Top Reasons To Schedule Your Annual Wellness Exam

The female body requires attentive and experienced care, and scheduling annual wellness exams with your OB/GYN play a key role in that care.

Your annual exams are a time to update your preventative health measures and to address your wellness goals for the upcoming year. This is an opportunity to discuss ways of optimizing your health and allowing your provider to help guide you through the maze of options.

Here are some of the areas that make yearly OB/GYN visits important for women.

• Sexual Health – Concerns about intercourse for those young and old can be discussed openly at this appointment. Whether it is to talk about concerns of possible sexually transmitted infections, birth control options or even pain during intercourse, your GYN should be a clinician that you feel comfortable talking about these issues with. In addition this is a great time to discuss birth control methods that are best for you. New options appear all the time. There is no one better to talk this through with than your GYN and this conversation is one that happens at your yearly visit.

• Preventive care - As a woman, we are lucky in that there is a specialized physician out there to not only deal with our bodies, but also counsel us on ways that we can stay healthy overall as a woman. Having the opportunity to discuss ways that we can be healthier in our lives - from our diets to exercise to our mental health - with someone that is an expert in treating women is a privilege that should not be missed.
• Clinical breast exam - Ideally we will be giving ourselves self-breast-exams monthly. But, it is reassuring to have an expert perform an easy, quick and painless breast exam once a year. An experienced professional might feel or see something that causes concern that might be missed at home.
• Incontinence - Incontinence is not necessarily a subject that women shout from the rooftops (though quite honestly it is incredibly common condition). Your gynecologist can be a first stop for you to discuss options for helping minimize this problem.
• Menstrual Cycle - Having a conversation about your period can tell your gynecologist a lot about your health. Is your bleeding consistent each month? Does your period come every month? How heavy is your period? Are the symptoms surrounding your period causing an incredible amount of discomfort? Do you have bleeding in between periods? These are all simple questions that can tip your gynecologist off that something is wrong.
• Preconception counseling - If you are in the childbearing years of your life and planning a family, it is extremely important to think ahead and create a healthy environment for you to conceive. Talking with your gynecologist about vitamin/nutrient intake, family history, and lifestyle are all important conversations that help lead to a successful pregnancy.
• Mental health and wellness - Most women have times in their lives where their emotions are astray. Whether it is early on in life, postpartum, menopause driven or for no known reason at all, it is important to have someone that you can feel comfortable talking to. Your well-woman exam is a welcome time to talk openly about how you are feeling.

West Orange Women's Care also offers in-office blood draws and testing and has state-of-the-art GE Healthcare 3D and 4D ultrasound facilities onsite for your convenience. 

Please reach out to one of our friendly staff members to schedule your visit today.

Be Well,

The Staff at West Orange Women’s Center

Serving the Ocoee, Winter Garden, Winderere, FL areas

Sources: https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/womens-health/2016/august/nine-reasons-to-visit-your-obgyn-annually