Genital Exams - Everything You Need to Know

When people are going to undergo genital exams, they should make sure that it occurs under the context of a whole physical examination. Most especially when genital exams are being done to children, the physician should explain carefully and clearly the process so that they would understand what is actually happening. Usually in medical exams physicians use a colposcope as their instrument in examining their patients. This is because physicians get a lot of advantages from it like it is a very excellent source of light, it clearly magnifies the external anatomy of the patient for the physician to clearly examine it and lastly, the physician is given the chance to record the findings as long as it is attached to a camera. But aside from the colposcope, there are also other instruments used during genital exams like otoscope and digital camera that has macro lenses. Of course, whatever instrument is used it is very important that the physician explains what the instrument is for.

In doing genital exams, physicians usually ask their patients to do different positions depending on their situation. One example is the supine position which physicians usually let pre-adolescent people use. On the other hand, adolescents under the female gender usually use supine lithotomy position. Those young children undergoing genital exams are asked to be in the supine frog leg position with the help of a parent's lap or in the exam table.

Aside from the positions, a patient should also be aware of the things that the physicians are going to inspect first before genital exams. The first thing that they will examine is the development of the hair in the pubic area. The next is inguinal adenopathy which tells the doctors an estimate size of the diameter of the node; to tell whether the nodes are enlarged or not. The inner portion of the thighs will also be examined to make sure that there aren't any types of secretion. The perineum is also checked so that the doctors are sure that there aren't any pubic lice, rashes and even sexually transmitted disease (STD) lesions. The next thing that the doctors will look at is if there are any urethral or vaginal discharges. It is also important to know at this point to know where the discharge actually came from. The last stage of the inspection consists of getting or collecting specimens so that they will know if the person has acquired any type of sexually transmitted disease.

The examination of the genitalia of both male and female patients should be thorough that is why physicians should really examine each part of it. For the female the labia majora and minora should be examined to know abnormal skin developments. The clitoris should also be given attention so that any unusual change in its size will easily be treated. The other parts that should be examined are the urethral meatus and the perihymenal tissue or vestibule. Both of these parts should be checked for any kind of lesion and other abnormalities. Another important part that should be checked is the hymen. The hymen is a very sensitive part of the genitalia of a woman because it greatly tells the physician a lot about the patient's sexual activities. The posterior fourchette must also be checked for any kind of laceration or scar. Bleeding should be looked out for in the vagina. The presence of discharges, foreign bodies and even lesions should also be examined by the doctors. Lastly, the cervix must also be secured from any type of bleeding, tears, discharges, or whatever sign of trauma. On the other hand, in checking the male genitalia, the doctors should examine the penis and see if the patient is circumcised or not and also check for other abnormalities such as bite mark, laceration, abrasion and even secretions. Just like in females, the urethral meatus should also be checked for any discharge or bleeding. The scrotum is also checked for STD lesions, bite marks and even abrasions. The testes are also checked so that the firmness in the tissues will easily be detected.

Whether male or female, it is important that people undergoing through genital exams are aware of the importance and relevance of each part of the exam.

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