Routine visits with a health care provider are an important part of taking care of your health. An annual wellness exam not only involves checking your height, weight, blood pressure and other health factors, but it is also a great time to ask questions, if you're sexually active (meaning you’ve had vaginal, anal, or oral sex), you may talk about birth control or STI & lipid screening, period symptoms, vaginal and urinary tract health, and more. No question is off limits.
Ready to take control of your health? Book your annual wellness appointment today.
Whether it’s called a wellness exam, well person exam, preventive exam, annual checkup or something else, this annual exam is a yearly reproductive health visit with your health care provider. These visits are an important part of taking care of your health (no matter what your gender identity is or if you are sexually active or not).
What happens during your wellness visit depends on a few things, but the exam may involve checking your height, weight and blood pressure, as well as questions from your provider regarding your medical history and health behaviors, such as your allergies or smoking or drinking habits. The goal of the exam is to give you important information about your personal health, help you prevent illness, and help keep you well. It's also a chance to talk to your health care provider about your period, birth control, STI testing and other aspects of your sexual health.
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We can offer the following services during your annual visit:
The type of tests and exams we recommend depend on your age, medical history, and when you had your last test:
It is recommended to have your first wellness visit and speak to your provider about things like the HPV vaccine, birth control and STI testing.
If you have a cervix, pap tests are recommended once every three years after the age of 21.
You should also talk to your provider about the HPV vaccine, birth control and STI testing.
HPV test (or a Pap and HPV test together) every 3 years.
Clinical breast exams are recommended every 1 to three years.
You should get a clinical breast exam every year and start getting a mammogram every 1 to 2 years.
As you get older, or if your health changes, your wellness visits will include other tests and exams. Talk with your nurse or doctor about what tests and exams make sense for you.
Your clinician can answer any questions you might have about:
Make sure you ask all the questions that you want to. If you need any tests, you can usually take care of them during your appointment.
First, your clinician will ask about your medical history and your family's medical history. These questions help them give you the care that's right for you, so try to be as honest and as complete as you can. They’ll ask you questions like:
Your health care provider may also ask you about alcohol or other drug use, allergies, illnesses, infections, smoking, and any surgery you might have had. All these things can affect your reproductive health.
Wellness visits are a key part of preventive care. If you have health insurance, all of your preventive care should be covered at no cost to you. If you don’t have insurance, the costs can vary.
Many people qualify for free or low-cost wellness exams at our health centers. Call us today to learn more.
Go on a day when you don’t have your period, or it’s at least fairly light — unless you have a bleeding problem that your health care provider wants to see.
Make a list of the questions you want to ask your clinician. Write them down so that it’s easier to remember them during your appointment.
Do not have sexual intercourse for 24 hours prior to a pap smear or pelvic examination
Ask if you can have a friend, parent, or partner in the room with you if that would make you feel more comfortable.
Planned Parenthood is America’s most trusted provider of reproductive health care.
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