It is stupid, I know

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-17-2003
It is stupid, I know
14
Thu, 07-10-2008 - 10:42pm
I have a fear of pap smears. I have to take Ambien before I get them done. I feel like my ob/gyn does not want to treat me anymore because my fear is so overwhelming. My family physician has offered to do one. I have not had one in two years. Why is this so terrifying for me?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2005
Fri, 07-11-2008 - 8:43am

You're taking Ambien before your pap smear?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-17-2003
Fri, 07-11-2008 - 12:21pm
No - she prescribes 1 ambien so I will sleep during the procedure which I knows takes 5 - 10 minutes but I sleep right through it. I wonder of my weight has something to do with my inability to relax.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-16-2004
Fri, 07-11-2008 - 12:26pm

Have you ever suffered abuse?

Gyn exams are quite hard for me to wrap my head around. It seems very unnatural to have a stranger with his fingers in my vagina. They say women often develop an unusual admiration or crush for their gyn as a way to cope with this.

I would really recommend seeing a counselor to work through your fears since they are so severe.


iVillage Member
Registered: 11-23-2004
Fri, 07-11-2008 - 3:03pm

Hi tdiva1 and welcome to the board.


While some anxiety before/during a gyn exam and/or pap smear is not all that unusual, being terrified is.


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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-17-2003
Sat, 07-12-2008 - 8:09am
I have done the psychology route. No truama that I could recall. I think that changing to my family physician may be better since she has the most medical history on me. I will probably schedule an appointment soon because I just don't want to miss anything that could be going on with me.
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2005
Sat, 07-12-2008 - 12:44pm

Prescribing Ambien in order to sleep during a gyn exam is NOT normal procedure, I have never heard of that.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-17-2003
Sat, 07-12-2008 - 9:24pm
Yes, I always have a driver. She offered other anxiety stuff in the past and my fears took over so I decline the anxiety
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2005
Sat, 07-12-2008 - 10:39pm

I'm sorry that you are feeling that way.


I'm just stating that it's not exactly ethical for an MD to prescribe a sleeping pill for a patient for the sole purpose of getting through a gyn exam.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-17-2003
Sun, 07-13-2008 - 7:37am
I am sorry for all of your family medical issues and will pray for you.
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-18-2007
Wed, 07-16-2008 - 5:52pm

Hi, I just wanted to say that I do not think it's stupid. I am overweight and I was raped so I have both a fear of people seeing me 'in the buff' because I am self-conscious and I have PTSD due to the rape. So....the other thing is being overweight can make the exam very uncomfortable (even painful depending on your weight distribution). I recently fond a GYN who uses a new wonderful table where I don't really have to do a thing and he just adjusts the table so that he can do the exam. This has made a huge difference for me.

I think Ambien is being used for some off label things and that is perfectly normal and up to the physician. Since it relaxes you and makes you sleep through it it's not a bad option as long as you don't have to drive yourself anywhere. For me, xanax works.

Rather than get worked up about what the underling cause might be, I would concentrate on finding a GYN or other doc who can make you feel more at ease.

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