If there’s one experience many women can relate to, it’s feeling a mix of emotions before an OBGYN visit. These highly trained specialists play a vital role in reproductive and vaginal health, offering guidance and care from your preteen years through menopause. While their expertise is invaluable, it’s natural for certain aspects—like pap smears and discussions about discharge—to feel a bit uncomfortable.
Fortunately, these visits don’t have to be daunting. O Positiv Health spoke with board-certified OB-GYN Dr. Lloyd, a dedicated advocate for women’s health and trusted member of our Medical Advisory Board.
With a commitment to patient-centered care, Dr. Lloyd approaches an ever-evolving medical landscape with compassion and expertise. In this conversation, we dove into valuable insights on easing appointment anxiety and answering essential questions.
OP: What age do you recommend a woman seeing OB-GYN for the first time?
Dr. Lloyd: So I think it's kind of a variable answer. There's no set age. I think the official recommendations are about 13 to 15. Early on, it's not really about physical exams so much. It's more just the conversation, learning what's normal, learning what's not normal, talking about the gray area in between.
Depending on when somebody goes through their initial menses, their cycles can be irregular for a couple years. So just talking about what's happening during your period, what changes are happening in your body. It's also a good way just to build trust with your healthcare provider. If you build that relationship early on with nothing that's scary or invasive and it's just a conversation, it helps going forward when you start touching on sexual health, birth control or pregnancy—stuff like that.
OP: Are you noticing girls get their periods earlier?
Dr. Lloyd: Yeah. I think, overall, we're seeing a trend in girls getting their period a little bit earlier. I don't think anybody's identified one single reason as to why. I was actually just talking to my wife about this last night. There is a huge factor between weight and getting your period. And so it may seem earlier and earlier just because in general, population wide, the weight is increasing. Chemicals in our foods, hormones in the foods, all that stuff, unfortunately, is probably playing a role as well.
OP: With that, how aware should we be of the organic food we’re consuming when it comes to our hormones?
Dr. Lloyd: You know, we spend a lot of money on advertising to be like, “Hey, eat this organic.” But until you're exercising regularly or not stopping at McDonald's 5 times a week, those are the initial changes should probably be first.
OP: How often should one be seeing an OB-GYN?
Dr. Lloyd: I think the gold standard is probably like an annual visit. It doesn't necessarily mean you're gonna need a Pap smear every year or testing every year. A lot of it is also just kind of a once-a-year conversation so that we stay acquainted. I know who you are, learn about you. The more conversations you have with somebody, the more that you'll get to know them and realize, here are the specific things that this individual is going through. This conversation brought up topic x. Let's address this.
OP: As a 28-year-old, more and more of my friends are freezing their eggs. Are we seeing a trend upward as far as age goes for women freezing their eggs almost preventatively?
Dr. Lloyd: Oh, yeah. Absolutely. I think it totally just depends on what your goals and lifestyle are. Me and my wife, we got married pretty young, and so that was never really a conversation because we knew we’d been married for 4 years and were ready to have kids, and were like, 26. But I think we start to see a decline in egg quality at around age 35. So if you’re like, “I'm 30, 32. I'm starting my career. I really don't wanna have a kid for the next 6, 7, 8 years.” It's probably reasonable. I think there is a little bit of a pop culture thing happening too. Which isn’t a bad thing necessarily. But it's an invasive procedure to retrieve the eggs. There's very little risk, but I typically don't recommend people just routinely do it.
OP: Understandably, the security is so comforting. In that same vein, it also seems like women are having kids at a later age?
Dr. Lloyd: Correct. There is actually quite a bit of data on this. Typically in Europe, the age of when someone first has a baby is early thirties. What I’ve seen recently is that now the average age for a first baby is 29 or 30 in the United States, whereas a decade ago, it was 26. I think that's just career. It's the financial climate of “If I'm not buying a house, why would I wanna have 4 kids?” I think there's a lot of factors that go into it.
OP: Are there any lifestyle recommendations for someone who does plan to carry a baby later on?
Dr. Lloyd: I think really stick with the simple things. If you stick with a handful of the common things, not really getting into the nitty gritty, you're gonna have 98% of the benefit. And if you're really trying to seek that last 2%, that's when you start getting into the little things. I think trying to maintain a healthy weight, making sure you're drinking enough water and you're hydrated, you're exercising at least 150 minutes a week. It doesn't have to be hard exercise, just going for a walk half an hour, 5 times a week. Trying to eat as many whole foods as you can, not ultra-processed things. If you do those things, you're gonna honestly be steps above your peers and colleagues.
OP: This is a hilarious pivot but, do I need to shave before I see the OB-GYN?
Dr. Lloyd: Oh my goodness. I would say no. Your personal grooming habits and your aesthetic is entirely your choice. It really plays zero role in the quality of care that you'll get from us. I tell people whenever they come in for labor and they say, “Here's my birth plan” that you wouldn't necessarily go to your GI doctor for a colonoscopy and say, “Hey, here's my colonoscopy plan.” But you do with a lot of OBGYN things.
I think we're much more open to the mindset of this as a service industry. We provide health, but don't need to talk down to you. I don't need to be a jerk. I don't need to make you feel lesser. I think a lot of younger OBGYNs are realizing there's a whole aspect of interpersonal relationships that needs to happen. We try to be professional, but also human. Honestly, I see hundreds of patients a week. I've seen it all. I don't bat an eye if you do or don't have hair. Whatever makes them feel more comfortable is what makes me happier.
OP: Agreed, I think it's so easy for a woman to go into an OBGYN appointment feeling uncomfortable just inherently. With that, what kind of advice or tips could you give to someone who has general anxiety around it?
Dr. Lloyd: I would say if somebody's a little bit nervous or vulnerable, voice that. I know that's a big ask, it’s not easy to be like, “Hey. I'm nervous.” This is where those early OBGYN visits around 13 to 15 kinda kicks in, because if you have a relationship with your doctor, once it gets time to do a pelvic exam because you're 21, you're a little bit more comfortable to say, “Hey. This is my first one. I'm really nervous.” And that's okay.
I think the more that we know where you're at mentally and where your headspace is, the more we can accommodate. If we're trying to provide a good service, we don't wanna do anything that makes anybody uncomfortable or makes them hate it. I think in med school nowadays, there's a big focus on empathy, explaining each step before you do anything. I always tell people as well, if you're nervous about anything, bring a friend, bring a family member that you trust, plan a relaxing activity for afterward. If you know that you have an appointment coming up, call your doctor and say, “Hey. I'm coming in in 5 days. What do I need to know? Are we gonna be doing anything?” That way, you kind of know what you're walking into. I think that'll alleviate a lot of the stress.
OP: Is there a distinct differentiation that we should know between a gynecologist and OBGYN?
Dr. Lloyd: It's very little. So OBGYN just means obstetrician-gynecologist. The OB part of that is all pregnancy-related. So preconception, I'm thinking about having a baby, I'm pregnant, I’m delivering, and then postpartum is what an OB kind of takes care of.
A gynecologist only does gynecology things. So, you know, pelvic exam, neutral health, menopause, things like that. I think these days, there's less and less pure gynecologists. A lot of us now are trained more to do both. I think the big benefit—and this is kinda what I like–if you are able to take care of somebody when they're 14, when they're 22, when they're 30 having a kid. 35, 60 even, you really get to know that person, and you're not having to change doctors, you build a relationship. I think whenever that happens, you get to know enough about somebody and feel comfortable enough that you'll actually have more of a beneficial relationship because they're open and they talk to you.
OP: Totally, I feel like there's not a lot of longevity with our practitioners anymore.
Dr. Lloyd: Correct. Everything is very siloed and separate, unfortunately. It's so crucial and beneficial to really develop a relationship, especially ongoing because you're a practitioner that kinda is with a woman for her whole entire journey.
OP: What if you’ve developed that relationship but need to switch your OBGYN for whatever reason?
Dr. Lloyd: What I would say is, thankfully, as long as you're staying in the same town or community, a lot of OBs, we don't practice in a bubble. I'm from Northwest Arkansas. I know probably 30 OBs in the area.I know OBs in Tulsa. I know OBs in Oklahoma City, cities and states away. As big as health care is, it's a relatively small community. I get people all the time saying, “I’m moving to blank. Do you know anybody there?” And I personally may not, but I know somebody else who does. We can get a lot of good referrals.
Something I say is whenever you do see that new OB, whether it's a recommendation or not, go in and just say, “Hey. I really liked my OB. Here's how we did things. What do you do? Is it the same? Is it different?” Once again, it just comes back to communication. Being transparent about your history, your preferences. That can kind of speed up that trust-building process.
OP: Oh, that's so helpful actually. Lately. I’ve been noticing a trend around women taking different approaches with their birth plans. Water births, home births. Can you still be part of that process?
Dr. Lloyd: There's probably no blanket answer for that. Our goal ultimately is: healthy mom, healthy baby. I think an important thing is just on both sides–me as a provider and them as a patient–being flexible and understanding. I think if that happens and neither party is very rigid in their thinking, they're open to working together, that's kind of where the trust-building comes in again.
OP: What's one thing you wish more when you knew before seeing the OB-GYN?
Dr. Lloyd: I generally say that there's no question not worth asking. I've heard people even say, “I feel like I shouldn’t bother my doctor with this small thing or this embarrassing question.” But honestly, the more your doctor knows, the better. It's not a one size fits all bottle. The more we know you and the more you open up to us, the more we can kind of tailor our suggestions and recommendations and services to kind of what your goals are.
Whether you're curious about different symptoms, want to ask about unusual discharge or if your cramps are normal, just ask your doctor. We've heard it all. I think all of us pretty unanimously would rather you speak up about something maybe a little uncomfortable than leave with unanswered questions.
OP: What does a routine checkup look like? I know you mentioned that you're not always getting a pap smear.
Dr. Lloyd: A standard visit would generally talk about what your medical history is, what your family history is, have you had surgeries recently, have you not, have you developed any new allergies, what medicines are you taking. Oftentimes, we'll review birth control options if that's relevant to you. We'll talk about lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, and sexual activity. Do you do a routine breast exam? Do you stay breast aware? I think that is a conversation that you have with your doctor based on what your goals are and your comfort level.
Pap smears, generally, at the most, are about every 3 years. And then once you hit 30, you do them every 5 years. So you don't really need those that often. A lot of times, depending on what your risk factors are and goals, you can do STI testing and screening, making sure you're just kind of staying up with your normal routine health check-ins.
OP: If you could tell every woman one thing that they should avoid doing in order to keep optimal reproductive health, what would it be?
Dr. Lloyd: I would say added sugar, honestly. Just look at things and note how much added sugar is in it. If you pay attention for 2 weeks and you look at everything before you put it in your mouth, you'll realize, “Oh my gosh. This is a lot.” I think, hormonally, the body is a crazy thing. It's a fine tuned machine. But it runs best whenever you eat the most natural items. I tell people generally whatever you do, to start off with the 1st week, drink whatever you wanna drink. Let's just focus on what you're drinking, not even what you're eating. Figure out how much you weigh, split that number in half, and drink that many ounces of water a day. If you're doing that and filling your stomach up with that many ounces of water, invariably, you're gonna drink less sweet tea, less Coke, less Starbucks.
OP: You have no idea how grateful we are for someone as open-hearted as you to be in this field. Any other last sentiments?
Dr. Lloyd: I would when it comes to your visits, don't be afraid to shop around for a doctor that you like. Just because you go somewhere once and they say, “We'll schedule you again in a year,” doesn't mean you have to go back. If they’re not a good fit, that's okay. Just like people you work with, just like people in your family, you like some, you like others less, and that's okay. Find somebody you level with. Find somebody who has somewhat similar goals to you. I think you'll get pretty far if you do that.
About The Doctor
Dr. Lloyd is a board-certified OBGYN in Arkansas who made it his mission to advocate for women’s health. Driven by a desire to help others, he tackles the challenges of an ever-changing medical landscape by prioritizing personalized patient care. Dr. Lloyd believes in the importance of supplements to support a healthy lifestyle, and aspires to bridge the gap between supplements and traditional medicine, embracing a future of holistic well-being.
