Women's Wellness Visits

When do I need to get a women’s wellness visit?

Women’s wellness visits should be a regular occurrence in your life during adulthood. In fact, you should get one every year starting at age 21. At this age, your women’s wellness visit starts including several in-depth tests, like Pap smears and pelvic exams, that aren’t necessary for younger girls and women. 

You should get your very first women’s wellness visit sometime between ages 13 and 15. These initial visits include a physical exam from Dr. Clott, plus a discussion of your period, sexual activity, and other puberty-related occurrences. You might also get the HPV vaccine at one of your first women’s wellness visits.

What happens at a women’s wellness visit?

Each visit starts with a physical exam as well as numerous questions about your health, sexual activity, current medications, alcohol and drug use, and more. Keep in mind that these factors are important for your physician to know about simply because they can all affect your reproductive health. The next steps of the appointment will likely include:

Pelvic exam

Pelvic exams start at age 21 and happen at every visit. You lay on the table in a paper gown while Dr. Clott widens your cervix with a tool called a speculum, then views your internal reproductive organs, including your vagina, cervix, ovaries, and uterus. After that, she places one or two fingers with gloves and lubrication into your vagina and presses on your lower belly with her other hand. 

Pap test

A Pap test looks for cell changes that could lead to cervical cancer. Dr. Clott brushes or scrapes a few cells from your vaginal walls and sends them to the lab for testing. This component happens once every three years starting at 21, then once every five years ages 30-65. You might not need them anymore after that. 

Breast examination

Dr. Clott gives you a breast examination every 1-3 years, using her hands to feel for lumps and irregularities in your breast tissue. At age 45, you’ll also start getting yearly mammograms to screen for breast cancer, too. 

How should I prepare for my upcoming women’s wellness visit?

Preparing for a women’s wellness visit is easy and doesn’t require much on your part. You should avoid sexual intercourse for about 24 hours beforehand, and you should prepare:

• A list of current medications
• Your medical history
• A list of questions to ask Dr. Clott

Keep in mind that it’s important to build trust between yourself and Dr. Clott so you feel comfortable being honest and transparent around some sensitive and private subjects. Dr. Clott and her team provide a trusting, nonjudgmental atmosphere where you’re encouraged to be open for the best chance at appropriate treatments and advice. 

To book your next women’s wellness visit, call Somerset Women’s Care or use the convenient and discreet online booking tool today.