Symptoms you may be searching for
If any of these brought you here, you are in the right place.
- pap smear test
- HPV vaccine age and doses
- bleeding after menopause
- bleeding after intercourse
- lump in breast
- foul smelling discharge
- cancer in uterus symptoms
- ovarian cyst or cancer
- family history of breast or ovarian cancer
Needs prompt evaluation
Bleeding after menopause, bleeding after intercourse and a lump in the breast are often not cancer. But each of them must be examined without delay, not watched for a few months. Call or WhatsApp the clinic and say what the problem is. You will usually be seen the same day.
What is gynaecological oncology?
Gynaecological oncology is the care of cancers of the cervix (the neck of the womb), the uterus lining (endometrium), the ovaries, the vulva and the vagina. Breast cancer belongs to breast surgeons, but the gynaecologist is usually the first doctor a woman shows a lump to, so the first steps are handled here.
Most of this work is screening: finding changes years before they become cancer. Nearly all cervical cancer is caused by a common virus (HPV). It grows slowly through a pre-cancer stage that a Pap smear or an HPV test can pick up, and a small procedure can cure. The HPV vaccine prevents most of it.
The rest is prompt diagnosis when a symptom appears and, for the few women who do have cancer, surgery by Dr. Ragavi Vikram herself at the affiliated hospital.
When you should see a doctor
See a gynaecologist without delay if you have:
- Any bleeding after menopause, even one episode of spotting.
- Bleeding after intercourse, or bleeding between periods that has happened more than once.
- A lump, thickening, dimpling, nipple discharge or skin change in either breast.
- Foul-smelling or blood-stained discharge that has not cleared with treatment.
- Bloating, feeling full quickly, pelvic pain or passing urine often, most days for three weeks (ovarian cancer warning signs).
- A close relative with breast, ovarian or uterine cancer, or you are 30 to 65 and have never had a Pap smear.
Bleeding around menopause is usually hormonal and discharge is usually infection, covered under menopause care in Chennai and white discharge and vaginal infection treatment. But the check comes first.
How it is diagnosed at RV Clinic
Cervix. A Pap smear is done at the clinic: a soft brush collects cells from the cervix during a short examination. It takes about a minute. An HPV test uses the same sample. If a result is abnormal, Dr. Ragavi examines the cervix under magnification (colposcopy) and takes a biopsy, at the affiliated hospital.
Uterus. Bleeding after menopause or irregular bleeding after 40 is checked with a transvaginal scan that measures the lining, then a sample of the lining (endometrial biopsy), or hysteroscopy at the affiliated hospital.
Ovaries. A scan tells a simple cyst from one with solid parts, thick walls or fluid in the abdomen. A blood test (CA-125) and sometimes a CT scan follow when a cyst does not look simple.
Breast. Dr. Ragavi examines both breasts and the armpits. Any lump is sent for imaging: an ultrasound under 40, a mammogram over 40, and a needle test (biopsy) if imaging is not clearly harmless. A lump that needs surgery is referred to a breast surgeon.
Discharge and family history. A foul-smelling discharge is examined, swabbed and treated as infection first, with a Pap smear if it persists or is blood-stained. With a family history, screening starts earlier, with genetic counselling (BRCA testing) when the pattern calls for it.
A note on scans
Sex determination of the foetus is not done at RV Clinic, and no scan report here will state it. It is a punishable offence under the PCPNDT Act, 1994.
Treatment options
HPV vaccine. Given at the clinic. Girls aged 9 to 14: two doses, six months apart. From 15 to 26: three doses over six months. Women up to 45 can take it after discussing the benefit. It does not replace Pap smears.
Pre-cancer of the cervix. A small procedure removes the abnormal area, at the affiliated hospital. The cervix heals, and normal pregnancies are still possible.
Ovarian cysts. Simple cysts are watched with a repeat scan. Cysts that persist, grow or cause pain are removed, keeping the ovary, by laparoscopic gynaecological surgery in Chennai. A suspicious cyst is removed whole through an open operation.
Cancer surgery. Dr. Ragavi performs gynaecological cancer surgery herself at the affiliated hospital: hysterectomy (uterus removal) in Chennai with removal of the tubes and ovaries for cancer of the uterus lining, radical surgery for early cervical cancer, and staging surgery for ovarian cancer.
Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are not given at RV Clinic. When needed, Dr. Ragavi arranges them with oncologists she works with, explains the plan to you and your family, and continues the follow-up at the clinic.
We do not quote survival figures, because they mean nothing until the stage is known, and we do not promise outcomes.
Where treatment happens
Screening, Pap smears, HPV vaccination, scans and follow-up happen at RV Clinic Madipakkam or RV Clinic Thalambur, whichever is closer to you. Colposcopy, biopsies under anaesthesia and cancer surgery are done by Dr. Ragavi Vikram herself at Unittas Multispeciality Hospital, which is 21 km from the Madipakkam clinic and 5 km from the Thalambur clinic. RV Clinic is an outpatient clinic. No operation is done at either clinic address.
What to expect at your appointment
- Call or WhatsApp the clinic. If the problem is one of the red flags above, say so; you will usually be seen the same day.
- Dr. Ragavi takes a full history, including family history, and examines you with a lady attender present. A Pap smear is often done in the same visit.
- A transvaginal scan is done if the uterus or ovaries need looking at.
- You are told what she found, in plain words, and what the next step is. Most women leave reassured, with a screening plan.
- If a biopsy, colposcopy or operation is needed, it is arranged at the affiliated hospital within days, and the results are explained at the clinic.
Frequently asked questions
Pap smear test valikkuma?
It takes about a minute. Most women feel mild pressure, not pain. There is no injection and no cut, and you can go back to work straight after.
Menopause aana appuram bleeding varudhu, cancer-ah?
Usually not. Thinning of the lining, polyps and hormone tablets are commoner causes. But cancer of the uterus lining must be ruled out, so a scan and a sample of the lining are done promptly. Do not wait to see if it happens again.
At what age should my daughter get the HPV vaccine?
Nine to fourteen is the ideal age: two doses, six months apart. From fifteen, three doses over six months. It works before the virus is met, so earlier is better.
Is a lump in the breast always cancer?
No. Most lumps in younger women are fibroadenomas or cysts. But every new lump is examined and imaged, because no doctor can tell by touch alone. Do not wait for it to go away.
My mother had breast cancer. What should I do?
Tell Dr. Ragavi. Depending on the family pattern, screening starts earlier and genetic counselling may be advised. Family history also affects the decision about the ovaries at a hysterectomy.
How often do I need a Pap smear?
From 25 or 30, a Pap smear every three years, or an HPV test every five years, until 65 if results stay normal. More often after an abnormal result.
Book a consultation
A Pap smear takes a minute, and a worrying symptom takes one visit to check. Call or WhatsApp the clinic for an appointment at Madipakkam or Thalambur.