Wellness Exam

A woman’s wellness exam, commonly referred to as a well-woman exam, is a yearly preventive health appointment with your OBGYN. As the name implies, they are meant to keep you well. These visits provide an opportunity for you to undergo age-appropriate screenings and address your overall health. Additionally, they serve as a platform for asking questions and receiving guidance on any health concerns. Regular check-ins with your practitioner ensure you stay abreast of advancements in women’s health and receive trustworthy advice from a provider familiar with both you and your personal health history.

The initial phase involves swiftly collecting your vital signs, followed by a discussion of any health changes since your last visit. For those undergoing their first well-woman exam at SheMD, a comprehensive review of personal and family health histories is conducted. Subsequently, Dr. Kahan conducts a breast and pelvic exam. Positioned on the exam table with your feet in stirrups, a speculum is used to gently separate vaginal walls, facilitating a visual examination of vaginal tissue and part of the cervix for potential abnormalities. As part of this process, a Pap smear might be performed—a straightforward test examining cervical cells for cancerous changes. This is followed by the bimanual exam, which allows for a gentle palpation of the pelvic organs including the uterus and ovaries.

Since the wellness exam is considered a preventive visit, it will focus on your general health. It includes certain screening tests such as the pap smear, and also may address contraception (birth control) as well as sexually transmitted infection screening.

In contrast, a problem-focused visit can address a variety of concerns, including:

• Abnormal bleeding
• Pelvic pain
• Sexual health
• Vaginal dryness
• Pregnancy testing
• Vaginal discharge

As these represent topics outside the scope of a preventive visit, they may have to be addressed at a separate encounter. Dr. Kahan is dedicated to addressing any questions or concerns you may have. The key to maximizing the benefit of these visits is cultivating a trusting relationship with Dr. Kahan.