Extended well-child and well teen physicals

Girl 8yo - 13yo, western Europe, periodic exams to investigate prepubertal development

I am male, but I report about a niece of whom we are her legal guardian. It happened in Western Europe in the years 1980-1989 when she was 8 years old, 9 years, 10 years old, 11 year old, 12 years old and 13 years old.

We were notified by our physician of a clinic study into puberty and would be willing to enroll her. Would be paid for our time and she would have free healthcare. We drove her to the exams done at a regular hospital.

Children in foster care homes or the like seemed to be elected. Information about details were not overly thorough just that would be a serial follow up until she gets her period. Did say she would be examined, blood and swabs taken. And briefly put to sleep for some of the examinations.

Overview or the ordeal: Well the start was very standard exam height weight blood taken and a physical exam head to toe but kept her panties on. After that a different room were nurse gave an enema then back to waiting area in panties. Taken into a small theatre area where she laid on taken and given some drugs. One nurse would raise her legs whilst one took off her panties. She had catheter inserted. They took picture and measured her labia, clitoris hymen diameter distance between vagina and anus and others. They took multiple swabs from her genitals and performed a digital rectal exam. A transrectal ultrasound was done to measure her uterus, endometrium and ovaries.

Preparations: She was not allowed to eat some time before the exam. They washed her body before the exam. She got a traditional enema before the exam to clean out her stomach.

She had her underwear on mostly the time she stayed awake. The staff took her clothes off some time before the anesthesia had made its effect.

They placed her some time upon a simple examination table. They then placed her upon something like a dentist's chair, but with devices to lift her legs onto. There she was placed to lay on her back with legs flexed up, spread and mounted upon the devices.

She got IVs, tubes into blood vessels, in an arm, a device on a finger or a toe to measure pulse and oxygen in my blood, blood pressure monitor wrapped around an arm or a leg and electrodes on cheast. She got a tube or wire in through her urethra.

She got anesthesia through tubes into my blood vessels. She then got anesthesia gas to breath in through a mask. She got some numbing and lubricating cream injected into her urinary opening.

Sometimes the anesthesia made her relaxed, but was conscious. Other times the anesthesia made her sleep mostly, but she woke up occationally.

Bodily examinations with externat equipment: They took x-ray pictures of her hip area. They used electrodes at her chest to record body functions. They also inspected her genitals with an ultrasound probe. They took picture and measured her labia, clitoris hymen diameter distance between vagina and anus and others.

Genital inspections and probe taking: They used multiple swabs to take specimens from her genitals. They took specimens from her urethra with a tube. They took specimens from her bladder with the catheter. They took specimens from my vagina with a tube.

Inspections through her anus: The doctor explored her anus with a finger. They inspected her anus with a speculum. They inspected her through her anus with an ultrasound probe.
A transrectal ultrasound was done to measure her uterus, endometrium and ovaries. Dr said cant do transvaginal scan as don't want to alter any of her measurements.

Arrangements after the procedure: She had IVs into blood vessels. She lay some time in a bed to recover, naked under a blanket after the exam.

Follow-ups: Just to return in 12 months and let them know if she has a period. We were given swabs in a tube to take monthly self swabs of vagina. I drove her home.

The school she attended: She attended public boading school.

COMMENTS:

This is a typical ordeal to closely follow the bodily development of a girl in the prepubertal period and to time exactly the first occurances of menstruation.

For such research projects societies prefere to use children that are taken care of by some institution or guardian, probably because of these reasons: They are easy to recruit. They have a guardian with special skill that can easily be trained to help in the projects. These children are usually acustomed to be examined in their pelvic zone and to procedures like enemas endoscopies and catheterizations.

It is highly propbable that this community also was running a similar project on boys.

The guardian of the girl seemed to have participated in the exams to get instruction of how to take monthly checks and specimens, and probably to answar questions on the run.

Much of the internal inspections were done through the girl's anus to void interfer5ing with the development in her vagina and because this gives a better view of the uterus, backside of the bladder, ovaries and pelvic architecture.