Women Wellness Exam – What Should I Expect?

You will learn all about your body, your reproductive system, and your wellness. These visits are also called Gynaecological Examinations, Pelvic Examinations, Annual Examinations, or Wellness Exams. This is an important part of taking care of your health (regardless of gender identity) if you have a vulva, breasts, or uterus.

Why Do You Need an Annual Well-Woman Exam?

Even though it is completely understandable to feel nervous before your first well-woman examination, schedule the appointment as soon as possible. As soon as you become sexually active or as soon as you turn 21, you should have your first well-woman exam. If you experience any irregularities in your menstrual cycle or pelvic pain, be sure to schedule an appointment. Women are advised to undergo a well-woman exam every one to two years in order to catch cervical cancer in its early stages, as well as other female-specific diseases. Because of this, it’s so important to schedule your annual exam as soon as possible.

What to Expect During Your First Well Woman Exam

As with any other appointment with a doctor, the well-woman exam begins. Your family medical history, current medications, general demographic information, menstrual cycle, sexual activity, and previous pregnancy history will be asked of you on the paperwork. You may receive follow-up questions about your intake forms from a nurse in addition to being measured for height, weight, and blood pressure. Afterwards, you will receive a dressing gown and be allowed to change.

There are four parts of the well-woman exam:
● The Physical Exam
● Breast Exam
● Pelvic Exam
● Pap Smear.

Physical Exam

Having your annual physical done at the same time as your well-woman exam can make it more convenient to get your physical and well-woman exams done. In addition to reviewing your medical history, your gynaecologist will ask about any current problems. In addition, they will check your vital signs, your heartbeat, your lungs, your head, your neck, your abdomen, and your reflexes. Blood tests or urine samples are sometimes requested.

Breast Exam

Exams for the breast are helpful in detecting breast cancer early on. An examination of your breasts by your gynaecologist will look for lumps or other abnormalities. The monthly self-examination method is also taught by the counsellors.

Pelvic Exam

During the dreaded pelvic exam, early stages of cancer, sexually transmitted diseases, and any causes of the inflammation can be detected. If your doctor orders a pelvic exam, he or she will have you lie on your back with your foot elevated on the leg rests. An examination of the outside of your vagina is performed by your gynaecologist to look for any signs of irritation, irritation,
discharge, or other conditions. By inserting their fingers into the vagina and pressing down on your abdomen with their other hand, sexologists will measure your ovaries, uterus, cervix, and vagina. A pelvic exam should be performed annually on women 21 and older. Underage women who experience regular menstrual cycles, vaginal discharge, or pelvic pain need to have a
pelvic examination.

Pap Smear

By screening for cervical cancer early, pap smears help discover the disease. While the speculum is in place, the gynaecologist will scrape a small tissue sample from the cervix with a small brush or spatula. Although you may feel a brief pinch while having a pap smear, the procedure shouldn’t be painful. You should get a Pap smear every two years if you are older
than 21 or are sexually active.

A good, honest relationship with your doctor or nurse remains the same no matter how old you are. During your wellness visit, you can discuss healthy relationships and other aspects of your emotional health. Getting better care depends on how honest you are.

Are you a woman with breasts and a vagina but do not identifies as one? Even so, going to the nurse or doctor for such a check-up is a good idea.

What types of questions will they ask me?

To begin with, your doctor or nurse will ask about your medical history and the medical history of any family members.

It’s important to be as honest and complete as possible when answering these questions, so they can give you the best care. The following questions will be asked of you:
● How long has it been since you last had a period?
● When does your period occur?
● What is the duration of these events?
● Between periods, do you ever bleed/spot?
● Have you experienced any unusual pain or itching in your vagina or vulva?
● What other medical conditions do you have?
● Who else in your family has medical problems?
● What is your sexual activity like? (So, have you ever engaged in vaginal or anal sex?)
● Are you attracted to both men and women?
● Do you ever feel pain during sex?
● When you have sex, do you bleed?
● What kind of birth control do you use?
● Can you tell whether you are pregnant?
● Are you interested in getting pregnant?
● To prevent STDs, what do you do?

Whether you use alcohol or other drugs, allergies, illnesses, infections, and whether you have had surgery may also be asked by your doctor. Your reproductive health can be affected by all of these factors. Any questions regarding: can be answered by your doctor.

Having an open line of communication with your doctor or nurse is essential. Therefore, if you don’t feel comfortable being totally honest with your current doctor or nurse, consider switching.

You should ask questions during your wellness examination, too! Your doctor can answer any questions you might have about:
● Control of pregnancy
● Blood after sex or pain after sex
● Periodic irregularities
● Pain in the pelvis
● Pregnancy tests for women

● If you have chlamydia, herpes, HIV, HPV, or other infections you’re concerned about,
you should be tested
● Discharge or odour from the vaginal area

Be sure to ask any questions that you may have. It is often possible to have any tests done during your appointment if you need them.