ANNUAL PELVIC EXAMS

Why Healthy Women Need an Annual Pelvic Exam

As busy women ourselves, we realize that it’s easy to put off (or avoid altogether) scheduling your yearly pelvic exam. But making time in your busy schedule for your annual pelvic exam, pap smear and mammogram is at the core of maintaining good health now and for decades to come.

A routine yearly women’s health screening will guarantee that any “invisible” health issues are identified and treated in the earlies stage possible, to ensure the best chance of recovery. And an annual exam is also a great time for a woman to ask questions about what’s going on with her body – whether it’s planning a family, weight gain, side-effects of contraceptives, or navigating the changes of menopause.

At AHA Women’s health in Dearborn and Lincoln Park we offer the latest technologies in women’s diagnostics, but that’s not all. Our all-female staff takes every step to ensure that each annual exam is warm, welcoming, comfortable, confidential, and completely painless.

Annual Pelvic Exams Spot Health Issues Sooner

The tests conducted at your annual well-woman exam are designed to identify health conditions (like cancer) in their earliest stages, when you may have no symptoms at all. With any disease, including cancer, it can most easily and most effectively be treated when caught in the early stages.

Pap Tests – sometimes called Pap Smears – screen for cervical cancer or precancerous cells. Detecting cervical cancer or abnormal cells in the early stages give a woman the greatest chance for a cure. When detected at an early stage, the cure rate for cervical cancer is around 92%! But if the cancer is not detected until it has spread, the survival rate can be under 20%.

Similarly, mammograms can detect breast cancer even before the patient feels a lump or has symptoms. When breast cancer is detected early, and has not spread outside of the breast, the survival rate is almost 100%! But if not detected until “Stage 4” the survival rate drops to around 27%.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both African American and Caucasian women in the United States. Often called “the silent killer” because of its subtle symptoms, heart disease kills more than 300,000 women every year and is responsible for about 1 in every 5 female deaths. Early blood pressure, cholesterol, arrhythmia and other screenings at your annual exam can help you get a handle on heart disease before it gets a handle on you!

Osteoporosis is another “unseen killer,” with 50% of women over the age of 50 suffering a broken bone in their lifetime due to osteoporosis. And broken bones can lead to a rapid decline in health and mobility – and even death. For example, 24% percent of hip fracture patients aged 50 and older die in the year following their broken hip.

Depending on your age, our OBGYNs may also recommend and administer immunizations like the HPV vaccine, flu shot, shingles vaccine, or pneumonia vaccination to help you avoid serious, preventable illnesses.

Even Young Women Need Annual Pelvic Exams

You may “feel great” in your 20s or 30s, but women of reproductive age have unique health concerns that can be addresses at an annual pelvic exam. If you are using contraception, for example, your OBGYN can make sure you are on the best method of birth control for your age and body – with the fewest possible side-effects. Discrete, judgment-free, routine screening for STDs is also essential for sexually active women.

And if you are planning to have children, now or in the future, your annual pelvic exam can help ensure that your ovaries and uterus are in optimal condition to conceive and carry a child. Issues such as heavy periods and painful cramping can also be investigated to rule out conditions such as fibroids, PCOS, endometriosis, and other diseases of the uterus and ovaries.

Annual Pelvic Exams to Feel Your Best at Every Age

Many women dismiss aches, pains, declining energy, weight gain, bladder leaks, or changes in their body as “just a part of getting older.” But this does not have to be the case! Thanks to modern medical treatments, our OBGYNs can help you live with energy and vitality at every age.

If you have gained weight, lost energy, have trouble sleeping, or sometimes feel mentally “foggy,” your hormones may be out of balance. As the body’s hormone production declines because of menopause or other factors women can suffer a wide variety of side effects – from annoyances such as hot flashes and increased belly fat, to serious health problems like heart disease or osteoporosis.

The OBGYNs at AHA Women’s Health in Dearborn and Lincoln Park can discus bioidentical hormone replacement therapy with you at your annual pelvic exam. Rebalancing estrogen, thyroid levels, and other hormones can bring your body back into balance – alleviating symptoms, restoring energy and safeguarding your health.

And if you are experiencing urine leaks, an annual pelvic exam can be the perfect time to discuss revolutionary, new, non-invasive EmSella treatment for urinary incontinence. This state-of-the-art, non-invasive, non-surgical, 100% natural treatment uses gentle but powerful pulses of electromagnetic energy to strengthen the pelvic muscles that control the bladder, while you read or relax fully clothed.

Annual Pelvic Exams and Sexual Health

Thanks to the trusting relationship our providers build with each patient, the annual pelvic exam is also an ideal time to bring up any intimate, sexual, or other potentially uncomfortable topics that are on your mind.

Whether you are 25 or 75 we offer a variety of advanced treatments that can improve intimacy. In addition to treating incontinence, Emsella improves vaginal tightness – and increases blood flow to the pelvic floor increasing orgasms. Hormone therapy can also help address vaginal dryness, low libido and discomfort during intercourse.

Women’s Annual Pelvic Exams | Dearborn & Lincoln Park

As you can see, there’s a lot more to your annual wellness exam than just a Pap smear! Scheduling a yearly well-woman exam can help you stay healthy, as well as improve and maintain your vitality and quality of life at every age.

If it’s been a year or more since your last pelvic exam, take a minute from your busy day to schedule this important and possibly life-saving exam at Dearborn or Lincoln Park OBGYN office – and stay healthy now and for years to come.

Annual Pelvic Exams | Dearborn & Lincoln Park: 313.388.4247