THE 9 BIGGEST MISTAKES MADE BY YOUR GYNECOLOGIST
Posted 11 months ago in Health Care.
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Many women die each year from diseases that are completely curable. Many of these diseases can, and should be, diagnosed by your gynecologist. This is a list of 9 mistakes commonly made by gynecologists. If you are aware of these mistakes, you can help prevent them from occurring.
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1. Failure to order an HPV test.Seventy percent of all cervical cancers are caused by the HPV virus. The only way to know if you have the HPV virus is for your doctor to check for it. The test for HPV is pain-free and can be done at the same time your doctor performs a PAP test. 2
2. Failure to do regular PAP tests.Cervical cancer is entirely curable if caught and treated early. PAP testing along with HPV testing is the best way to diagnose cervical cancer early, when it still can be treated and cured. 3
3. Failure to order regular mammograms.Early diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer gives you the best chance of survival and cure. The best way to ensure early diagnosis of breast cancer is with regular mammograms. If your gynecologist is not ordering regular mammograms, they are greatly increasing your risk of dying from breast cancer. 4
4. Failure to order MRI exams for women with A strong family history of breast cancer.MRIs of the breast are even better than mammograms at detecting early breast cancer. If you have a strong family history of breast cancer, your gynecologist should be giving you the best chances for early detection, i.e., MRI. 5
5. Failure to get BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene testing in women with a strong family history of breast cancer.A woman who tests positive for BRCA1 or BRCA2 has an 80 percent lifetime risk of getting breast cancer. If you have a strong family history of breast cancer, your gynecologist should find out if you are BRCA1 or BRCA2 positive. 6
6. Failure to get definitive diagnostic testing of any lump in the breast.Your gynecologist should assume that any breast lump is breast cancer until proven otherwise. Every lump should be tested to determine whether it is breast cancer. 7
7. Failure to follow up on an ASCUS PAP test result.Many times an ASCUS result is evidence of a pre-invasive cervical cancer. If caught early, cervical cancer is curable. Any ASCUS result should be followed up with definitive testing, such as colposcopy and biopsy. 8
8. Failure to follow up on vaginal bleeding.Non-menstrual vaginal bleeding is abnormal and is often a sign of cancer. Abnormal vaginal bleeding should always be presumed to be cancer until proven otherwise. Definitive testing should be ordered, such as hysteroscopy and biopsy. 9
9. Failure to send you the results of your PAP, mammogram and other tests.Sometimes doctors fail to read your test result as carefully as they should. Other times, the doctor’s office misplaces your test results before they are seen by the doctor. By sending you copies of your test results, you can make sure that all abnormal results get the attention they deserve. |
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