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Ladies, you know the drill. At the last minute, you realize you have “that appointment,” and you rush to find the underwear without rips and the broken elastic, shave your legs like you’re entering the swimsuit portion of the Miss America pageant and spend extra time scrubbing the parts that are about to get examined like someone’s going to be doing surgery down there.

Well, Lauren Fisher interviewed real life ob/gyn’s to find out if all that prep is necessary, and the things that actually do bother them. You might be surprised at what you find out, but if there are any any docs out there who beg to differ, please feel free to add your two cents in the comments.

When you worry about your grooming.

Your ob-gyn only has about 7 to 11 minutes each visit with you, and she’s not spending that time focusing on how close is your shave. “I see so many patients who apologize for not shaving their legs,” says Maureen Mulvihill, MD, an ob-gyn in private practice in Southern California. “But I don’t notice, and I’ve never met another physician who does.” Dr. Lebowitz agrees. “We don’t care about your stubble—we want to make sure everything is healthy down there!” she says. “Hair is natural, and we’ve all got it.”

When you cancel because of your period.

All the ob-gyns we spoke to said the same thing: Don’t cancel your appointment because of your period. Newer Pap smear techniques allow doctors to get accurate results even when it’s that time of the month, explains Dr. Jacoby, MD. “Remember, I’m an obstetrician—I help women give birth. I’ve seen a fair share of blood,” she says. “I prefer my patients keep their appointments.” If you’re experiencing heavy bleeding and are concerned about it, it actually makes sense for your doctor to see you then to see if there are clues she can find as to why. However, in extremely rare situations, if your flow is exceptionally heavy, Dr. Lebowitz suggests you reschedule, since the lab may make your doctor repeat the Pap.

Full story at Reader’s Digest.

Getting the full story from healthcare providers themselves.

Graphics credit: Canva