What to Ask Your Gynecologist
Before you slip into those stirrups, here's what you need to know and what you need to demand.
by Molly M. McGinty

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Patients fail to do their part in prevention for a number of reasons. Some get tested only for HIV because it has the biggest public profile. Some discover they have rashes or discharges but then just shrug them off. Still others make the mistake of assuming they can't be at risk. "I had never been sexually active before my ex-husband, so STDs were the furthest thing from my mind," says Elaine Sweet, a 37-year-old policy analyst from Phoenix who has a strain of HPV that causes cervical cancer. "It never occurred to me that his past would come back to haunt me."

And then there's the stigma and shame of STDs. "We don't have famous people coming forward and saying, 'Can I be the poster child for herpes?'" says Gilbert. "STDs are very hidden, secret, and mysterious; and that's helping these germs replicate like crazy." Afraid of discovering that they are infected-or of being pegged as promiscuous-patients may be too timid to broach the subject with their doctors. Doctors, in turn, may be reluctant to step forward and make the first move. One KFF survey found that they were even less likely to broach the topic than their patients. "Some patients get insulted if you ask about STDs," says Dr. Robert Hagler, chair of the gynecological practice committee for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. "You run the risk of offending them, and this can make discussing STDs difficult."

According to a survey by the Commonwealth Fund, women with no insurance and those who rely on Medicaid are more likely to discuss STDs with their doctors than women who see private physicians. But patients who rely on neighborhood clinics aren't necessarily getting better care. "At some public clinics in some states, the government won't pay for adequate screening," says Dr. Michael Burnhill, vice president for medical affairs at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. "These clinics use tests that have been around 20 years and aren't the most accurate or sensitive ones on the market." According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights advocacy group, the public sector spends $1 to prevent STDs for every $43 spent on treatment. Yet another hurdle is the lack of set protocols. Each HMO has its own guidelines for STD screening. And that's just one set of marching orders. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Medical Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Committee for Quality Assurance, and ASHA all have separate recommendations. None of these wield the force of law and no two are exactly alike.

Without set protocols, doctors are left to their own devices to assess which patients are at risk. If they're in the Southeast, they might test for syphilis, which is more prevalent in that part of the country. If they're examining a patient who's under 25, they may test her for chlamydia and gonorrhea, which are more common in younger women. Beyond that, it's a matter of guesswork. "Often doctors have little more than appearance to base their screening decisions on," says Gilbert. "But it's impossible to look at someone and know if they're really at risk. STDs don't discriminate. You can't tell someone's STD status based on age, race, or socioeconomic factors."

Until modern medicine makes sense of the muddle, women must take charge of their own STD screening. Our very lives depend on it. We're more likely than men to suffer long-term health consequences: HPV can lead to cervical cancer; chlamydia can cause infertility and ectopic pregnancy; and, left untreated, HIV can be fatal. Women also face the added threat of transmitting infections to their unborn children. The tragic consequences can include premature birth, low birth weight, conjunctivitis, blindness, pneumonia, neurological problems, and congenital abnormalities.

To avoid these disasters, women need to step forward and get routine annual STD screening. Health advocates urge every woman to do the following:

• Get tested if you've had multiple partners, sex without a condom, or a partner who may have put you at risk.
• Get tested before having sex with someone new instead of checking for infection after the fact.
• Find out whether your health plan covers STD screening and head to a public clinic if it doesn't.
• Jot down questions before your appointment and review them with your doctor when you're most comfortable (sitting in an office chair instead of strapped in metal stirrups). Which STDs will you be screened for? (The answer should be the eight most common ones, which are, in order of incidence, HPV, trichomoniasis, chlamydia, herpes, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, syphilis, and HIV.) How up-to-date are your doctor's tests? (The answer should be no more than five years old.) Is your doctor aware of new advances in screening? Will any of these be available to you? - Discuss your frequency of condom or dental dam use, number of past and present partners, and whether you engage in risky practices like anal sex. 'Fess up to all the nitty-gritty, and never succumb to embarrassment.
• Head back for annual testing as long as you remain sexually active. Take charge of scheduling your appointments: if you don't, your doctor may not.

Find that your doctor isn't cooperative? Find that she or he shrugs off STDs? Then, like Eileen Duffy, you may want to consider switching health care providers. "We live in an age where a woman can't assume she's not at risk," says Amy Allina, program director for the National Women's Health Network. "There are life-threatening STDs out there, and protecting your life should be something that your health care provider is concerned about."

Molly M. Ginty is a freelance writer based in New York City.