Preventive care is extremely important for your body, which is why we have yearly checkups with our physicians! Unfortunately, many women tend to forget or neglect the yearly checkups they should be having with their OB/GYN too.

Getting a pelvic exam and a pap smear exam, even when you feel like you don’t need it, is crucial. Dr. Susan Fox and her team are ready to give you the care you need!

Our Well-Woman Exam in Kendall

Although you should first visit your gynecologist or OB/GYN in your mid to late teen years, you should start getting annual checkups when you’re 21.

Specifically, your doctor should be administering a well-woman exam, which includes preventive screenings for breast and gynecological diseases. It’s also important to note that we highly recommend starting your yearly checkups three years after becoming sexually active.

After your first exam at Dr. Susan Fox’s Center for Women, our skilled medical examiners will be able to determine how often you should return for a check up, but the typical recommended time period is within a year.

We know that it can be nerve-wracking to come in for a gynecology appointment, as many women feel anxiety about what their doctors may find.

Many fear that the process will be uncomfortable or even painful because of the various procedures and examinations that professionals perform during a checkup.

At Dr. Susan Fox’s Center for Women, we recognize that many women feel this way and it is our goal to ensure that each and every patient that walks into our clinic feels comfortable, safe, and at ease.

Our professionals take special care in performing quick and effective examinations that will be both informative and helpful.

During your time with Dr. Susan Fox, she’ll ask you some questions about your health and lifestyle, and answer any questions you may have about your body.

Your doctor will also perform a physical exam of your breasts and pelvis. The well-woman exam is a great time to discuss pre-pregnancy counseling and do screenings for sexually transmitted diseases.

Two important procedures in the well-woman exam are the pelvic exam and the pap smear exam.

Pelvic Exam in Kendall

What does a pelvic exam aim to do? Essentially, this physical exam checks for uterine or ovarian abnormalities and screens for cervical cancer.

We recommend scheduling your pap smear exam in Kendall to be performed within 10 to 20 days after your menstrual cycle, avoiding the use of vaginal products, douching and sexual activity during the days prior to the appointment.

Once you are properly situated with Dr. Susan Fox or our other medical professionals, they will examine the surrounding genital regions, such as the urethra, the vulva folds, etc. for any signs of abnormal discharge, cysts, inflammation, or genital warts. If everything looks normal, this is a quick and easy process.

A speculum will then be inserted into the birth canal to gain a close look into the vagina and cervix. The speculum is a stainless steel or plastic device that looks like a duckbill.

Women should breathe deeply and try to relax their vaginal, rectal, and abdominal muscles while your doctor is inserting the speculum.

Sometimes doctors will warm up the speculum beforehand to make you feel more relaxed. After inserting the speculum, we’ll utilize a cervical brush to scrape certain areas and collect an endocervical and ectocervical sample.

These samples are then sent to a lab for testing and evaluation where we make sure to give you the most accurate results. Pelvic exams are nothing to be worried about, and it’s a routine process that you can expect from your gynecology visit at Dr. Susan Fox’s Center for Women.

This exam is relatively short and our professionals do everything within their power to help you feel calm and relaxed. Should you feel any discomfort or have any questions or concerns, our team is happy to help you.

Pap Smear Exam in Kendall

Remember that endocervical and ectocervical sample that we send to the lab? Specifically, the procedure of gathering this sample is called a pap smear exam.

This is another routine and quick part of the pelvic exam process, so it’s a typical part of a well-woman examination. This test is performed in order to search for any early signs of serious abnormalities such as cervical cancer.

The lab results of your pap smear exam will allow our experts to address the issue in its early stages and could potentially prove to be life-saving. This is why our professionals view well-woman exams as preventive care.

By consistently having yearly checkups, your OB/GYN will be able to tell if anything is out of the ordinary. More importantly, your doctor will be able to diagnose any abnormality and treat it before it’s too late.

Contact us today and book an appointment at our Kendall office right through our website! We are happy to assist you during your visit and help you understand your body the best way possible.