my story

Getting You Through The Exam Like The Badass You Are

I offer this complimentary service to folx who have a vagina & according to medical guidelines are supposed to have a pap smear and/or a bimanual exam on a regular basis, regardless of where you sit on the factory-installed vagina-having gender spectrum*. You can think of me as your pal, your companion, your sidekick, or your "pelvic exam doula" (the word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support.)

Whatever you want to call me, the point is I'm here to do whatever I can to make your gynecological exam experience as comfortable for you as possible.

If your pelvic exam is in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville, Montclair/Piedmont; I can accompany you to the exam & do any or all of the following:

Prior To The Exam

• take you through the steps of a basic pelvic exam

• show you pics of the relevant internal & external anatomy

• show you pics of pelvic exam steps

• let you hold a speculum & explain to you how it works, and let you open & close it yourself however many times you want

• roleplay as your practitioner so you can practice what you want to say

During The Exam

• Remind you of the questions you wanted to ask

• Help you work on your breathing

• Be in the place that’s most helpful to you: next to you holding your hand, or in the corner being a smiling face for you to focus on (silly faces & balloon animals optional except I don't know how to make balloon animals)

After The Exam

• Debrief how the exam went, and let you talk about how you hope the next one will proceed.