruation begins. Increased attention should be paid to the menstrual function at the reception: the doctor should warn that the first menstruation can be painful, abundant, or vice versa - scarce and imperceptible.

At this age, it is already possible (and necessary!) To explain to a child what sexual contact with the opposite sex is. Talk about sexually transmitted infections, the risks of unwanted pregnancies, and possible contraceptive methods. It is good if the girl learns about it "firsthand", and not from her friends at school.

When is it necessary to go to the gynecologist?

• any uncharacteristic vaginal discharge, itching and burning in the external genital area
• lower abdominal pain (acute or chronic, especially in combination with an increase in the abdomen)
• any formations on the external genital organs (rash, acne and furuncles, warts, papillomas)
• if the girl has already had her first period

After 10 years

As soon as a girl's menstruation has begun, she, like an adult woman, needs to undergo professional examinations at a gynecologist at least once a year. If there is no period, once every two years is enough. But after 10 years there are age markers that indicate that the child needs a specialist consultation.

• if, after 12 years, the girl does not show secondary signs of puberty (enlargement of the mammary glands, the appearance of the first hairs on the pubis and armpits)
• if, after 14 years, the girl has not yet started her period
• if there were menstruation, but disappeared for more than six months
• if your period is very heavy and painful
• if menstruation is irregular (the cycle "floats" and gets lost for more than a year)

You will also be interested to read:

6 situations when you need to take a girl to a gynecologist

The first visit to the gynecologist: what should the mother say to the girl and the girl?