3 Factors To Help You Decide When To Take Your Teenage Daughter To Her First Gynecology Appointment
If you have a teen daughter, you may wonder when to take her to a gynecologist for the first time. While most doctors recommend taking teenage girls when they are between the ages of 13 to 15, it will really depend on your daughter. Here are three factors you should consider when determining when to make her first gynecology appointment.
Her development
The average age for a girl to start her period is around 12, but this can vary. Everyone develops at different rates, but all girls should start their periods by the age of 15. If your daughter starts her period when she is really young, like 8 or 9 years old, you may need to take her sooner than you would if she started at the age of 12 or 13.
If your daughter has not started her period by the age of 15, you should schedule an appointment. This could indicate a problem, and it is better to find this out sooner rather than later.
Problems she is having
Another factor to consider as you make this decision involves female health problems. If your daughter is not having any concerns at all, you could probably wait a while to take her in. On the other hand, you may want to schedule an appointment for her now if she is having any of the following problems:
- Extremely painful periods
- Irregular periods
- Pain during other times of the month
- Unusual discharge
While it is very normal and common for teenage girls to have painful and irregular periods, there are times when periods can cause too much pain. For example, if your daughter has so much pain with her period every month that she cannot even get out of bed or go to school, there might be a problem that needs to be addressed.
Sexual activity
The final factor to consider is whether your daughter is sexually active or not. If you know for sure that she is not, you may not need to rush to a gynecologist. If you know she is sexually active or strongly suspect she is, it's important to set up an appointment with a gynecologist. The gynecologist may want to test her for sexually transmitted diseases and talk to her about safe sex.
A teenage girl's first visit to a gynecologist can be frightening, but it is something that needs to happen for her safety and wellbeing. To learn more about teens and gynecology issues, contact a gynecologist in your area, like those at Desert Rose OBGYN PC.