If I were a gynecologist with my own practice, I’d have peach bellinis greeting my patients at the door and Marsha Ambrosius playing sweetly in the background among scented candles. My medical staff would be a nice mixture of Jason Momoa look-a-likes to rub patients’ feet and help them into their hospital gowns, with Tasha Smith personalities to help answer the tough questions about sex.  Then maybe, just maybe, women would feel more comfortable dishing about who they had sex with, when they had sex with them and what kind of sex they had at their annual gynecological exam.

Instead, most women at the least feel a little bit of anxiety for an exam that only takes about ten minutes out of every year of their lives.  For every woman, once a year she gets to feel like her sex life is being put on trial as she sits freezing in a tissue paper gown checking off the type of sexual activities she’s engaged in, and tries to recall the number of sexual partners she’s had not just in the last year, but in her whole life.

Why exactly does the doctor need to know when you lost your virginity?  Those personal questions aren’t being asked of you to give the medical staff a good laugh at lunch, but to address your individual needs and assess the type of treatment you need, especially if you have some apprehension about asking questions to a total stranger about what occurs in your bathroom and bedroom.  Take a look at the common questions your gyno will ask about what happens below your belt and why he/she needs to know: