Dr. Lilja Stefansson, OBGYN at Atrius Health, answers sensitive questions with straightforward answers.

Dear Dr. Stefansson, my daughter is 13 years old and recently started her period. When does she need to have her first gynecology visit? – GrowingUp2Fast

Dear GrowingUp2Fast, this is an excellent question, and I wish I heard it more often! The adolescent years can be a challenging time where our kids are “not really children,

My patients and their families are familiar with most of the vaccines I recommend – tetanus, measles, chicken pox, and so on – but when I discuss the HPV vaccine, I find many people don’t know why I am recommending it.

Here’s what I tell my patients about HPV and the HPV vaccine:

• HPV stands for human papillomavirus, a group of more than 150 related viruses.
• The virus can be spread by vaginal,