Women’s well being checks by age: What your gynaecologist recommends

Imagine making an attempt to get pregnant and never understanding when you need to search specialist medical recommendation. Or maybe you’re turning into sexually lively however not conscious of how to make sure optimum sexual well being. You is also older and grappling with the daunting arrival of menopause and its related signs.

Your gynaecologist is your finest wager in all these situations. They can even advise you on the scans and screening exams it’s possible you’ll want, a few of which assist to forestall extra critical points, similar to osteoporosis and gynaecological cancers.

Here’s a information to what you want at all ages.

YOUR 20S: PERIODS, CONTRACEPTION AND SEXUAL HEALTH

For younger girls, it’s largely about getting durations underneath management, so see a gynaecologist for those who endure from ache, irregular cycles or heavy bleeding, mentioned Dr Seet Meei Jiun, head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH).

Your 20s can also be when cervical screening begins. Dr Freda Khoo, marketing consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Freda Khoo Clinic for Women, mentioned all girls who’ve ever had intercourse are beneficial to have their first Pap smear on the age of 25.

According to the Ministry of Health’s cervical screening tips, girls aged 25 to 29 ought to get a Pap smear as soon as each three years. Women over 30 ought to get a human papillomavirus (HPV) take a look at each 5 years.

Dr Khoo defined that the Pap smear checks for irregular cells and the HPV take a look at seems for the virus infecting the cells. From age 30, HPV testing turns into the beneficial routine cervical screening take a look at.

Dr Khoo mentioned the rationale for not doing the HPV take a look at earlier is that, in your youthful years whenever you is perhaps extra sexually lively, HPV an infection could be extra prevalent. As such, doing the take a look at within the youthful age group would imply selecting up lots of HPV. 

“The body’s own immune system clears the HPV on its own most of the time, especially if you are young and healthy. Thus, many times, the HPV infection in the younger age group might be transient,” Dr Khoo informed CNA Women.

Both exams are carried out in the identical method – utilizing a small pliable brush to choose up a pattern from the cervix.