Annual Wellness Exams
Providing you with a foundation for a woman’s health and wellness promotion as well as disease identification and management.
Throughout your life, your body is continually developing and changing. Because of these body changes, and the questions that may come along with each stage of development and maturation, it is important to have an annual well-woman exam.
These exams are also ideal times to discuss topics with your health care provider such as infections, drug and alcohol use, depression and domestic violence. Annual exams can be performed by an OB/GYN or your regular doctor at all of our Methodist Women’s Center facilities.
The annual wellness check provides your healthcare provider an assessment of your overall health that generally includes a health history check, a clinical breast exam, a pelvic exam, tracking of your blood pressure and weight, urine and blood testing and family planning. The exam provides the opportunity for the doctor to help patients understand and detect conditions that concern reproductive, gynecological and sexual health. As with all health conditions, early detection of potential problems provides for a more positive prognosis and treatment.
The pelvic exam generally includes an external inspection of the outer vulva and labia, an internal speculum exam to view the entire vagina and cervix and an exam of the ovaries and uterus. The pelvic exam can also include a pap smear that can detect abnormal cells in the cervix.
Other lab tests than the Pap smear may also be performed to identify infections and possible sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
The annual gynecological exam is recommended for women over the age of 18 or younger if they are sexually active.