Rest assured, the first visit to the gynecologist as a teen or young adult will most likely just include a talk between patient and provider about development and a brief physical exam. Unless you or your child present with abnormal bleeding or pain, a pelvic exam will not be done. If you are sexually active, you may have tests for certain sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Most of the tests that teens need can be done by the doctor with a urine sample. The first pelvic exam, which is an exam of the pelvic organs, and pap smear, a procedure to test for cervical cancer, are typically done at age 21. During the appointments leading up to this, the gynecologist can explain a woman’s anatomy, explain and show images of the procedures and share the instruments that are used. Women with autism are less likely than other women to go for annual well-woman visits. So getting used to or having your autistic young adult get used to going for these checkups is a good way to promote healthy living throughout life. Included in a gynecological exam will be a breast exam and a discussion about doing a self-exam to check for signs and symptoms of breast cancer. Forty percent of diagnosed breast cancers are detected by women who feel a lump, so establishing a regular breast self-exam is very important. The National Breast Cancer Foundation has both a video and guide to help teach about breast self-exams. The ‘Ob’ part of Ob/gyn refers to obstetrics, the specialty concerned with childbirth and the care of women giving birth. Having trained in both, most physicians will practice both. But some will focus on one field over the other. If and when the time is right to think about having children, you want to make sure you see a doctor who practices obstetrics. Midwives, healthcare providers who are trained to provide obstetric and gynecological services, can also be consulted.