Maintaining Women’s Health
The advances made in the field of Medicine have resulted in an increased awareness about women’s health issues. Today more and more women—whether they are pushing 40 or have already hit their 50s—enquire about menopause management measures and go in for PAP smears and annual breast exams than ever before. But unfortunately, there are still many more women who choose to give these precautionary measures a miss, mostly because they are not aware of the various women’s health screening measures available or how frequently should they avail of these. For their benefit, the following are some key guidelines of maintaining women’s health:
• Go in for regular breast cancer screenings. Women aged 40 years and above and those who have a history of breast cancer among their close relatives must go in for annual breast cancer screening. Women above the age of 20 years must carry out self-examinations after consulting a women’s health physician about the appropriate procedure and learning about what to look out for.
• Go in for cervical cancer screenings. Cervical cancer is one of the most commonly occurring forms of cancer among women in the United States and what is disconcerting is the fact that most symptoms are not manifest till the disease has reached an advanced stage. So, women after reaching 21 years of age must go through an annual Pap smear without HPV testing till they reach 30, and Pap smear with HPV testing every three years henceforth.
• Go in for STD testing and treatment. There are several such tests and the nature and frequency of the tests conducted on an individual vary according to specific needs. A consultation with a gynecologist is necessary to determine the tests that an individual needs to go through.
• Do not neglect the annual exams. The screenings for the above-mentioned diseases notwithstanding, going in for annual exams that test for diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol levels, and osteoporosis amongst other medical conditions, is also an integral part of maintaining women’s health. Besides, these exams are opportunities for a gynecologist to also educate and counsel his patients, mainly adolescent and adult females, on topics like nutrition and appropriate exercise regimens and alcohol and drug abuse prevention.
At PrimeMedical, our vastly experienced gynecologists not only provide a whole host of women’s health care services like ovarian cyst and fibroid treatment and hormonal imbalance treatment but also counsel women on a range of other medical concerns to help them lead healthier lives. Call 310-58-0201 to know more about our women’s health services.