How Often Should I Have a Well Woman Exam?

An annual physical is something of an ideal for medical care that, depending on your age and health, may not be urgent. 

But if you’re a woman, a well woman exam, or wellness exam, should be an annual event, given the influence of your reproductive system on your overall health and well-being.

At Southeast Urogyn, urogynecologists Robert Harris, MD, and Steven Speights, MD, lead our team, which specializes in well woman exams. We view it as an opportunity for you to build a relationship and history with us. 

While decisions about your health and health care are yours to make, every woman should discuss the frequency of care with her provider to take advantage of the protections and preventive benefits that well woman exams offer. 

Components of a well woman exam

Each visit and every patient may require a different process, but there are four primary goals for a well woman visit:

• Updating your health history and vital signs
• Physical exam
• Setting health goals
• Health questions

These touchpoints are typically a component of every well woman visit, from your first in adolescence, through pregnancy and into menopause. 

The case for annual exams

The Office for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services, recommends yearly well woman exams. 

They point out the need for medical exams outside of other illnesses or physical conditions. It’s a health appointment that’s ideal for placing preventive health at the forefront. 

Your well woman exam is the logical time for Pap tests, but these aren’t always required annually. There are plenty of other non-annual events, such as vaccinations, boosters, and other preventive screening tests, that are a good fit for regularly scheduled well exams. 

Through life changes

The stages of your life have different health care demands. The changes of adolescence and the start of sexuality give way to contraception and family planning. Pregnancy and childbirth are part of another challenging, and rewarding phase.

The risks of various illnesses emerge at different points in your life, and the changes that menopause brings can raise new questions. When we’re with you through it all, every year, you have a stable health care reference. 

We know you, know the changes you’ve been through, and may be able to give you a perspective on your health that you’re too close to see. That relationship makes your life easier. 

Call on us at Southeast Urogyn to obtain the quality wellness care you deserve. Book an appointment by calling our office in Madison or Flowood, Mississippi or requesting a visit through our online system. Get your well woman visits back on track and schedule one today.