>> LIVE WITH BRIDGETT ELLISON TO BE BROUGHT METEOROLOGIST CANDACE CAMPOS AND TRAFFIC
SAFETY EXPERT TROOPER STEVE.
THIS IS NEWS. 6 AT 09:00AM
GETTING RESULTS.
>> CANDACE: HELPING SICK
PATIENTS IS TOP PRIORITY FOR
ANY DOCTOR. BUT YEARLY
APPOINTMENTS ALLOW FOR
PATIENTS TO LEARN ABOUT
PREVENTATIVE CARE AND BECOMING
MORE EDUCATED ABOUT THEIR OWN
HEALTH.
>> BRIDGETT: YES, AT SOME
POINT IN THEIR LIVES, A WOMAN
HAS THEIR FIRST VISIT TO THE
GYNECOLOGIST AND FOR PARENTS
OF TEEN GIRLS. THAT QUESTION
OF WHEN TEEN START SEEING AN
OBGYN MIGHT SPARK SOME
UNCERTAINTY. SO TO HELP WITH
THAT NEWS, 6 MORNING ANCHOR
AND HEALTH REPORTER KIRSTIN
O’CONNOR IS STANDING BY NOW TO
ASK A DOCTOR, ASK A DOCTOR IS
SPONSORED BY CAN BE PRIMARY
CARE PROCEEDINGS.
>> AND THIS IS EXACTLY THE
QUESTION THAT WE CREATED THIS
SEGMENT FOR YOU. SO GLAD THAT
YOU’RE HERE WITH US TODAY. AND
THE IDEAL AGE FOR THAT FIRST
GYNECOLOGY APPOINTMENT CAN
VARY. THERE ARE A LOT OF
FACTORS TO CONSIDER. SO
DOCTOR, JESSICA, UPON AN OBGYN
WITH ORLANDO HEALTH POSITIONS,
ASSOCIATES IS HERE WITH US
TODAY TO TALK ABOUT THE TIMING
BECAUSE WE JUST ASKED
EVERYBODY IN THE STUDIO IF
THEY KNEW WHEN YOU’RE SUPPOSED
TO GO IN FOR THESE
PREVENTATIVE CARE APPOINTMENTS
AND WE’VE GOT 3 DIFFERENT
ANSWERS, RIGHT? SO LET’S TALK
ABOUT THAT. WHEN SHOULD WE BE
HAVING THAT ANNUAL EXAM?
>> JULIE: SO YOU SHOULD
DEFINITELY BE HAVING YOUR
FIRST ANNUAL EXAM. NO LATER
THAN THE AGE OF 21. AND THAT
SHOULD OCCUR EVERY SINGLE
YEAR. WE WILL START SEEING A
AS EARLY AS YOU KNOW, 9 OR 10
OR WHEN YOU START HAVING
MENSTRUAL CYCLES. AND IT’S
REALLY INDIVIDUALIZED. YES. SO
AS A PARENT OF A, YOU KNOW, AS
A DAUGHTER, IF YOU AREN’T SURE
YOU CAN HAVE THAT APPOINTMENT
REALLY EARLY, YOU CAN START TO
TALK TO AN OBGYN ABOUT YOUR
DAUGHTER’S HEALTH AND ONE OF
THOSE APPOINTMENTS LOOK LIKE.
>> THOSE APPOINTMENTS USUALLY
ARE JUST TALKING AND GETTING
TO KNOW EACH OTHER AND THE
FEMALE COMFORTABLE WITH THE
DOCTOR AND COMFORTABLE WITH
THE VISITS. THEY DO NOT HAVE
TO GET UNDRESSED. IT’S MOSTLY
JUST CONVERSATIONS AND A LOT
OF WOMEN ARE FAMILIAR WITH
THAT PAP SMEAR AND WHEN THEY
SHOULD BE HAVING. THAT IS A
BIG QUESTION. SOME PEOPLE SAY,
OH, IT SHOULD BE YEARLY. SOME
PEOPLE SHOULD BE 3 YEARS. WHAT
DO YOU TELL YOUR PATIENTS SO
PAP SMEAR SCREENING IS
ACTUALLY AGE BASED. SO BETWEEN
THE AGES OF 21 30, IT ONLY HAS
TO BE EVERY 3 YEARS AS LONG AS
IT’S NORMAL. AND AFTER THE AGE
OF 30, YOU CAN GO UP TO 5
YEARS AS LONG AS IT’S NORMAL.
AND IF YOU DON’T HAVE A NORMAL
PAP SMEAR, YOU NEED TO HAVE IT
EVERY YEAR. SO THAT’S WHERE I
THINK PEOPLE GET A LITTLE
CONFUSED. LIKE, WELL, I I
DIDN’T HAVE IT CORRECT FOR 3
YEARS. AND THEN IT CHANGED. I
ASSUME YOU HAVE LOTS OF
PATIENTS AND LOTS OF
CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUR
PATIENTS AND YOU’LL BE ABLE TO
EXPLAIN TO THEM WHY THEY’RE
COMING IN. YOU KNOW, EVERY
YEAR OR EVERY 3 YEARS.
EXACTLY. AND IMPORTANT TO KNOW
THAT EVEN IF YOU DON’T NEED A
PAP SMEAR EVERY YEAR, YOU
SHOULD STILL BE SEEING A
GYNECOLOGIST ON A YEARLY BASIS
FOR AN ANNUAL EXAM. THERE ARE
STILL OTHER THINGS THAT NEED
TO BE DISCUSSED AND EXAMINED.
FOR INSTANCE, PRESSED CARE.
YES. SO OKAY. THAT’S AGAIN.
WE’RE GOING HAVE TO KIND OF
TAKE A STEP BACK HERE. YOU
HEAR THAT IT’S EVERY 5 YEARS
AND YOU THINK, OK, I MADE MY,
YOU KNOW, ANNUAL. BUT YOU
STILL NEED TO GO THE NEXT
YEAR, CORRECT? FOR THOSE
PREVENTATIVE CARE, LIKE YOU
SAID FOR CANCER. YES, OKAY. SO
WHAT ARE THOSE APPOINTMENT
GOING TO LOOK LIKE WITHOUT THE
PAP SMEAR? SO WITHOUT THE PAP
SMEAR AGAIN, IT’S GOING OVER
YOUR HISTORY. IT’S MAKING SURE
THAT EVERYTHING IS NORMAL AND
THEN YOU’RE STILL GOING TO
HAVE A FULL PHYSICAL EXAM FROM
HEAD TO TOE. OKAY. NOW FOR
LET’S GO BACK TO THE PARENTS
FOR PARENTS WHO ARE TRYING TO
MAKE THIS CONVERSATION EASY
FOR THEIR CHILD. YEAH. HOW
YOUNG IS TOO YOUNG TO BRING
YOUR CHILD IN TO SEE OBGYN? SO
I THINK IT’S DEPEND ON EACH
INDIVIDUAL AND WHAT THEY HAVE
GOING USUALLY WE DON’T START
SEEING PEOPLE UNTIL THERE
HITTING PUBERTY AND THEN
DEPENDING ON HOW COMFORTABLE
THEIR PEDIATRICIAN IS WITH
DEALING WITH THERE ISSUES
THEN, YOU KNOW, COMING IN AND
JUST HAVING EDUCATION AND IS
IMPORTANT. AND WE TALKED ABOUT
HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH THE
PEDIATRICIAN VERSES AND CAN A
PEDIATRICIAN GIVE A CHILD
BIRTH CONTROL, FOR OR WHAT
TYPES OF MEDICATIONS ARE GOING
TO BE DIFFERENT WHEN THEY COME
TO SEE YOU. ABSOLUTELY. SO A
LOT PEDIATRICIANS WILL TREAT
YOUNG WOMEN FOR THINGS THAT
ARE CAUSING PROBLEMS AND THEY
CAN GIVE BIRTH CONTROL.
USUALLY IF IT GOES BEYOND
THEIR COMFORT LEVEL, THOSE
START REFERRING TO A
GYNECOLOGIST. SO YOU CAN ISSUE
THAT AND MAKE THAT DECISION
WITH THE YEAH. OKAY. SO GOOD
FOR A PARENT THERE. NOT
ENTIRELY SURE IF THEIR CHILD
NEEDS TO COME SEE AN OBGYN.
MAYBE THEIR CHILD IS SEXUALLY
ACTIVE. MAYBE THEY’RE NOT. AND
THEY’RE JUST TRYING TO FIGURE
THAT OUT. HOW DO YOU HAVE
THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH KIDS?
SO WHEN WE SEE THE CHILDREN IN
OUR OFFICE, WE USUALLY WILL
HAVE A CONVERSATION BOTH WITH
THE PARENTS. AND THEN WE ALSO
ASKED THE PARENTS TO LEAVE. IT
GIVES YOUNG WOMEN AN
OPPORTUNITY TO ASK QUESTIONS
AND JUST BE EDUCATED MORE THAN
ANYTHING. SO EVEN IF THEY’RE
NOT SEXUALLY ACTIVE, IT STARTS
OPENING UP A COMMUNICATION
ROLE SO THAT WE CAN BUILD
TRUST AND CONFIDENCE FOR WHEN
THEY DO NEED SOMEBODY AND HAVE
MORE QUESTIONS. AND ONCE THEY
ARE SEXUALLY ACTIVE IS THAT
APPOINTMENT TIMING THAN A
CHANGE FOR THE CHILD OR THE
PARENT? SO USUALLY WE START
SCREENING FOR INFECTIONS. ONCE
SOMEBODY IS SEXUALLY ACTIVE
AND THAT SHOULD BE DONE ON A
YEARLY BASIS. OKAY. SO A LOT
OF THINGS THAT HAVE CHANGED
OVER THE YEARS. YEAH. WHAT
WOULD YOU SAY IS THE NUMBER
ONE QUESTION THAT YOU GET FROM
YOUR PATIENTS? YOU KNOW, MAYBE
A MISCONCEPTION THAT THEY HAVE
ABOUT THESE PREVENTATIVE CARE
APPOINTMENTS. I THINK THE PAP
SMEAR QUESTION OF DON’T NEED A
PAP SMEAR EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
AND AS TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED
OVER TIME, WE’VE CHANGED OUR
SCREENING GUIDELINES SO YOU
CAN DO IT MORE FREQUENTLY.
THEN WHAT THEY RECOMMEND THAT
YOU DON’T HAVE TO. AND IS THAT
SOMETHING THAT’S COVERED BY
INSURANCE? IT’S USUALLY
COVERED BY INSURANCE, BUT WE
ALWAYS KIND OF GIVE THE CAVEAT
THAT IF YOU’RE DOING IT MORE
FREQUENTLY THAN THE
GUIDELINES, THERE IS A CHANCE
IT COULD BE DENIED. BUT
USUALLY DON’T SEE IT TONIGHT.
ALL RIGHT, DOCTOR JESSICA POT
WITH US. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR