It is always a good idea to consult your GP if you have any concerns about your health.
That means problems can be fixed as soon as possible, potentially catching anything more serious before it progresses.
But it's a little more uncomfortable to talk about some intimate health problems: you may not want to talk to your GP at all and postpone the visit.
Health experts share how to best cope with what could quickly become an awkward moment during a consultation.
What are patients most embarrassed to talk about?
According to Dr Nisa Aslam, GP and advisor to Effercitrate Tablets, which relieves cystitis symptoms, patients may feel embarrassed to talk about any intimate health problems.
“[This can include] sexual and reproductive problems, including vaginal yeast infection and, for men, difficulties getting and maintaining an erection. However, health problems related to the intestines, such as constipation and diarrhea, to problems associated with our urinary tract, such as cystitis, are equally areas of health that patients are embarrassed to talk about,” Aslam said. .
How should patients ask embarrassing questions to their GP?
GPs do not have long consultation times, so it is important to address the issue immediately to get the most out of your visit.
“Don't worry if you don't have medical words to express yourself. Say something like, 'I have pain when urinating,' or 'I have pain when urinating,' or 'I have some problems during sex,' or 'I have pain when I try to poop,'” she said. Aslam.
Phil Day, pharmacy superintendent at Pharmacy2U, agreed, adding: “Write it down in advance. You're less likely to get a little nervous, take a different path, or start thinking more about the emotional reaction than the actual posture.
“The worst thing would be to walk out of the office and think afterwards, 'Oh, I wish I'd said that,' or 'I forgot to mention this,' that could have been key.”
How can GPs help with this?
To help a patient who may feel embarrassed, Aslam begins with simple questions like, “How can I help you today?”
“When patients seem [ill] When you are calm, I remind you that everything you say will be confidential; “I see a wide variety of health problems and I have probably come across them before,” she said.
“In terms of embarrassing treatments, I use simple language. So for cystitis I would talk about pain when urinating and how often you urinate. Treatments are only effective if used correctly, so patients need to understand this, no matter how embarrassed they feel.
“So if a woman needs to address cystitis in its early stages and antibiotics are not appropriate, I recommend efercitrate tablets which are available without a prescription. I tell them that it is a pill that contains potassium citrate and citric acid that they have to dissolve in a glass of water.
“I explain that the ingredients make urine more alkaline, which helps soothe the bladder and the lining of the urinary tract (or water supply system), improving the pain and discomfort of cystitis.”
How could seeing the same GP help with this?
Communication skills are a key part of a GP's toolbox, so it is important to build long-term relationships, trust and rapport.
“I think continuity of care is also important,” Day said. “It gives you a better understanding of the patient's medical history and needs. You've developed that relationship and trust more quickly and can make better use of that limited consultation time.
“If a long-term patient seems more worried than usual or their mood and mannerisms are not good, that would be something a GP can detect and help with a diagnosis.
“Pharmacists and doctors do this day in and day out, so they are quite desensitized. You may only have one embarrassing question a year, but they hear these things every day. “We are specialists in putting you at ease.”
