made before the visit... Do go into detail. We're not saying to describe every moment of your morning cuddle session, but health care providers work best with specifics, so don't be shy about sharing information that could be relevant to your health care. A few good ways to get specific with your provider: Use a scale of 1-10. The 1-10 scale is universal code for anything health-related. It usually refers to the degree or intensity -- 10 being the most intense and 1 being the least -- so neither end of the scale is necessarily good or bad. The scale can be useful when your provider asks you questions like: "What's your period been like since you got your ParaGard?" And you can answer: "It's been really heavy -- on a scale of 1-10, normally it's about a 4. Lately it's been more like a 7. My cramps are at an 8 -- normally I'd say they're at a 6." Do make sure you have a chance to ask questions. Some providers might want to wait till after they examine you (stage 2 below) to answer your questions. Others might assume that if you have questions, you'll ask them at the beginning of the visit. Never hurts to check with a simple "I have a few questions -- will there be time to ask them later or is now a good time?" Don't beat around the bush. Studies suggest that many patients wait until their third question to bring up