Health Education & Wellness


Women's Health

It is important to participate in regular health screenings, because screenings are designed to detect the presence of a disease. By getting screened regularly, your doctor may be able to catch a disease in the early stages. Catching a disease in the early stages has a better chance of recovery than in the later stages, so make appointments with your doctor regularly. It could save your life.

Contraception

For women, it is important to schedule regular visits to see a gynecologist. Most health providers agree that a female should have their first pelvic exam in the first few years after becoming sexually active, or when they turn 21, which ever comes first. Yearly visits are important to be sure everything is developing normally, to prevent pregnancy or infection, or to deal with a problem such as missed periods, signs of pain, or signs of infection. The chart below lists sexual health screenings and ages and intervals when women should schedule an appointment with their doctor.

Sexual Health Screening Guidelines
Screening: Ages 20-29 Ages 30-39 Ages 40-49
Pelvic Exam/Annual Gynecological Exam Yearly Yearly Yearly
Pap Test Yearly Yearly Yearly
Mammogram     1-2 years
Breast Self Exam Monthly Monthly Monthly
Clinical Breast Exam 3 years 3 years Yearly
Digital rectal exam     Yearly

Source: IUPUI Health Service.

Additional Resources

Pelvic Exam/Annual Gynecological Exam: An annual exam consists of a general physical exam (including a breast exam), pelvic exam (pap smear), update of life and work situation and family history, review of your health history, update of current medications, herbs, and supplements, the need for medication refills, evaluation of need for health screening tests based on age and personal and family history, and an update on immunizations. Regular pelvic exams help to detect diseases and safeguard fertility.

Pap Test: Also known as a pap smear, the pap test checks for changes in the cells of the cervix. This test can detect an infection, abnormal cervical cells and cervical cancer. If caught early, the chance of curing cervical cancer is very high.

Source: National Cancer Institute.

Mammogram: A mammogram is used to aid in the diagnosis of breast diseases in women. This procedure takes about 15 minutes, and during this time an X-ray is taken of each compressed breast. A mammogram is used to detect changes in the skin, clusters of calcium or signs of breast cancer that are too small to be detected during a clinical breast exam.

Source: MedicineNet.

Breast Self-Exam: When breast cancer is detected early, it has that best chances of being cured. Examining your breasts is an important way to find breast cancer at its early stages. Not every cancer can be found by a breast self-exam, but it is important to know your body, so you are able to notice changes that should be checked out by a doctor. Breast self-exams should be done once a month, a few days after your period ends when your breasts are least likely to be tender and swollen.

Clinical Breast Exam: A clinical breast exam is a visual and physical examination of the breasts done by a health care provider. The exams involve checking the look and feel of the breasts and underarm for any changes.

Source: WebMD.

Digital rectal exam: A medical professional performs a digital rectal exam to detect abnormalities of the reproductive organs.

STI Screening: For sexually active females under the age of 25, it is recommended they have an annual STI screening, because of the high incidence of Gonorrhea and Chlamydia at this age. When you are at your annual exam, ask your health provider if they conduct regular STI screenings when the pap smear is done.

Source: IUPUI Health Service.

What does the Beu Health Center offer regarding Women's Health?

Nurse practitioners provide a full range of services in a safe, confidential, and caring environment. An experienced and knowledgeable team of health care providers consists of women caring for women.

Our specialized services include:

To schedule an appointment, call 309/298-1888 between the hours of 7:30am-5:30pm