Can You Be Sedated for a Pap Smear?
Yes, in the way that matters. What sedation for a Pap smear or pelvic exam actually involves, why general anesthesia is not the answer, and the practical changes that make a difficult exam possible.
Read more →Straightforward information about IUDs, sedation gynecology, birth control, and reproductive health - from our practice to you.
Yes, in the way that matters. What sedation for a Pap smear or pelvic exam actually involves, why general anesthesia is not the answer, and the practical changes that make a difficult exam possible.
Read more →Not whether it hurts, but why. What the tenaculum, the sound, and the internal os are actually doing, why your body sometimes reacts with nausea or faintness, and which comfort measures target which part.
Read more →If you are scheduling a first visit for another person, we set up a short instructional phone call with both of you first. It is not a video visit and not your appointment with the provider. Here is what happens on it, why it ends with two charts, and what changes once they are an established patient.
Read more →Can a minor get birth control or an IUD in Maryland without a parent? Mostly yes. Here's exactly what patients under 18 can consent to on their own, what needs a parent, and how visits work at our Kensington office.
Read more →Thinking about bioidentical hormones? Here's a straight, evidence-based look at what's real, what's marketing, and why "there's no evidence" doesn't always mean what you think it does.
Read more →You can book an IUD insertion with us directly - but sometimes a short consultation first (our IUD Planning Visit) makes it go better, and in one case it's required. Here's how to tell which applies to you.
Read more →In 2026, PCOS was officially renamed PMOS. Here's what the condition actually is, why the name changed, and what it does (and doesn't) mean for your diagnosis and care - in plain language.
Read more →Hormonal IUDs (Mirena, Liletta, Kyleena, Skyla) vs. the copper IUD (Paragard): how they differ on periods, hormones, and how long they last - including which ones lighten or stop heavy bleeding, so you can pick the right one.
Read more →A lot of people genuinely can't tell whether their last visit included a Pap smear or just a pelvic exam. Here's the difference, how to find out which you got, and why it matters for cervical cancer screening.
Read more →Cervical cancer screening happens far less often than most people think - and for good reasons. Here's how often you need a Pap by age, what changes after a hysterectomy, and when you need them more often.
Read more →If a bill from LabCorp, Quest, or an imaging center showed up after your visit, don't panic - this happens to almost everyone. The fix is usually on the back of the bill and takes about five minutes.
Read more →If you can't or don't want to use hormone therapy, you still have real options. SSRIs, gabapentin, fezolinetant, vaginal moisturizers, CBT, and more - what works and when.
Read more →Walking into a new appointment is easier when you know what's going to happen. Here's a step-by-step look at what a menopause consultation with us actually involves.
Read more →If your sleep is off, your cycles are weird, and your mood is doing things it didn't used to do - and you're somewhere between 38 and 52 - perimenopause is probably part of the picture. Here's what gets missed.
Read more →In 2002 a single study scared a generation off hormone therapy. Two decades of follow-up tells a very different story. Here's where the evidence actually is now.
Read more →Vaginal dryness, painful sex, and recurrent UTIs after 40 are usually genitourinary syndrome of menopause. Almost no one talks about it. Most people have it. And it's treatable.
Read more →Heavy, light, or erratic cycles in perimenopause: what's normal, what to get checked, and how heavy bleeding is treated - including the hormonal IUD that often reduces or stops it.
Read more →Annual exams, hormone therapy, vaginal estrogen, labs - what is covered and what is not. Plus the thing coverage cannot fix: menopause care needs responsiveness, and here is how to find a practice built for it.
Read more →An honest answer about why a small practice can't accept Medicaid, plus a real list of starting points for affirming care in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
Read more →Pregnancy is less likely in your 40s, but it's still possible. How to think about contraception during perimenopause, including options that double as symptom management.
Read more →Do trans women go through menopause? Not ovarian menopause, but the symptoms are real and usually follow an interruption in estrogen. What that looks like, what changes on testosterone, and how we approach midlife care for trans and nonbinary patients.
Read more →You might expect an OB-GYN at a gynecology office. Here's why a dual-certified Nurse Practitioner and Certified Nurse Midwife might be exactly what you're looking for.
Read more →Finding a gynecologist near DC who takes your comfort seriously. What to look for, what to expect, and why Kensington MD is closer than you think.
Read more →A guide to finding IUD insertion near DC, Maryland, and Virginia - plus what comfort options to look for and why they matter.
Read more →If it's been years since your last Pap, you're in good company. Here's why people delay - and how sedation gynecology is changing the experience.
Read more →IUD insertion has a reputation for being painful. It doesn't have to be. Here's how sedation gynecology is changing the standard of care.
Read more →Walking into a new medical appointment can be nerve-wracking. Here's a step-by-step look at what happens during a sedation gynecology visit.
Read more →The honest answer about IUD insertion pain - and the comfort options we offer (nitrous oxide, numbing, a cervical block) that make it far easier than you've heard.
Read more →Sedation gynecology uses nitrous oxide and other comfort measures during GYN procedures. Here's what it means and who it's for.
Read more →A nurse practitioner's perspective on IUD anxiety, what actually helps, and why comfort measures should be standard.
Read more →Laughing gas for IUD insertion: what nitrous oxide actually does, an honest look at whether it works for pain, how it compares to a cervical block or oral sedation, and whether you can drive home after.
Read more →