Beyond the Pap Smear: What Really Happens at Your Well-Woman Exam

A well-woman exam is part of effective women’s health care. When you see your gynecologist regularly, you prioritize your reproductive, pelvic, sexual, and emotional health and ensure that health conditions are either prevented or caught in early stages. 

You may associate your well-woman exam with Pap smears alone, and while this screening is a vital part of your healthcare as a female, well-woman exams go far beyond a Pap smear.

At Women’s Specialty Care in Lake Forest and Grayslake, Illinois, Karen Mass, MD, FACOG, leads our team in providing expert-level and specialized care for women. In this month’s blog, we’re discussing each aspect of well-woman exams to help you understand their health benefits. 

Medical history review and general health check

No matter your age or stage of life, every single well-woman exam starts in the same way. Our team checks your weight and your blood pressure, making sure there aren’t any measurements or changes in measurements that denote cause for concern.

Once we have these readings, we review your personal and family medical history. We ask about your sexual activity, menstrual cycle, medication use, and any recent surgeries. 

The exam also gives you a chance to ask any questions or present any concerns that you’d like addressed at that particular appointment, including any changes you’d like to make in contraception use or goals for future family planning. 

Breast exam 

Starting at age 25, your well-woman exam includes a physical breast exam. Between the ages of 25 and 40, the breast exam is every three to five years, but after age 40, the exam is every year. 

During this exam, our team visually checks your breasts while you’re sitting up, and then we carefully feel your breasts, underarms, and the area just below your collarbone to check for lumps and any other abnormalities while you’re lying down. 

After age 40, you’ll also need to get annual mammograms to screen for breast cancer. 

Pelvic exam and Pap smear

Starting at age 21, your well-woman exam includes a pelvic exam. During a pelvic exam, you lie back and place your feet into stirrups. Our team then uses a speculum to look inside your vagina and make sure there are no signs of disease in your vagina, cervix, uterus, ovaries, or fallopian tubes. 

Every three to five years, your pelvic exam includes a Pap smear, which screens for the human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer by scraping cells from your cervix and then testing them in our laboratory for abnormalities. 

Specific concerns

During your appointment, we also address any specific concerns that you have, such as irregular or painful periods, severe symptoms of perimenopause, or osteoporosis risk. 

To learn more about what’s included in our well-woman care or to schedule your next exam, simply call your nearest office location or use our online booking feature today.