An excellent way to promote better health and prevent certain health issues is scheduling a well-woman checkup every year, even during a pandemic. An annual well-woman exam includes different screening tests to assess health and wellness. Screenings often include a breast exam, pelvic exam, and pap smear, for example. The board-certified and caring providers at Advanced Women's Healthcare in Bloomington, IL, provide annual checkups and other health and wellness services for women.
Annual Well-Woman Exams
Well-woman exams play an important role in preventing certain health issues from developing. Scheduling an annual checkup at our Bloomington, IL, women’s healthcare practice helps with the early detection of potential problems so they can be treated before becoming more serious. Your annual well-woman checkup also gives you the opportunity to address sexual or reproductive health concerns with your doctor.
Well-woman exams can begin as early as the teens or early 20s and should continue every year thereafter. Depending on your age, an annual checkup could include:
- Pap tests
- Pelvic exam
- Breast exam
- HPV screening
- Mammogram
- Colonoscopy
Many younger girls will not need a Pap test or pelvic exam until they reach their early 20s. A mammogram and colonoscopy are not needed until later in life. In addition to the above, other services that can be part of a well-woman checkup, as needed, include treatment for irregular menstruation, STD testing and treatment, contraceptive counseling and birth control, or menopause symptom management.
Checkups During a Pandemic
Scheduling medical appointments during a pandemic can be a bit more complicated than usual, but is still very possible. Our women’s healthcare team remains up to date on the latest medical and safety practices and takes every precaution to keep patients safe when coming in for checkups during a pandemic. You can be confident in the care you receive when you visit it our practice.
Benefits of an Annual Exam
Scheduling an annual well-woman checkup offers multiple benefits and should be continued with special precautions even during a pandemic. Annual exams serve a preventive role and can help reduce your risk for developing certain health issues, such as osteoporosis. Additionally, the various health screenings performed during your checkup aid in the early detection of potential problems so they can be treated promptly, thereby preventing them from becoming more serious.
Another benefit of scheduling a checkup every year, even in the midst of a pandemic, is that it allows your provider to continue monitoring your health and wellness. Changes in your health can be identified sooner when you see the doctor regularly. An additional benefit is that the doctor can help with the management of symptoms due to such things as menstruation or menopause.
Annual well-woman checkups are always important, even during a pandemic. Schedule annual checkups by calling Advanced Women's Healthcare in Bloomington, IL, at (309) 808-3068.