As a woman in my 50s, I often wonder whether a new illness is only part of the “normal aging” or whether I should see a health service provider (HCP).
Is the pain fixed in my foot with physiotherapy or am I just getting too old to run? Do I not sleep well because of stress or is it perimenopause? Which vaccines should I get now where I am over 50?
These are just a few of the questions that are particularly important for women in all age groups – and make them helpful, especially in the middle of life.
Annual studies, which are sometimes referred to as a well -wife visits, are the key to maintaining good health. These visits will help you and your HCP to maintain an active dialogue about your health and can help prevent future medical problems. Annual visits are a great time to talk about your health concerns, ask questions and dismiss on different conditions. Your HCP can weigh you, take your vital functions, discuss your health habits and carry out a physical examination. With some annual visits you can pull blood or get a vaccine.
“As a family doctor, I take care of the entire patient and try to discuss prevention every time you visit,” said Ada D. Stewart, MD, Senior Provider and HIV specialist at Wavery Family Practice in Columbia, South Carolina and former CEO of the American Academy of Family Physicians. “My annual visits to women who focus on sexual health, but I usually see [my patients] I have more time to tackle their social history and to conclude their physical and mental health. I usually go to diabetes risk, heart disease [and] Working life balance sheet regularly. “
Ideally, annual studies should be an opportunity for your HCP to get to know you and your health needs and to build a long -term relationship with an HCP. But for many women it is the only time they see an HCP. Still others never get an investigation at all.
According to a report from 2024, only 7 out of 10 women between the ages of 18 and 44 had a preventive medical visit last year. This means that almost a third of women did not get a routine preventive care. And some women are more difficult to care for than others, including women with color, women with a lower level of education, women in rural communities and women with lower income.
Almost 12% of the 18 to 44 women are not insured, and Hispanic women, women without a university degree and women who live in poorer households have no health insurance. Preventive care and routine screening can be unreachable without health insurance.
What is included in a typical visit of the woman from women
Due to the insurance requirements, the average well -wife visits usually only 15 to 30 minutes. This does not always leave enough time to ask all your questions. And you may not be able to get the information or resources you need.
To make the best of these visits, you have to use your limited time with carefully. It helps to know what is to be expected.
The WMSI initiative of the Women’s Preventive Services publishes a well-described diagram in which recommended prevention services are described on the basis of age, health and risk factors of a woman, including screening and/or advice for:
- Alcohol, tobacco and substance consumption
- Fear and depression
- Blood pressure
- Birth control
- Cancer types such as chest, cervix, intestine, lungs and skin
- diabetes
- Nutrition and activity
- Intimate partner/domestic violence
- obesity
- Sexually transmitted infections (STIS) such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV
- Other infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and hepatitis B and C
- Vaccinations
This is a long list, and it may not even include everything you want to tackle, such as migraine attacks, menstrual health and menopause.
How you get what you need in a visit to a well woman
In a visit there is almost no way to treat any possible preventive health examination or any possible topic. So how can you get the information and support you need in your annual examination?
Stewart recommends coming to your visit and suggests that women bring a list of questions or concerns so that they do not forget anything if they are with their HCP.
“Annual visits by women offer me the opportunity to satisfy the special needs of women who change throughout their lifespan,” said Stewart.
Here are 4 tips to optimally use your annual visit:
- To implement your concerns. Think of your own health and outline what you ask or worry about. Take your time to think about things that you may be released or ignore. Be honest with yourself how you feel. Don’t just cut things off and tell yourself that you are doing well.
- Prioritize topics you want to talk about. You may have a long list of worries or concerns, but you cannot attract full attention for everyone during an annual examination. As soon as you are all on a list, choose the most important problems that are most important. Don’t let the visit without talking about these priorities.
- Share your concerns in advance. Many HCPS send forms before your visit. Or you may ask for the reason for your visit if you first make the appointment. Use something like this as an invitation to list everything in your head. If you do not ask about this information in advance, send it to your patient portal or call it in advance and ask for the best way to see your concerns for your HCP.
- Expect to track. Be ready to plan follow-up visits. If your HCP has no time or has no time to tackle more complex problems, you may send them to a specialist. If you no longer have time or feel rushed, you may even recommend that you come back to a separate visit. Take this visit a little pressure and invest in the care of your health over time.
This educational resource was created with the support of Pfizer, a healthy member of the corporate Advisory Council.
From their site articles
Related articles related to the web