Well Women Exam
Your well-woman visit is all about you, your body, and your reproductive health. Well-woman visits are also called gynecological exams, pelvic exams, or annual exams. If you have a vulva, breasts, or a uterus, these visits are an important part of taking care of your health (no matter what your gender identity is).
The pap smear is a screening test to test for abnormalities such as cervical cancer and HPV infections, which require early treatment.
What happens during your well-woman visit depends on a few things, age, sexual history, and medical history.
You might talk about your period, especially if you’re worried about it being heavy, painful, or irregular.
If you’re sexually active (meaning you’ve had vaginal, anal, or oral sex), you may talk about birth control and safe sex.
Age 21, you’ll start needing regular pap test, pelvic exam and breast exam. As you get older, or as your health changes, your well-woman visits will include other tests like mammograms.
One thing that stays the same, no matter how old you are, is building a good, honest relationship with your doctor. You can talk about healthy relationships and other parts of your emotional health during your well-woman visit.