I have a constant fear of doctors- and an even worse fear of cancer. Unfortunately, cervical cell abnormalities run in my family. I am 18 years old, sexually active (it has been 9 months since I first became active), and my mom has no idea. As you can suspect I don't want to tell her about my sexual activity, though it has been with only one man, and that man my boyfriend and possibly husband in the next few years (she doesn't think we should be together). My periods are regular, though as I get older the bleeding increases- and if I have sex during my period the cycle seems to start all over. It usually lasts about 4 days and I have no spotting in between the cycles. My mother and aunt had abnormal cervical cells when they were in their twenties- my mother's faded away on their own but my aunt had to have pieces of her cervix removed. Nothing has caused me to fear I have cancer except for my paranoia about being sexually active and developing cancer and not knowing it.
I am afraid to ask my mom right now to help me schedule an appointment with an OB/GYN, since I do not have one at present I don't really know how to go about getting one without some assistance from my mom. Would it be ok to wait a year until I am comfortable doing this on my own before going to get a
pap smear or should I do it ASAP.
