Female Reproductive Pathology

These weeks we're learning about female reproductive pathology, and it is terrifying. If the following facts don't make you want to book your next gynecological exam ASAP, I'm not sure what will:

• Ovarian teratomas occur in Asians more frequently than Caucasians. These things can contain teeth and limbs and hair, people!! Scary enough, it's the immature, undifferentiated teratomas that you have to worry about...
• Most people don't have symptoms in pelvic masses. YOU COULD HAVE ONE RIGHT NOW AND NOT KNOW. 
• Ectopic pregnancies kill. And it's usually the physician's fault for not diagnosing it quickly enough.  
• Oral contraceptives increase risk of just about every disease I've ever learned about in medical school (liver, cardiovascular, reproductive, skin, allergic reactions, etc). Not even exaggerating

Mmkay so you've probably guessed that I have a keen personal interest in the matter due to the fact that I am a female. Next week when we learn about male repro pathology, I'm sure I won't be searching symptoms and pathophysiology on UpToDate with the same zeal. 

On that note, I have my Female and Male Pelvic exam skills session the week before Spring Break. It's a four-hour session in which we learn and perform the breast exam, pap smear/cervical swab, uterine mass exam, testicular exam, digital rectal exam (no, not like digital photography--digits as in FINGERS), and the like--on each other! Just kidding. We learn on hired actors called standardized patients. And I hope they pay them a lot. Some of my classmates already had their sessions, and they said to make sure to use lots of lube. I am slightly terrified.
 
The makings of a physician--so fascinating, right?