Well Women Visits and Health Screenings

Preparation for your Well Woman Exam

Your health practitioner will want to understand your personal health and family health history to get a fuller understanding of potential health issues. Please gather information before your appointment including:

Family health history, for close family members including; medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes, or cancers; and a list of any a major surgeries they may have undergone and any severe allergies 

Personal health history, including current prescriptions, any over-the-counter medicines and supplements, and your known medical conditions, surgeries, allergies and reproductive history. The health practitioner will also document useful lifestyle information that might impact your health including risk factors such as use of alcohol, tobacco and drugs.

Symptoms or concerns, including current or chronic symptoms, or any other health-related questions that you would like to discuss.

Elements of a Well Woman Visit

As well as gathering family and personal health history, you will have an initial  physical exam to measure your height and weight, as well as your temperature and blood pressure.  You may also have a breast exam, and a pelvic exam with Pap Smear - depending on your age and the date of your last test.  

Your Well Woman visit may include the following, dependent on your age, life stage and screening history:

• Cervical cancer screening (Pap tests)
  • We recommend that woman have their first Pap smear at the age of 21, then every three years until age 29.
  • From ages 30-65, women should schedule a Pap test every five years with an HPV test.
  • Some women can stop taking Pap tests after 65 years of age. Your doctor will advise you.

• Breast cancer screening
  • If you test positive for BRCA1, you should receive your first mammogram at age 30
  • Women should schedule their first mammogram at age 40, and annually after that. If a close family member (mother, father, sister, brother) has been diagnosed with breast cancer, your doctor will probably recommend that you start your screenings 10 years prior to the age your family member was diagnosed. For example, if your sister was diagnosed at age 39, you should start screening at 29.  A mammogram will normally be scheduled separately from your annual Well Woman visit. 

• Osteoporosis screening

• Screening for sexually transmitted infections

• Contraceptive counseling

• Preconception counseling

• HPV vaccination

• Anticipatory guidance appropriate for your life stage including safe sex, fertility, the menopausal transition, bone health, substance use, folic acid supplementation etc.

At the conclusion of your OB-GYN annual exam, you may be referred for additional testing, including a mammogram, bone density tests, or colon cancer screening.

Adolescents GYN visit

Preventive gynecology care is an important part of adolescent health.  An adolescent gynecology visit provides education for young people on their changing bodies and establishes trust and confidence with a provider.

A typical adolescent visit includes a consultation and a full medical assessment tailored to each patient’s specific needs. Find out more about Adolescent GYN visits. Find out more about Adolescent GYN visits.