Stuck tampon

So, I had my routine annual checkup this past Monday, and my gynecologist gave me this pretty unsettling look before telling me that one of my ovaries appeared to be "adherent." When I asked her what that actually meant and if I should be worried, she just told me not to stress and to come back in a month once my Pap smear results are in. Apparently, since she isn't worried, I shouldn't be either.

I’ve honestly never heard that term used before, so I’m sitting here feeling completely in the dark about whether this is something I should be losing sleep over.

I was hoping someone might be able to give me a brief explanation of what’s actually happening here. Why would it shift like that? I'm assuming maybe there was some kind of inflammation, though I didn't feel any actual pain—just some slight stinging right before my period, but I truly just assumed that was perfectly normal. Also, will it ever move back to its original position, or is there a chance I could end up losing it entirely?

Quote: darkness

Chloe Johnson91 said:So, I have my routine annual exam this coming Monday. My gynecologist gave me this rather unsettling look and mentioned that one of my ovaries appears to be "adherent." When I asked her to clarify what that actually implies and whether I should be concerned, she told me not to worry and to just come back in a month once the Pap smear results are in. Apparently, based on that, she isn't particularly worried about it.

I haven't actually encountered that particular expression before, so I suppose I’m not entirely sure whether I should be concerned about it or not.

I was hoping someone might be able to provide a brief explanation of what actually happened here. Why would it have shifted? I suspect there might have been some inflammation involved, though I didn't experience any actual pain—aside from a bit of stinging right before my period, which I honestly just assumed was perfectly normal. Also, I find myself wondering if it will ever settle back into its original position, or if there is a possibility, God forbid, that I could end up losing it entirely.

I suspect you might need to consider finding a different gynecologist.
I have no idea what you mean by that, but I do know that it isn't right for a doctor to perform a quick procedure like that without offering any explanation first.
I am not entirely certain whether you are planning to seek private care or if you will be navigating this through your insurance provider, but regardless of the route you take, I feel that your gynecologist—or any physician, really—has a fundamental responsibility to explain the situation to you. It seems only reasonable that they should provide at least a general overview using language that is actually understandable.
I recently had an incredibly pleasant experience with my gynecologist, and because of that, I’ve decided he’ll be my doctor moving forward. To be honest, even though I usually... I suppose I should add my thoughts to the discussion below. Everything went perfectly, and my doctor was truly wonderful. He actually took an extra fifteen minutes out of his schedule—without me even having to ask—just to walk me through the ultrasound and explain exactly where the baby is positioned and what I should be mindful of moving forward. Honestly, more physicians ought to be like him. 👍

Thanks for getting back to me. I won't be able to see her for another two weeks—she’s out on vacation, which is just so typical, isn't it?—so I guess I'll just have to wait until she’s back. By then, my dad should be finished with his own stuff too.

It turns out my ovary is stuck right up against my uterus. I can't help but feel like an ovary shifting position isn't exactly a trivial matter, even if my doctor acted like it was absolutely nothing. To make matters worse, she brushed off the ureaplasma diagnosis like it was no big deal, but every time I look anything up online, people are saying it can actually be quite dangerous.

Being a student, I definitely don't have the budget for a private specialist, so I'm currently scouring the internet for recommendations for a better gynecologist covered by my insurance here in the area.

I've decided that this time, I am not leaving that office until she explains everything to me clearly. I know, I know—it feels a little selfish knowing there might be a pregnant woman waiting in the lobby, but I need answers.

So I went in for my routine checkup today, and the ultrasound actually showed that my left ovary has shifted its position closer to my uterus. It hasn't fully attached yet, but it’s getting there. When the doctor was doing the physical exam, she mentioned that I've had some inflammation in my ovary, and seeing the scan confirmed it—she thinks the inflamed tissue is what basically pushed it out of place.

Honestly, I had no clue I even dealt with ovarian inflammation before. I mean, I did get these sharp, stabbing pains in my left side sometimes—like someone was poking me with a knife for just two or three seconds at a time. It was intense. And lately, over the last few weeks, those pains have been absolutely killing me.

So, if you already know you've dealt with an infection or inflammation, this might be why. But then again, so many women have no idea they’re dealing with inflammation at all; they just don't realize their symptoms are connected to it.

Chloe Johnson91 said:My ovary has shifted closer to my uterus, and I suppose an ovarian displacement isn't exactly something to brush off, even if my doctor seemed completely indifferent about it. I don't know, she also mentioned that Ureaplasma isn't really a big deal, yet everywhere I read, it's described as being quite dangerous.

😲
you need to change doctors immediately!
At your very next appointment, you should probably explain exactly why you switched gynecologists and make it clear that you expect high-quality care as a patient.
Honestly, it's just unbelievable...

Sam Hughes5, I suppose I must have had some sort of inflammation too, though it completely slipped my mind at the time. It’s truly incredible 🙄

Please, tell me, what did your doctor suggest regarding next steps? Should you be genuinely concerned about this, or is it just one of those situations where you need to stay vigilant and keep a close eye on things? Did she put you on any specific treatment plan?

Grace Walker13, it looks like I am going to have to find a new gynecologist. This whole experience has been an absolute disaster.

On a side note, if anyone following this thread happens to know a reliable gynecologist in the western suburbs of Washington, D.C., please feel free to post here or just send me a private message.

I’m dealing with the exact same thing. My OB-GYN told me that there's no need to panic right now, but she gave me a pretty serious heads-up: I really have to be careful about avoiding any further ovarian inflammation. If that happens again, there's a real risk of my fallopian tubes getting blocked, which would complicate things significantly down the road.

Chloe Johnson91 said:Sam Hughes5, I guess I probably had some kind of inflammation going on too, I just didn't realize it at the time. It's honestly wild 🙄

So, tell me, what did your doctor actually say about next steps? Like, is this something you need to panic about, or is it just one of those things where you need to be extra careful and keep an eye on it? Did she put you on any kind of medication or treatment?

Grace Walker13, yeah, it looks like I'm going to have to find a new gynecologist. This whole experience has been a total disaster.

By the way, if anyone reading this knows a really solid OB-GYN on the West Side of the city, please let me know or just shoot me a DM.

I actually posted something to you on the forum just the other day 😠

Basically, she didn't really tell me much, and I totally forgot to ask her anything. Honestly, when she pointed out that thing about my ovary on the monitor, it clicked because I remembered seeing a thread about it on a forum a few days ago 😁😂

She didn't prescribe anything, though I mean, there isn't really a "treatment" to make an ovary move back into place 🤷 and as for inflammation, microorganisms can cause that, but I tested negative for chlamydia. I just have enterococcus faecalis (and I have zero clue if that even has anything to do with this), and since I'm not on antibiotics, if you haven't already, you should definitely go get full screenings for everything.

My doctor is amazing, and I know you mentioned looking for someone on the West Side, but she's located downtown near the medical center—kind of like a high-end private clinic. If you don't mind driving out toward the suburbs to see a private specialist, she’s a great choice.🙂

Sam Hughes5 said:Honestly, she didn't really say much to me, and I realized I didn't even think to ask—my mind just went blank. Actually, once she mentioned the ovarian issue while pointing at the monitor, it clicked that I had read a thread about this on the forum a few days ago 😁😂

🤣

Sam Hughes5 said:Well, if you haven't already, you should definitely go get all the swabs done.

I actually went in for testing back in December, at that same clinic you go to. I scraped together some $133 cash and just went for it. I was hoping for quick results because I really wanted to know where I stood—I was genuinely anxious about whether there was an actual issue or not—and they ended up finding ureaplasma. I took the results to my OB-GYN through my insurance provider, and she put both me and my boyfriend on a course of doxycycline. She didn't want to repeat the swab, and now she's telling me she won't bother unless the Pap smear comes back abnormal. But I won't find out about that until next week 🙄 ufffff

Sam Hughes5 said:My gynecologist is wonderful. I noticed you're looking at providers on the West Side, but hers is downtown near the medical center. If you don't mind driving a bit further to see a private specialist, she's a great choice.🙂

Silva Babić, right? I think she's great too, but I just don't have the extra money right now 😠

Emily Phillips16 said:I'm dealing with the exact same thing. My doctor told me it isn't an issue for right now, but she warned me that I have to be extremely careful about getting any more ovarian inflammation, otherwise my fallopian tube could get blocked.

Thanks for the info. It sounds like, bottom line, we really have to prevent these infections so our ovaries can settle back into place properly.😳

Thanks, girls 😍

edit: Now that I’m thinking about it, it doesn't necessarily have to be on the West Side of Washington, D.C. It's not like the city is so massive that I can't make the trip a little further out. As long as it isn't a suburban neighborhood, I'm good 🤣

Chloe Johnson91 said:🤣
I went in for swabs back in December, at that same women's clinic you go to. Scraped together $133 and just went for it. I wanted the results fast because I really wanted to know where I stood—you know, just curious if there was anything actually wrong—and they found ureaplasma. My OB-GYN took the results through my insurance and gave both me and my boyfriend a round of doxycycline. She didn't want to redo the swab, and now she’s saying she won't even bother if my Pap smear comes back okay. But I won't know that until next week 🙄 ufffff

Honestly, I have ureaplasma too. It’s just sitting there in my urethra, and even after taking doxycycline, it keeps popping up on the swabs, though my concentration is lower than 10 to the 3rd power. What was yours? The weird thing is, I don't even have a bladder or urinary tract infection, yet it shows up on the tests. I have no clue if it could have caused ovarian inflammation if it's just isolated in the urethra 😕

Chloe Johnson91 said:Silva Babić, right? I think it's great too, but I just don't have the cash 😠

Yeah, yeah, it is 😍 but man, I spend money all year long on $167 just to go in for checkups. It definitely hits the wallet hard, but honestly, it's worth it.
As for the swabs, I usually head over to Mount Sinai using a referral from my primary care doctor, but that's for a different issue, so she can sometimes write me a script for the OB-GYN swabs too.

Maybe bug your insurance provider a bit to see if they'll give you referrals for follow-up swabs. If your doctor refuses to cover them, you could always just go to a local lab, grab some test tubes, and head to that clinic—pay $33 for the collection and then take them back to the lab.

Quote: darkness

Sam Hughes5 said:I actually have the exact same issue with ureaplasma sitting right there in my urethra. I went through the whole cycle of taking doxycycline, but then it just keeps popping back up on my test results. My concentration is currently lower than 10^3—what kind of numbers are you seeing on yours? The weirdest part for me is that I don't have any actual symptoms at all; no bladder inflammation or urethritis, yet the swabs still come back positive. It’s such a strange situation to deal with when you feel perfectly fine.

Back in December, when I went in to get my swabs done, my boyfriend and I were both feeling completely checked out—our focus was basically at a zero. Honestly, I'm a bit lost right now because I can't wrap my head around why she didn't want to run the tests again after we finished the treatment. I'm just sitting here trying to make sense of it all, but I really have no idea where I stand. 😳 She’s actually trying to tell me that doxycycline is some kind of hardcore, heavy-duty antibiotic that definitely wiped her out. Honestly, if she’s wrong about that, I might just have to kill her.

Sam Hughes5 said:I honestly have no idea if she could have caused an ovarian infection just by being isolated in my urethra, but I've been overthinking this all day. It’s one of those things that stays in the back of your mind, right? You start wondering about the connection between everything, even when it feels like a stretch. I'm just trying to make sense of it. 😕

🤷 I have a feeling you and I are dealing with the exact same headache—it seems like this ureaplasma situation is just making life difficult for both of us. Honestly, I might have been a bit off base with my initial thoughts...

Sam Hughes5 said:Look, if I were you, I’d just push your luck with Social Security and see if they'll cover the vouchers for those follow-up swabs. If they give you any grief and refuse to authorize them, there's still a workaround. You could always head down to a local clinic, grab some test tubes, and just go straight to a private gynecologist—you'll have to pay out of pocket, obviously, but it gets the job done without all the red tape. $33 So, you’ll need to go ahead and collect the swabs yourself, and then just bring them right back to the local health clinic.

They won't even give me the referrals because those diagnostic tests are just way too expensive for Blue Cross to cover right now. It looks like they’ll only authorize the scan if my dad's condition actually takes a turn for the worse. I’m really holding out hope that doesn't happen, though. 🤣
If Dad is doing alright, then I don't know... I might just go on a hunger strike until I can scrape enough together for a new Ginderm. 🤣

Chloe Johnson91 said:Back in December when I went in for my swabs, my concentration levels were at 10 to the 4th power, and my boyfriend's were too. Now she won't even let me get follow-up swabs after the therapy, and honestly, I have no clue where I stand... 😳 And then he tries telling me that doxycycline is some hardcore antibiotic that definitely wiped everything out. If it didn't, I'm going to lose it.

Doxycycline is absolute poison to me; it makes me want to throw up just thinking about it. My doctor at Mayo Clinic suggested my boyfriend take doxycycline too, but his primary care physician just gave him Sumamed instead, so he hasn't even gone back for more swabs. I’m probably going to have to force him to go. 😳

Chloe Johnson91 said:🤷I honestly think you and I are dealing with the exact same thing—like, Ureaplasma is just being a total pain. Or maybe I'm totally off base...

I was wondering about that Ureaplasma too, but my doctor told me the concentration was just too low. 😕I don't get why this beast won't just die off or why it won't multiply; it's always the same story, either it shows up on the swab or the concentration is under 10 to the 3rd.

Chloe Johnson91 said:But she won't give me the referrals because those tests are insanely expensive through the insurance provider. She'll only run a Pap smear for me. And I'm really hoping my Pap comes back okay. 🤣
If my Pap is fine, then I don't know, I might just have to go on a hunger strike until I can afford a Gynoderm test. 🤣

You should probably find another community clinic gynecologist, because what does she expect a Pap smear to show regarding infections? A Pap isn't an infection test; you need swabs for that. It honestly drives me crazy when doctors act like that—just "oh, don't worry, it's nothing serious." I guess it only becomes "serious" to them once a woman becomes infertile from untreated infections or develops cervical cancer.

Sam Hughes5 said:Doxycycline absolutely wreaks havoc on my stomach; it makes me feel nauseous every single time. My doctor at Mayo Clinic suggested my boyfriend take doxycycline too, but his primary care physician just prescribed him Sumamed instead without even ordering any swabs. I’m really going to have to insist he follows the right protocol. 😳

From what I understand, you both need to be on the exact same treatment plan 🤷

Sam Hughes5 said:Honestly, you should probably find a different community clinic gynecologist. A Pap smear isn't meant to screen for infections—you need specific swabs for that. It honestly frustrates me when doctors act like this; they tend to brush everything off with a "don't worry about it, it's nothing serious" attitude.

I am looking, and I'm hoping I can move to a new area soon.

Sam Hughes5 said:I suppose things only become "serious" to them once a woman becomes infertile due to untreated infections or ends up with cervical cancer.

Roughly 😳