Most women who attend a gynecology consultation in Kolkata do not know what a good one looks like. They sit across from a doctor for 10 to 15 minutes, describe a symptom or two, and leave with a prescription or a referral for tests. When they come back with the results, another 10 minutes follows and a treatment starts.
This is not necessarily bad care for simple, well-defined problems. But for conditions that are underdiagnosed, undertreated, or misunderstood, it is insufficient. And there are quite a few of those in gynaecology: endometriosis (average diagnosis time 7 to 10 years), PCOS (frequently managed at symptom level without a proper workup), vaginismus (routinely dismissed or misnamed), pelvic nerve disorders (almost never recognised in a general gynecology setting).
This guide explains what a thorough women’s health consultation actually looks like, so you can tell the difference.
Before the consultation: what to prepare
The quality of a gynaecological assessment depends partly on the history you give. Doctors can only work with what they are told, and many symptoms that seem unrelated are connected.
Come prepared with:
A menstrual calendar. Note the dates of your last 3 to 6 periods, their duration, flow (light, moderate, heavy, and whether you pass clots), pain level on a scale of 1 to 10, and whether the pain comes before, during, or after bleeding. If you use a period tracking app, bring a screenshot or printout.
A symptom list. Write down every symptom, even those you are not sure are relevant: pain with sex (where, when, what type), bladder symptoms (urgency, frequency, burning, pain with full bladder), bowel symptoms (bloating, constipation related to your cycle), fatigue, mood changes, skin changes, hair changes, weight changes.
Previous test results. Bring any ultrasound reports, blood test results, or imaging from the past two years. Even tests that came back normal are useful, because “normal investigations with symptoms” is a clinical finding.
Your medication list. Include all current medications, supplements, and hormonal contraceptives. The pill, hormonal IUD, and injectable contraceptives all affect how symptoms present.
What happens at a thorough first consultation
A proper first consultation at a women’s health clinic should follow this sequence:
History-taking (20 to 30 minutes). The doctor should ask about your current symptoms in detail, your menstrual history, your obstetric history (pregnancies, deliveries, miscarriages), your sexual health history, your contraceptive history, your family history (PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, and gynaecological cancers have familial components), and your general medical history. This is not a brief questionnaire. It is a clinical conversation.
Physical examination. A pelvic examination, which includes external inspection, speculum examination, and bimanual palpation of the uterus and ovaries, is standard for any woman presenting with pelvic or menstrual symptoms. Many women are not examined at their first gynecology consultation in India. This is a gap. Nodularity in the posterior cul-de-sac on bimanual examination is a clinical sign of endometriosis that an ultrasound may miss. Tenderness with cervical motion is a sign of PID. These findings require a physical examination to detect.
Investigation plan. After history and examination, the doctor should explain what investigations she is ordering and why. Tests without explanation are a sign that you are being processed rather than assessed.
Diagnosis or differential. At the end of the first consultation, you should have either a working diagnosis or a clear differential (a list of possible diagnoses that the investigations will help narrow). You should not leave without knowing what the doctor thinks is going on.
Management plan. Treatment should be explained: what it is, how it works, what the alternatives are, and what happens if it does not work.
What Dr. Juhi Dhanawat’s clinics in Kolkata offer
Dr. Juhi Dhanawat is a female gynecologist with MS from Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital Mumbai, fellowship training in endometriosis surgery (France), minimal invasive gynaecology (Germany), and neuropelveology (ISON, Switzerland). She has 15+ years of clinical practice and 5,000+ procedures.
Her four clinic locations in Kolkata:
- Neotia Bhagirathi Woman and Child Care Centre, 2 Rawdon Street, Kolkata 700017. Tuesday and Saturday, 5 to 7 PM.
- Neotia Bhagirathi Woman and Child Care Centre, New Town, Action Area 1D. Thursday and Sunday, 9:30 to 11:30 AM.
- Motherhood Hospital, 338 Rajdanga Main Road, Kasba, Kolkata 700042.
- R N Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences, 124 Mukundapur, EM Bypass. Wednesday, 10 AM to 12:30 PM.
Conditions managed: endometriosis, neuropelveology and chronic pelvic pain, PCOS, irregular periods, vaginismus, dyspareunia, low libido, pelvic inflammatory disease, high-risk pregnancy, IUI, hysteroscopy, laparoscopic and robotic surgery, women’s wellness checkup.
Appointment: +91 8240886334 | Book online
When to come back: red flag symptoms that need prompt review
Some symptoms should not wait for a routine appointment:
Sudden onset severe pelvic pain, especially with fever, should be assessed the same day (rule out PID, ovarian torsion, ectopic pregnancy).
Bleeding between periods or after sex, if new or worsening, should be reviewed within one to two weeks (cervical and endometrial causes need to be excluded).
Pain so severe it stops your daily activities or requires pain medication is not “bad periods” until proven otherwise. It is a symptom requiring investigation.