By Dr Olivier Kadoch, obstetrician-gynaecologist · Updated 25/10/2026
47 short answers to the questions patients most often ask their gynaecologist, reviewed by Dr Olivier Kadoch. Each answer links to a detailed article. This information does not replace a consultation. In an emergency, call 15 or 112 in France, or your local emergency number.
3 questions
There is no single schedule. Regular check-ups mainly ensure you keep up with cervical cancer screening between the ages of 25 and 65, and with a clinical breast examination, which in France is recommended every year from the age of 25. See a doctor promptly if you notice any unusual symptom.
No, your usual hygiene routine is enough. Before a smear test, avoid vaginal pessaries, creams, lubricants and vaginal douching for 48 hours, and if possible book the appointment outside your period.
Read: Cervical smear and HPV test: purpose, procedure and results →
No. An examination is offered depending on the reason for your visit and is only carried out with your consent. You can ask to stop it at any time.
5 questions
Stress, weight change, intense exercise, breastfeeding, a thyroid disorder, polycystic ovary syndrome or the approach of menopause can all delay a period. Repeat the test a few days later, and see a doctor if your periods have not returned after three months.
Period pain that is relieved by ordinary painkillers is common. Pain that keeps you from school or work, does not respond to treatment, or comes with pain during sex should be investigated for endometriosis.
Warning signs include needing to change your pad or tampon every one to two hours, passing clots, leaking at night, or feeling unusually tired. A blood test can check for anaemia, and an ultrasound scan can look for a cause such as a fibroid or a polyp.
Read: Heavy periods and bleeding between periods: causes and treatments →
It is often harmless (a missed pill, a polyp, cervical ectropion), but you should see a doctor, especially if it happens after sex. After menopause, any bleeding needs a prompt medical appointment.
Read: Heavy periods and bleeding between periods: causes and treatments →
Yes, it is possible, especially if your cycles are short: sperm can survive for up to five days and ovulation can occur early in the cycle. Your period is therefore not a time without any risk of pregnancy.
Read: The menstrual cycle: understanding periods, ovulation and hormones →
6 questions
The coil (copper or hormonal IUD) and the implant are the most effective in real life, because they do not depend on taking something every day: fewer than 1 in 100 women become pregnant each year. With the pill, the real-life failure rate is around 7% per year, mainly because of missed pills.
Read: Contraceptive methods: effectiveness, benefits and practical advice →
No. Bleeding on the pill is not a true period but a reaction to the drop in hormones during the pill-free break. Taking the pill continuously, on medical advice, is not dangerous. If you are unsure after a missed pill, take a pregnancy test.
Read: Contraceptive methods: effectiveness, benefits and practical advice →
No. In real life, about one in five women relying on withdrawal becomes pregnant within a year, because fluid containing sperm can be released before ejaculation.
Read: Contraceptive methods: effectiveness, benefits and practical advice →
Levonorgestrel can be taken up to 72 hours after sex and ulipristal up to 120 hours, as soon as possible in both cases. A copper coil (IUD) fitted within 5 days is the most effective method. Since 1 January 2023, the morning-after pill has been free from pharmacies in France, without a prescription, for anyone, under or over 18. Using it repeatedly does not cause infertility.
Read: Morning-after pill and emergency contraception: time limits and effectiveness →
Yes. Never having had children is not a reason to avoid a coil (IUD), whether copper or hormonal.
Read: The coil (IUD): copper or hormonal, fitting and contraindications →
Yes, until you have had 12 months without a period if you are over 50, or 24 months if you are under 50. On hormonal contraception, having no periods does not prove you have reached menopause: decide when to stop with your gynaecologist.
6 questions
Yes. Discharge changes during the cycle and becomes more abundant and stretchy around ovulation. See a doctor if it changes colour or smell, or if it comes with itching, burning or pain.
Read: Vaginal discharge: causes, symptoms and when to see a doctor →
A fishy smell, especially after sex, suggests bacterial vaginosis, an imbalance of the vaginal flora treated with antibiotics. A forgotten tampon can also be the cause. Vaginal douching makes the problem worse.
Read: Vaginal discharge: causes, symptoms and when to see a doctor →
Thrush (a yeast infection) is common, but irritation, bacterial vaginosis, eczema or lichen sclerosus can also be responsible. If the itching keeps coming back, see a doctor rather than repeating antifungal treatments without medical advice.
Drink plenty of fluids, do not hold in urine, urinate after sex and avoid constipation. If you have four or more episodes of cystitis a year, a consultation allows a urine test and a discussion of suitable prevention.
Read: Urinary tract infection in women: symptoms, diagnosis and treatments →
When you have a new partner, after unprotected sex, or if you have symptoms. In France, chlamydia screening is recommended for sexually active young women aged 15 to 25. Free sexual health centres (CeGIDD) offer testing, and an HIV test can be done in a French laboratory without a prescription.
Read: Chlamydia: symptoms, risks and treatment of the genital infection →
Yes. Untreated chlamydia or gonorrhoea can spread to the fallopian tubes (salpingitis) and cause infertility or an ectopic pregnancy. This is why screening matters, even without symptoms.
Read: Acute salpingitis: symptoms, treatment and risks to fertility →
4 questions
In the French screening programme, women aged 25 to 29 have a cytology test: the first two one year apart, then every 3 years if they are normal. From 30 to 65, an HPV test is done 3 years after the last normal smear, then every 5 years if it is negative. Screening also applies to vaccinated women.
Read: Cervical smear and HPV test: purpose, procedure and results →
No. A positive HPV test means an infection with human papillomavirus, which is very common and usually cleared by the body on its own. Further testing of the sample, and sometimes a colposcopy, shows whether there is a lesion that needs monitoring or treatment.
Read: Precancerous cervical lesions (dysplasia, CIN): what to do? →
There is no medicine against the virus itself, but most infections clear on their own within one to two years. It is the lesions the virus causes that are treated. Stopping smoking helps the body clear the virus.
Read: Precancerous cervical lesions (dysplasia, CIN): what to do? →
Yes. In France, vaccination is recommended for girls and boys aged 11 to 14, in two doses 5 to 13 months apart, with catch-up vaccination up to and including age 26 (three doses from age 15). The nine-valent vaccine targets the papillomaviruses responsible for about 90% of cervical cancers.
Read: HPV vaccination: age, schedule, effectiveness and limits →
7 questions
A urine test is reliable from the day your period is due, ideally using the first urine of the morning. A blood test (measuring the hormone hCG) detects pregnancy earlier and more reliably.
Before the end of the third month, and ideally early enough to have the dating scan between 11 and 13 weeks + 6 days of pregnancy (weeks of amenorrhoea, counted from the first day of your last period). Folic acid is advised from the time you start planning a pregnancy.
Read: First pregnancy appointment: what happens and which tests →
As soon as your pregnancy is confirmed: maternity units in Paris often fill up quickly.
Alcohol, completely. Raw-milk cheeses, cured and deli meats, raw or undercooked meat and fish, and raw shellfish, because of the risk of listeriosis and toxoplasmosis. Wash fruit and vegetables carefully and limit large predatory fish, which are high in mercury.
Read: Diet during pregnancy: nutritional needs and useful supplements →
Paracetamol can be used, at the lowest dose and for the shortest time possible. Ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) must not be used from the 6th month of pregnancy (24 weeks), even as a single dose and even as a gel or patch. Before then, take them only if prescribed by a doctor, never on your own.
Read: Medicines in pregnancy: risks to the foetus and precautions →
It is common and often not serious, but an ultrasound scan is needed to check that the pregnancy is inside the womb and developing normally. Go to the emergency department if you have severe pain, feel faint or have heavy bleeding.
Read: Bleeding in the first trimester of pregnancy: causes and what to do →
Yes, with no risk to the baby, unless your doctor advises otherwise: bleeding, a low-lying placenta, leaking amniotic fluid or a risk of premature labour.
Read: Pregnancy care: appointments, scans and tests month by month →
6 questions
If you have regular, painful contractions (for a first baby, about every 5 minutes for one to two hours), leaking fluid, bleeding, reduced baby movements, fever or a severe headache. Follow the specific instructions of your maternity unit.
Read: Vaginal birth: what happens, key terms and monitoring →
After the anaesthetic consultation, which is mandatory in France during the third trimester, an epidural can be given at your request as soon as labour is well established. How far your cervix has dilated is not in itself a limit.
Read: Vaginal birth: what happens, key terms and monitoring →
Yes, in most cases after a single caesarean. The risk of the uterine scar tearing is low, around 0.5 to 1%. The decision is made with the obstetric team based on the report of your caesarean.
The baby blues start in the days after birth and pass within two weeks. Sadness that persists, loss of interest, difficulty caring for your baby or dark thoughts should prompt you to see a doctor. In France, the national suicide prevention line is 3114.
Read: Mental health problems during pregnancy and after birth →
No later than 21 days after the birth. Pills containing oestrogen should be avoided for the first 6 weeks; the progestogen-only pill, the implant or the coil (IUD) are possible, including while breastfeeding.
No. It is not routinely needed if you have no symptoms. It is recommended if urinary or anal leakage persists, which is assessed at the postnatal check 6 to 8 weeks after the birth.
Read: Urinary and anal leakage after childbirth: causes and treatments →
2 questions
After one year of regular sex without contraception, or after six months if you are 35 or older. See a doctor straight away if you have irregular cycles, endometriosis, a history of genital infection or previous surgery.
Read: Couple infertility: which tests after a year of trying without pregnancy? →
Fertility declines gradually with age, then more sharply after 35, because of the number and quality of eggs. The anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) test gives information about ovarian reserve, but on its own it does not predict the chances of natural pregnancy.
Read: Ovarian reserve: definition, tests (AMH, AFC) and impact on fertility →
5 questions
Menopause is confirmed after 12 months without a period, on average at around 51. After 45, a hormone blood test is not usually needed. On hormonal contraception, the diagnosis is more difficult and should be discussed with your gynaecologist.
Read: Menopausal hormone therapy (HRT): is it really necessary? →
Several years for many women: in a large American study, they lasted a median of about 7 years. Effective hormonal and non-hormonal treatments are available.
Read: Hot flushes: what to do if you are wary of hormones? →
When started before 60 or within 10 years of menopause, in a woman with no contraindication, its benefits generally outweigh its risks, especially with oestradiol applied to the skin. It is contraindicated after breast cancer and should be reassessed every year.
Read: Menopausal hormone therapy (HRT): is it really necessary? →
Yes. Moisturisers and lubricants are suitable for everyone, and low-dose vaginal oestrogens are effective. After breast cancer, non-hormonal options are offered first.
See a doctor promptly, even if the bleeding is light or happened only once. An ultrasound scan and, if needed, an endometrial biopsy can find the cause, which is most often benign.
3 questions
Usually not: most cysts are functional and disappear on their own within a few cycles. Surgery is considered if the cyst persists, grows, is painful, looks suspicious or becomes twisted (torsion).
Read: Benign ovarian cysts: symptoms, diagnosis and treatment →
Through your medical history, a clinical examination and imaging: transvaginal ultrasound and pelvic MRI. Laparoscopy is no longer needed to make the diagnosis in most cases.
Not necessarily. Many fibroids only need monitoring, and medical treatment, hysteroscopy, myomectomy or embolisation usually make it possible to keep the womb.