Write an article based on this "Ask your doctor when to book your next appointment. See you doctor sooner if you have problems. Perform breast exams yourself."
Tests such as the Pap smear are generally done once every two years; however, for women just starting out, it is recommended to undergo Pap testing yearly to establish a healthy baseline. Ask your doctor when you should return for your next routine exam. Note that, if there are any abnormal results on your Pap test (or in other parts of the breast or reproductive exam), your doctor may ask you to return sooner for follow-up care or additional tests. Problems like abdominal pain, vaginal discharge or wetness, burning sensations, an unusual or strong odor, severe menstrual cramps, or spotting between periods, warrant making an appointment.  You can also see your doctor sooner if you have other reproductive questions that come up, such as a desire to start birth control pills, questions around safe sex and/or sexually transmitted infections, or questions surrounding pregnancy. Once you become sexually active, your doctor can guide you in selecting the best type of birth control for you. This may include prescription products that your doctor can prescribe for you. He or she will help monitor their use.  Common forms of birth control include oral contraceptives, or birth control pills, patches, injections, condoms, vaginal devices like diaphragms, and intra-uterine devices, or IUDs.  Remember that your doctor is trained to provide girls and women with the information they need to make the best choice for them in any area of reproductive health, so your doctor will always be willing to see you and offer you advice even if it is only around sexual health questions you may have and not for a routine exam. Your doctor will show you how to check your own breasts for lumps that may be cancerous, or otherwise of concern. Perform these exams regularly, and notify your doctor as soon as possible if you think you have felt a nodule or small bump inside your breast tissue.