Your Annual Pelvic Examination and Your Health

If you are a woman and have missed your annual pelvic examination, you are missing a very important opportunity to safeguard your long-term health. Your annual pelvic examination provides your health care provider a great opportunity to monitor your overall health and to check for signs of any health issues that affect women. These conditions may include Breast Cancer, Cervical Cancer, HPV or other STDs, Osteoporosis and Menopause. During your annual examination, your OBGYN can also make sure that you are up-to-date with any recommended screening tests including Mammography, HPV testing, Pap Smear testing, bone density testing and more. Although there are guidelines around all these different types of screenings, your doctor may recommend more frequent screenings if you are genetically exposed to these conditions or if you are at a higher risk category. All of the conditions listed above are best treated when detected in their earliest stages.

Your annual OBGYN examination is also a great time to talk with your doctor about any health problems or symptoms that you are experiencing that are affecting your quality of life. This could include sleep problems, hormonal imbalances, depression, weight gain and more. In some cases, your symptoms may be related to hormonal imbalances that occur naturally as your enter different stages of life. In this case, your physician may recommend lifestyle changes or if necessary, medication to ease your symptoms.

If it has been more than a year since you visited your OBGYN for a annual pelvic examination, schedule an appointment with your doctor or other healthcare provider today. Your health depends on it!