Well-woman annual exams are essential for a woman’s health, from teenage years through the postmenopausal years. At this yearly visit, many parts of a woman’s life are covered and discussed in detail. These visits are much more than just a PAP smear. During your well woman annual exam, I start with your lifestyle habits:

• Life balance
• Relationships
• Stress (professional, educational, personal)
• Exercise
• Nutrition
• Smoking or alcohol consumption
• Sexual practices
• Menstrual cycles

Each year, a new Wheel of Life sheet is used with other personal information to build your patient profile in order help you and I develop your long-term healthcare plan, as well as define your top 3 Wellness Goals for the year, obstacles that may make achieving these goals more challenging, and benchmarks to keep you on track.

As part of your annual check-up, I will perform the following procedures during your well-woman exam:

• Breast exam
• Chest exam & cardiac evaluation
• Pelvic exam – to check for uterine or ovarian abnormalities and screen for cervical cancer.
• Depending on age, a mammogram or bone density scan may be ordered.
• Depending on age, sexual activity or concern from recent encounters, a Pap smear and test for the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) may be ordered.

We pride ourselves on attention to detail to truly understand how various life factors are impacting your health. Relationship issues, sexual practices, life choices, and work or school are discussed as they all play a major role in your over-all health. Having a complete perspective of a woman’s life allows us to better see how an individualized treatment plan can be created for the upcoming year and beyond.

Having me as your accountability partner makes it much more likely that you will stick your goals. Weight loss, anti-aging and even hormonal treatment of symptoms are also covered during this yearly exam. Being proactive and working with me serves to maintain your health and allow for optimal wellness. As your doctor, it is my mission to work with you and listen to, and truly address your concerns. I strive to make my patients feel comfortable about discussing any topics.