Tips For Talking With Your Health Care Professional
Some women experience vaginal symptoms of menopause, including dryness, itching and burning, and discomfort during sexual activity. You may be embarrassed speaking about your symptoms, even with your health care professional (doctor, nurse practitioner, physician’s assistant or nurse). But you should not be. Be encouraged to learn about your vaginal health. Talk with your health care professional about appropriate treatment options that may be right for you. Dr. Michael Krychman, MDCM, provides suggestions on steps you can take to help you talk with your health care professional and make the most of your visit.
To prepare yourself for the conversation, I suggest you:
- Do your homework. Educate yourself on common symptoms associated with menopause, including those affecting your vaginal health. These can include dryness, itching, burning, irritation, and discomfort during sex. Learn more about the vaginal symptoms due to menopause.
- Write down your personal symptom experience or use an online assessor and bring those results with you to your medical visit. Sharing the results can be the first step in starting the conversation.
- Make a list of all the medications you are taking, including nonprescription medicines, vitamins and supplements, so your health care professional is fully aware of your current treatment regimen.
- Choose words you are comfortable with and practice what you are going to say.
- Prioritize your questions and concerns in case you have limited time with your health care professional.
If you are still uncomfortable with this discussion, during your visit you may want to:
- Hand your health care professional a note that lists the topics you would like to discuss.
- Let your health care professional know this is a topic you are not fully comfortable discussing. This will help your health care professional understand where you are coming from and he or she may be more apt to approach the discussion in a sensitive manner.
You should not feel embarrassed to talk with your health care professional about your vaginal health. Your health care professional is trained to understand all of the symptoms of menopause, as well as to provide information about treatment options.
I also suggest:
- Taking notes during the discussion to ensure you remember key points and follow treatment recommendations appropriately between appointments.
- Asking about where you can find more information about vaginal health. Ask for hand out materials or informative websites where you can get further information.
- Scheduling a follow-up appointment is always helpful if you would like to revisit any discussion or further discuss specific treatment options.
Health care professionals think that vaginal health is important to discuss. In fact, according to data from the REVEAL Surveys, 95% of the health care professionals surveyed strongly or somewhat agreed that they consider treating a woman’s vulvar and vaginal health important to her overall sexual physical health. Click here to learn more about the REVEAL Surveys.
If you have health concerns, bring them up! I encourage women to talk with their health care professionals about their vaginal health. Your health care professional can answer your questions about menopausal symptoms and help you find a prescription treatment option that may be right for you.
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