Boarding Schools for Girls

According to an April 13 article by Houston Chronicle writer Cindy George, many Texas parents are turning to medical professionals to provide their daughters with the health information that students aren't getting in school. As George put it, increasing numbers of parents are asking the family gynecologist to have "the talk" with their adolescent daughters:

These are the conversations that establish an early doctor-patient relationship, building trust with young women so they're comfortable calling or visiting the gynecologist as they get older.

"I want to meet these young women before they really, really, really need me," said Dr. Tammy Vu, an obstetrician/gynecologist at West Houston Medical Center. ...

Providing medically accurate information can enlighten girls [who are] receiving limited information at school, hearing possibly outdated advice from their parents, and trading whispers with friends often riddled with misinformation.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that teens visit a gynecologist for the first time at age 13, 14, or 15 for preventive health appointments that don't usually involve an internal pelvic exam.

Even pre-teens are now making visits to gynecologists' offices, George reports, as experts recommend that girls receive Gardasil, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, between the ages of 11 and 12.

Labels: health, sex-education, girls, adolescents, HPV

Posted By: Aspen/CRC