A well-woman exam is important for women of all ages. Dr. Patricia Brougher runs an OBGYN office that offers excellent well-woman exams in San Antonio.
Well woman exams are tests meant to assess all aspects of a woman’s reproductive health and are usually a preventive measure. It is recommended that all women should undergo these exams at least once a year.
There are many benefits to these exams including:
For Cancer Screenings
Though women are encouraged and taught to perform their own breast exams to check for cancerous lumps, there is no substitute for a professional examination. Every well-woman exam will include comprehensive cancer screenings, particularly breast and cervical cancer.
Cancer of any kind is potentially deadly so it is best that it is detected as early as possible. When it is caught early, it is much easier to treat and return the body to optimal health.
Therefore, if you do not want to deal with the serious effects of late-stage cancer, a well-woman exam is a great idea.
Reproduction Planning
An integral part of well-woman exams is reproduction planning. That includes whether you want to get pregnant or vice versa.
During a well-woman exam, your doctor will discuss various birth control methods with you as well as their side effects to find out the most suitable one for you. The doctor may also discuss your lifestyle habits and how they affect your reproductive health.
If you want to get pregnant, she will help you come up with an effective course of action to get pregnant. Such preparative advice is very helpful and will make the process easier.
If you are already pregnant and already have children then it is the doctor’s responsibility to discuss family planning alternatives during your well-woman exam.
STD Testing
Another vital benefit of undergoing well-woman exams is that you get to be tested for STDs. Though you may be careful about your sexual health and be committed to one partner, you can still contract an STD.
It is particularly important to get tested for STDs whose symptoms are not easily noticeable. There are some STDs that don’t show symptoms at all until it is too late.
Therefore, getting tested for all STDs imaginable at a sufficiently equipped clinic is crucial. Getting an STD will not only affect your life but also affect the life of your partner.
Intimate Consultation
A well-woman exam offers you the chance to discuss your most intimate medical concerns on a personal basis with a female healthcare provider if you prefer. It may sometimes be very difficult to open up to a generic doctor about serious sexual issues.
Almost all women have questions about their reproductive health that they would like to ask a healthcare provider. Since these factors will already be tested during a well-woman exam, it makes it less uncomfortable to ask such questions.
You can learn more about your body and sexual health during such a consultation. You can then apply the lessons learned to benefit your life and health.