The doctor inserts one or two fingers into your vagina while putting his or her other hand on your lower abdomen. By feeling around and pressing with both hands, the doctor can assess the size, shape, and position of your uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes and check for swelling or growths. This might feel weird, but it shouldn't hurt. If you feel pain, tell the doctor. Buy the book!

I know, you're thinking "she uses her fingers?" But really, she does this every day and it's totally normal. Trust me.

Q: Can you tell if I'm sexually active from a pelvic exam?

A: Some girls may still have an intact hymen if they're virginal and haven't been using tampons, so in that way I could tell that they probably have not had any sort of sexual intercourse. But many girls use tampons, and it would be very hard to tell just from looking if they have been sexually active or not.

Q: Can you tell if I masturbate from an exam?

A: No, I can't tell.