Me and my partner want to go for a baby.
My doc told me it would be a good idea if I'd get a general checkup and a PAP smear (never had one) before I stop taking the pill.
As a teen, I suffered from heavy periods, to the point my mother thought I had endo. When I was 17 she took me to her gyn and I remember the doc used a speculum which made the exam super painful (I wasn't sexually active yet at that time so I suppose that didn't help either). As you can imagine, the thought of having to go through this again scares me.
Most of my friends told me they really hate PAP smears and that they hurt for them. But they all encouraged me to get one and they basically say they "just grit their teeth". Should I really get one and what's your personal experience with these exams? Any tips or tricks to deal with the pain?