Hi all,

I am 19 years old and have never had a "female exam" done, or a pap smear, or whatever you call it. I figure it's about time to start, the only problem is that I am a virgin. I never stick anything up there, simply because I'm worried of possible pain/discomfort. I refuse to wear tampons. And because I'm an asexual, I had never planned on putting anything in there anyway!

Will the thing that they stick in me break the hymen? Will it be very painful? Any input would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

[unaluna]

No, they know how to handle virgins, you don't have to worry. Should not break the hymen but I would tell them to make sure. I think the most important thing is a very experienced doctor.

[salukigirl]

I highly doubt your hymen is still there anyways. It's surprisingly easy to break and I don't know of any of my friends who bled after their first time having sex which most likely means it broke falling off a bike or something else. They typically use two fingers to push and feel on your ovaries which may be a little uncomfortable (if you're not familiar with sex) but isn't painful. And now they use something that looks like a q-tip to swab instead of actually cutting out tissue now.

You should be fine! More important to suck it up and fight through it than to go without your check-ups!

[beautifultea]

The most thing I noticed my first time when I got it done (and I was a virgin) was a mild pressure. It may have felt like a mild pinching at first entering me but it wasn't actually a pain really. I think I built it up in my head so much that I was more nervous and jumpy over every sensation.

It may help if you tell your doctor that you are a virgin and never even used a tampon or anything else and are nervous. Mine also did a breast exam and showed me how to do that so that might occur too.

There is also an option of finding a Planned Parenthood place and going there for this where it will be cheap if you have no insurance and where they are used to people who are nervous and it being their first time.

Good luck.

[Elana05]

I found the few OBGYN nurses I have seen to be kind, professional and reassuring. The device thing they use is actually pretty narrow. There is some pressure up near the upper abdomen. But they should tell you everything they are going to do and will probably keep things quick and light-hearted. It's good you're going and taking care of your health...

[googley]

When I went in (and all the times past) they have used a smaller speculum (the instrument they use to be able to see in) knowing that I am a virgin. Tell your doc about your worries. All the docs (and nurses) I've worked with have been very understanding and gentle and being patient with my concerns.

[RomanSunburn]

I hate to be the odd duck out and I also don't want to scare you, but when I had my first exam done, it hurt. A lot. I also bled a lot when I had sex for the first time. But what I think is the most important thing that I learned from my ordeal is to make sure you find someone who is gentle and caring when giving you an exam. The woman who gave me my first exam clearly didn't want to be doing it, and didn't really give a hoot why I was there, or the fact that I was a virgin and didn't use tampons at that point in my life either. She had no patience for the way I was feeling. So, here's my advice to you. It may hurt, probably not like it did for me (I believe I'm a bit of an anomaly, sex still hurts, two years later), but most important, be proactive about your ob-gyn. If you are not comfortable with them, if you don't feel that they are kind, caring, and gentle, if they don't respect how you feel, walk out of the room. My experience with Planned Parenthood, (I've only been to get my pills, not for a pap or anything, but I'll probably go in the relatively near future), has been that the girls there are super nice, so I think that might be a good option for a first time.

I hope I didn't scare you, but I wanted to share my experience with you, especially since it's been so different from everyone else that posted. Take care and good luck!