my gynecologist asked as I scooted back on the pelvic exam table, the crinkly white paper bunching up under my bare butt. I was recoiling at the sight of the cold speculum she was wielding, and my ...

For a woman who had spent the previous evening sprawled across an examining table, receiving what she estimated was her For a woman who had spent the previous evening sprawled across an examining ...

my gynecologist asked as I scooted back on the pelvic exam table, the crinkly white paper bunching up under my bare butt. Is sex painful for you? I was recoiling at the sight of the cold speculum she ...

The speculum — the medical device used during pelvic exams — hasn't changed much in 170 years. (Getty Images; illustration: Nathalie Cruz) Anyone who has ever had been screened for cervical cancer, ...

Janine, a nurse in Arizona, checked into the hospital for stomach surgery in 2017. Before the procedure, she told her physician that she did not want medical students to be directly involved. But ...

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American The first time I did a pelvic exam on a real ...

To the editor: I’d like to offer an unconventional approach to learning what to expect during a pelvic exam: Attend one of your mother’s. The summer before I left for college, my mother brought me to ...

Do you have any unusual pain or discomfort? What medical problems do other members of your family have? These are just some of the questions young women may be asked at their annual wellness exam.

Janine, a nurse in Arizona, checked into the hospital for stomach surgery in 2017. Before the procedure, she told her physician that she did not want medical students to be directly involved. But ...