Who Needs Routine Preventative Care?
Women of all ages, from their adolescent teenage years through their senior years.
What are Routine Preventative Care Appointments?
They are annual appointments with your gynecologist, and they are an important part of your care with The Group for Women. These annual appointments should begin in your teen years and are especially important when you are sexually active.
During your appointment, your doctor will:
- Perform a pelvic exam
- Take a pap smear
- Have routine blood work and a urinalysis done to check for any abnormalities
- Examine your breasts, show you how to perform a self-breast exam and recommend the age when you should begin to have a mammography
- Offer contraceptive counseling
- Perform other gynecologic screenings as needed
- Discuss your diet and exercise
- Recommend any supplements for bone health like calcium
- Ask you about any other questions or concerns you have about your health care
Why are Routine Preventative Care Appointments important?
An annual appointment with your gynecologist is very important because abnormalities can be detected and treated quickly. Because your female organs are internal, they cannot be seen without a special exam and tests. For example, a pap smear can detect many minor abnormalities long before they are able to be seen even by your doctor or felt by you, the patient.
A pap smear is a test that checks for changes in the cells of your cervix which is the lower part of the uterus (womb) that opens into the vagina (birth canal). The doctor performs this test by taking a swab of your cervix. It is done in the examination room and is painless. The pap smear can tell if you have an infection, abnormal (unhealthy) cervical cells, or cervical cancer.
Annual appointments give you an opportunity to discuss any issues you may be having and ask questions to your doctor. Depending on your age, your doctor can discuss many issues including menstrual difficulties, menopause, hormone therapies, birth control, pregnancy plans and problems with intimacy.
Who will you see for your Routine Preventative Care Appointment?
The Group for Women encourages you to establish a relationship with one of the practice’s doctors, so they can get to know your healthcare needs. Throughout your life, however, you may need to see another one of our highly qualified doctors for a special problem or procedure, so we encourage you to be familiar with our team of doctors and nurses.
To learn more about the services we provide, please contact us today at 757-466-6350.
