Invaluable Benefits of Annual Women’s Wellness Visits

Women are often so busy with family, work, and other responsibilities that self-care can often come last. Scheduling a well-woman visit is an empowering step and critical for your health. Learn why here.

Modern women wear multiple hats — grandmothers, mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends — and are often so busy with family, work, and other obligations that it’s easy to skip going to the doctor regularly for a general check-up and preventive care.

But waiting to schedule health care appointments only when you have something unusual going on can be dangerous. An annual women’s wellness exam gets you age-appropriate health screenings, vaccinations, and other routine care that can prevent illness and disease.

The dedicated care team at Southdale ObGyn is committed to building partnerships with our patients that include yearly health appointments. Not only are these important overall health check-ins, but they also allow you to have a focused conversation with your Southdale ObGyn provider about any concerns or questions about your health.

What happens during a well-woman visit

You and your Southdale ObGyn provider are a team, and your wellness visit is a chance every year to strengthen that partnership.

This appointment allows you and your provider to touch upon all issues that have to do with your well-being, no matter your life stage:

Birth control options
Fertility issues
Testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
Vaccinations, from COVID-19 and flu to HPV and more
Your risk factors for conditions like breast cancer, diabetes, and heart disease
Scheduling preventive screenings, such as mammograms and colonoscopies
Pap smears
Breast health
Hormone imbalances
Perimenopausal education
Menopausal symptoms
Chronic conditions like osteoporosis
Mental health screenings
Medication coordination and management
A general check-up or physical

Your wellness visit is an ideal time for your provider to establish your health-related baselines, meaning what’s “normal” for you. For example, when we perform a breast exam, we have results from consecutive yearly visits so we can note any changes, and if necessary, you can undergo testing and treatment.

Why an annual well-woman visit is critical

The power of a well-woman visit is that it’s highly customized because we examine and consider your family and personal medical history. It’s also a prime opportunity to discuss and plan preventive care based on your risk factors for certain conditions.

Some risk factors are nonmodifiable, like a family history of breast cancer or heart disease, but many are controllable, meaning you can make lifestyle changes to reduce your risk for certain conditions.

We discuss how practices like eating a balanced diet, exercising daily, and avoiding tobacco use and excessive alcohol consumption have in lowering your risk for disease.

Committing to your well-woman visit at Southdale ObGyn is an empowering step as you manage your health over your lifetime with your provider.

Call our Burnsville or Edina, Minnesota, office today to schedule your well-woman exam or request one online.