Hi there, shark_hyazinthe!
As you already know from supporting your friends, many people are nervous about their first gynecologist appointment, which is absolutely understandable, especially when you have the added stress of wanting to bring up your pain there. I’m wondering if maybe talking about this with the friends who have already been through their first appointments might be helpful?
If you have any specific questions about how the first appointment might be like, we can definitely talk or give you some resources about that, so let us know if you would like that. But it sounds to me like you are more worried about how will they deal with your period pain so I will focus more on that.
Generally, any pain that is disturbing your life (as in not being able to work/go to school/focus etc.) and/or isn’t relieved by over-the-counter analgesics and/or has some other unusual symptoms tied to it, should be examined and treated by your healthcare provider. But even if that sounds like something you are experiencing, it does not have to mean there is any underlying issue or that you will get a diagnosis on your first appointment. What you can do on your first appointment is describing clearly your pain, it’s history, how it is affecting your life and any other symptoms and preexisting health conditions you have to the doctor and then trusting their professional knowledge in their assessment of it. And if you feel like you did not get what you needed from them and like they are not a good fit for you, you can always find someone else! We have a great article about communicating with doctors if you would like some more advice with that:
Dealing With Doctors: Taking Control of Your Health Care Destiny
As for the pill, I just want to gently clarify that while depression, among others, can be a side effect of using birth control pill, it does not mean it happens to everybody. Most people use that kind of birth control for years without having any issues! So if it something that is offered to you, you might want to bring up your worries to the doctor and ask if something in your health history might play a role in how the pill might work for you.
But even if you decide that is not something you want, there are other ways of managing period pain, like you can read in this old, but still really useful, piece:
Stamp Out Cramps (Without the Pill)
If you want, we can also talk more about your experience with the pain. We can’t of course substitute professional healthcare, but we can provide some info and it might be helpful to know what kinds of questions to expect from the gynecologist too! That might be: When do you experience the pain, only during your period or not? And for how long does it usually last? Do over-the-counter medication help at all? Does something else help? How does it affect your day to day life? For how long have you been menstruating?
I’m asking the last one, because it is common for periods to be more painful during the first few years of having them, so this is something that might get better for you in some time!