Oh Joy Sex Toy: What to Expect at a Pelvic Exam

Published on August 16, 2016 at 11:20am

I’ve been producing webcomics since I was 15 and doing it full-time as a professional since the age of 25 at Periscope Studio in Portland, OR. My work has been published by Dark Horse Comics, BOOM! Studios, Image Comics, Fantagraphics, Last Gasp and Villard, among my many self-published projects as well.

Oh Joy Sex Toy is a weekly NSFW comics series that graphically explores sex and sexuality. This week: Erika Moen aims to make pap smears and other pelvic exams a little less scary.

Like I said in the comic, please check out these resources for MUCH more in-depth descriptions and explanations of what to expect at your gynecological visit! Also, you can find a clinic to get yours done by using the “Find a Health Center” feature on Planned Parenthood.

• “Pelvic Exam” on Planned Parenthood
• “Your First Gynecologist Visit” on Scarleteen
• “The Pelvic Exam” on WebMD
• “Do I really need a pelvic exam?” on Scarleteen
• “How do I deal with the results of a medical trauma or abuse?” on Scarleteen (Your doctor needs to listen to you and respect your feedback during a pelvic exam, IT SHOULD NOT BE PAINFUL.)

If vaginal penetration of any kind IS consistently painful, you may have vulvodynia, which is a catchall term for chronic vulvar pain. One manifestation of it is vaginismus, which I covered in an earlier comic!

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