Well Woman Exam Specialists

What Happens During a Well-Woman Exam?

An annual well-woman exam involves a comprehensive check of your health. It’s a preventive measure to make sure you stay healthy and catch any possible complications before they progress into a serious concern.

You might associate a well-woman visit with your pelvic exam, and that is part of it, but it’s also a time at which the clinical staff checks your vitals – such as blood pressure, weight, and oxygen saturation.

You meet with your North Atlanta Women’s Specialists doctor to discuss your health and lifestyle at a well-woman exam. You may bring up any possible symptoms, sexual habits, or mental concerns during this visit. If you have questions about your contraception needs, raise them.

Other topics you may discuss at a well-woman exam include: 

• Menopause
• Hormone therapy
• Urinary incontinence
• Menstrual cycle
• Fertility and pre-pregnancy planning

If you’re concerned about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), request a test. STD testing is not a routine part of well-woman exams. 

The practice provides HPV, or human papillomavirus, testing. HPV is an extremely common STD that can lead to the development of genital warts and abnormal cells on your cervix. Some strains of HPV can cause cervical cancer.

Your doctor also performs a pelvic exam and a clinical breast exam. If you’re due for a Pap smear to check for irregular cells and risk of cervical cancer, they conduct it during the pelvic exam.

For women 40 and older or those who are younger with an increased risk of breast cancer, the OB/GYNs offer mammograms and mammogram evaluation and treatment recommendations as part of annual exams.

In addition, they may recommend routine blood tests and urinalysis during a well-woman exam.

Why Do I Need a Well-Woman Exam?

A well-woman exam helps support your overall health, so you lead a fulfilling life. It’s easy to push aside preventive care because it’s not an immediate concern, but taking the time to check in on your health at least once per year helps you stay healthy and active for years to come. It can also prevent a major health emergency.

Many health concerns, such as hypertension and cervical cancer, have no outright symptoms until they reach a dire state. During your annual well-woman exam, your doctor can identify any of these health problems in their earliest stages and help you get the treatment you need to prevent issues. 

Who Needs a Well-Woman Exam?

Women should first visit North Atlanta Women’s Specialists between the ages of 13 and 15. This first adolescent gynecology visit doesn’t normally include a pelvic exam but does give a young woman the chance to establish a relationship with a qualified gynecologist.

Young women benefit from discussing puberty, their menstrual cycle, and sexuality.

Well-woman exams continue through adulthood, with pelvic exams and regular Pap smears beginning around age 21. The doctors at North Atlanta Women’s Specialists support your gynecological health through menopause and afterward as well.

Schedule your well-woman exam today. Call North Atlanta Women’s Specialists or book an appointment online.