These days, busy lives make it easy for your health to slip your mind. Whether you’ve forgotten to schedule your wellness exam or you just couldn’t find time in the calendar, it’s time to reconsider the importance of keeping up with your well-woman exams.
Annual wellness exams are a simple but important element in your health care plan. Separate from other doctor’s appointments for injury or illness, they’re fully dedicated to you and your health.
Patricia Nevils, MD, and our Vibrant Woman Health Center team are your partner in wellness. We offer well-woman care and preventive screenings to help you achieve your best health at every stage of life.
If you’re wondering whether you really need a wellness exam every year, take a look at a few of our best reasons to schedule an appointment.
1. You get preventive screenings
Proactive health care is one of the most important reasons to keep up with your wellness exams. Identifying your risk for a disease before one actually develops allows you to implement a treatment plan before the health issue sets in.
Preventing health conditions is often easier and more effective than treating them later on. Your risk of developing certain health conditions changes as you get older. Talk to Dr. Nevils to learn more about what preventive screenings are right for you.
Common preventive screenings include checking for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Depending on your age, you might get screened for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), cervical cancer, or breast cancer.
2. It makes maintaining your best health easier
Your well-woman visit includes a complete physical exam and an assessment of your vital signs. Come to your appointment prepared to discuss your health history, lifestyle, menstrual cycle, and more.
During your physical exam, we measure your height and weight. You might get a Pap smear or breast exam as well. Depending on your needs, immunizations such as a flu shot or HPV vaccine could be appropriate.
A full assessment of your health gives you and our team a deep understanding of your well-being. We use this information to discuss your health goals and help you achieve and maintain your best health at every age.
3. You can make informed health care decisions
Your health is your business, but with regular wellness exams, you don’t have to make every decision on your own. Dr. Nevils and our team help patients find the right type of contraception for their lifestyles and goals for their families.
If you’re at risk for chronic conditions like diabetes, we can recommend lifestyle changes or nutrition counseling to help you improve your health. Women with bone loss or low immune systems may also find improved wellness with nutrition support at Vibrant Woman Health Center.
If you’re in your 40s or 50s, you could begin to experience symptoms of menopause. Our team is here to help you navigate these hormonal changes, and we offer a range of solutions like hormone replacement therapy to help you feel more like yourself.
4. There’s time to ask questions
It’s easy for your busy life, family, and career to get in the way of your health care. Prioritizing regular wellness exams gives you a designated time to focus on your well-being and get your questions answered.
Wondering if you should be screened for STDs? Suffering heavy menstrual periods or headaches when it’s that time of the month? Thinking you might like to change your birth control?
No question is off-limits. Don’t be embarrassed to ask about sexual dysfunction, pain, or any symptoms you might be experiencing. Our team is here to help you and answer all of your questions about your body.
5. You establish a relationship with your doctor
Seeing your OB/GYN annually is a great way to build a trusting relationship with each other. Your doctor understands your health history, existing conditions, and risk of other health issues.
Our team helps you manage your well-being throughout each stage of life, offering personalized health care that’s right for you. If you get sick, you don’t have to search for a new provider. As your needs change through life, we help you understand what to expect next.
Make yourself a priority with regular wellness exams. Call our Lafayette, Louisiana, office at (337) 234-6838 or request an appointment online to get started. You can also send a message to Dr. Nevils and the team here on our website.