To douche with tea tree oil before a smear test?!

[floraeasy]

Was talking with friends today. I have a smear soon. Just mentioned I was going to pick up some tea-tree oil on the way home. They asked what it was for so I told them I douche before these appointments.

I occasionally do it after sex too. In fact I try not to have sex in the few days leading up to an internal.

They were .

Now I feel weird To me, it's like giving my teeth an extra good brush, flossing, mouthwash before seeing dentist. Just preparing myself, you know?

A lot of women in the US seem to have this as part of their regular routine.

By the way, I've been doing this for a few years now and no gynae problems so far.

I'm American and before I had to have a colposcopy (biopsy of the cervix), I just saw my regular doctor for everything. But then they referred me to an OBGYN for a colposcopy and ever since the biopsy I just go to a gyn. But I don't see why it's such a big deal of someone sees a gyn instead of a GP for a pap smear. My OBGYN has a spa in her office where you can get facials, massages, laser hair removal etc.. :P

Agree that you don't want to do anything that might disturb the cells on your cervix. An ordinary shower to gently clean your inner thighs, bush and vulva is fine but no squirting water or anything else up your vagina.

It seems odd to use someone with a gynaecologist's experience to take a routine smear, but that's maybe part of the reason US health care costs so much more. We're better at skill mix.

2rebecca, I just explained why I did it and shared a personal story. I don't know why you have to reply with it "seems odd." My stepdad is a doctor who runs an entire hospital. You're not better at skill mix. American nurses are trained in all areas whereas your nurses are trained in one specific area. We have different protocols. I've been to a British hospital before and it was awful. They made me walk down a long hallway on a huge and swollen sprained ankle from room to room. Sorry, but your doctors are not better and you aren't better at "skill mix."

I had an actual biopsy if you didn't read. A GP cannot perform a colposcopy. That is done by a gyn for a reason. They specialize. When dealing with something like that, I'd rather see a specialist anyway. US Health care costs more because we pay insurance and have deductibles. You would pay a lot if you went private instead of on the NHS.

And btw I have never douched in my life. Ever.
It's not odd to go to a gyn when I've had to have a biopsy of the cervix before. I keep going to a gyn because they specialize and they are more advanced than any regular GP - British or American. Period.

Wait. Nurses perform your smears??? The doctor doesn't do it?

It's always been a nurse for me, although GPs sometimes do them too.

I've had loads of smears- always a nurse.

I' can't see why a doctor is needed to do a routine smear test.

Unless of course you want to bill it................................

Yep nurses perform our routine smears elephant although the gp can do it too if you are down about a issue.

We get referred to a gynae too for colposcopies as I've had them myself (cells lasered) but I am now back to routine smears with the nurse since the last smear that came back clear.

But does the nurse actually take a look at what's going on in there or just do the smear? My gyn wears this flashlight thing around her head.. lol.. and she uses forceps and examines the whole area and does a pelvic exam as part of the whole exam including the pap smear. So to most American women, a pap smear usually includes all these things.

I didn't have any cells lasered during mine. They literally cut a small part of mine off. I've heard cone biopsies can result in infertility. I was only 20ish when I had mine. But I really want a baby, I hope it didn't affect me negatively. My smears since then have been all clear, but I just kept going to the gyn out of a feeling of security, I guess.

This just reminds me of the health food shop trying to sell me Linseed oil for my arthritis.

"Isn't that what they put on cricket bats?" I asked
"Well at least you won't crack when it's cold" said DP...

I'm still trying to get the image of someone using a douche and tea tree oil out of my mind!

I really hope the dr doesn't use foreceps to do a smear I hope you mean a speculum?

The nurse who does mine is the granny of one of the kids at my dc music class. I see her every week. I've never douched for anything.

If you have any concerns, you can go to your gp instead for full exam. I recently did and she did a thorough check, although sulking at the 'beautiful cervix' comments, I was merely told mine was healthy looking

Worth noting all women should self-examine their vulvas as well as breasts every month to know what is normal for them and spot any changes.

"We're better at skill mix."

Not really. It's just that NHS is underfunded yet free, so the service provided is absolute bare minimum - nurses who do smears, no monthly blood tests during pregnancy, midwives who just prod the belly to divine baby's position, sleeping all together in wards etc.

Here in France, you go to your gynecologist for smear tests. During the same visit, he also gives you a check-up (breasts, ovaries, etc). He might notice a problem for which he would send you for a scan. It is not at all as superficial as sticking a stick into the vag and rub it against the cervix which anyone can do.

"We get referred to a gynae too for colposcopies as I've had them myself (cells

Very bad idea, probably due again to NHS cost-cutting measures.

Just like with a bad mole, you need cut it out rather than blast it with laser because in the latter case you can never be sure if you got all the affected area out. You need to cut it out, then send it to biopsy so that the edges can be checked. If all edges are not found to be perfectly normal, you need to repeat the operation until they are.

"but I am now back to routine smears with the nurse since the last smear that came back clear."

My operation was 12 years ago and I had nothing but normal results since then, but I still have annual smears.

The routine I explained is a normal part of an exam when I get a pap smear. Plus a breast exam.

Yes. Please excuse me.
I meant speculum, not forceps. I'm moving today and my brain is overloaded. But they are all scary instruments to me no matter what they're called.

CoteDAzur, well said and I agree.

"I've heard cone biopsies can result in infertility. I was only 20ish when I had mine. But I really want a baby, I hope it didn't affect me negatively."

Never heard of this. I got pregnant a year after mine and carried a healthy 4 kg baby to term. Then did it again several years later.

I'm a nurse and did my smear training, under supervision, over a period of months at Christie Hospital in Manchester a centre of excellence for all things cancer related. Nurses are quite capable of taking a smear.

Nobody said nurses are not capable of taking a smear. We are talking about how routine smear tests with one's gynecologist are also a good opportunity for a quick check-up.

I do believe there was a biospy (possibly plural) taken Cote but can't quite remember how many or what for - I have high anxiety at any doctors, my brain goes to mush. I was on 6 monthly for a while until the last clear smear. I am well aware I should be on annual smears, hence my panic and visiting the gp for a check in between time. What can I do? The nhs is shite in areas such as this. Smears should be given at an earlier age too I believe, cost cutting with womens lives.

You don't need a doctor, I've had smears yearly for about 20 years after a cone biopsy and I fully trust nurses. Once it came back inconclusive they wasted no time sending me to colposcopy.

The one time a GP gave me a smear he terrified me by saying he could 'see something' which when I returned to colposcopy urgently, she was raging - it was a mucus gland (totally normal)