What Happens During a Women's Wellness Visit and Exam?

Everyone needs regular checkups to keep ahead of health issues, but these issues can vary between men and women. To manage problems unique to women, a well-woman visit is essential. Read on to find out what they’re like.

The medical needs of men and women are often different. When it comes to the annual physical, a well-woman visit is a better fit to address the unique needs of women.

Women in and around Mableton, Georgia, needing a well-woman exam or help with other medical concerns can find solutions courtesy of Temeka Johnson, PhD, FNP-C, and her team at Quality Health Source.

What’s a well-woman exam?

Well-woman exams are similar to a traditional annual physical. They both serve as an essential checkup on your general health, provide basic screenings, and allow you to voice any concerns about your health.

Women, however, need an exam focused on their concerns, issues like reproductive health, contraception, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and cancer.

At Quality Health Source, we can help you navigate issues with your menstrual cycle or hormonal changes and offer guidance if you’re trying to start a family.

How a well-woman exam can help

A well-woman exam can help with many conditions that women struggle with, including:

Reproductive problems

From the moment you hit puberty, physical and hormonal changes can lead to an array of problems. We can examine changes in your monthly cycle, concerns about contraception, and illnesses that affect your vagina, ovaries, and uterus during these visits.

Cancer

Without early detection, cancer cells in your reproductive system can spread.

STDs

Men and women can get sexually transmitted diseases, but these infections can lead to fertility problems in women if not treated. We can treat STDs to keep them from getting worse or spreading to other partners.

Changes due to aging

Well-woman visits can help you navigate hormonal changes during menopause and how they affect your health.

The exam process

We gather information, such as your medical history, family history, and results from previous exams, and perform basic tests, such as blood pressure, heart rate, and palpating for evidence of anything unusual. From there, we perform additional tests, including:

Pap smears to test for cervical cancer
Breast exams (mammograms) to screen for breast cancer
STD testing
Blood and urine tests to check for STDs, cholesterol, blood sugar, and more

Some aspects of your exam vary with age, such as getting the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which usually happens in your teens, and decisions about having children after using contraception for a long time.

Well-woman visits are essential to tracking a woman’s health as her needs change over time. If you have more questions or are ready to schedule your well-woman visit, call Quality Health Source or book your visit online today.