Hello everyone. I am getting my first ever pap smear tomorrow at age 22 and am absolutely terrified. I have seen so many horror stories about the pain, rude doctors, the invasiveness, etc. And I am having a hard time calming myself down.
I am sexually active, and I have been for years. I know I should have gotten one once I started to have sex, but I have just been so terrified to. I am finally putting my foot down and forcing myself to go.
I was hoping for any advice on how to deal with the jitters and how to stay calm through out it. I also have a few questions I was hoping to get answered. I have my husband coming with me so I have a support person, but that still doesn't seem to be enough to calm me down.
So my questions are: Do I need to shave? Or will I be okay with bush? Does it really hurt as bad as people say? Were any of you worried about feeling violated? And if you did, did you feel violated after? Or did you feel okay?
I'm sorry if this is worded weird or offensively, I'm just so nervous and want brutal honesty. I'm also hoping this post might be able to help someone else who's in a similar situation. Thank you in advance!
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