Don't miss this opportunity to focus on you.

There are a few essential parts to your annual exam that women of all ages could benefit from. During most regular visits, the physician will take a Pap smear. A Pap smear is where a doctor takes a sample of cells from your cervix, which can detect cancer at its earliest stages -- even before it becomes cancer. The cell sample is checked for signs that they’re changing from normal. These first signs of change can happen well before they turn into cancer cells, so that’s why it’s so important to have regular Pap smears.

A positive result, meaning that there are changes from normal cells, doesn’t necessarily mean you have or are going to get cancer. Often, inflammation from an infection or virus can produce abnormal results. However, this important test can alert you and your doctor to more serious conditions:

If you do have a positive or abnormal result, you doctor may want to repeat the smear or do a colposcopy. A colposcopy is a test where the doctor takes a tissue sample or biopsy to conduct further testing. Your doctor should then explain the results and discuss different treatment options with you.

Minimizing the Risks:
Any woman can get cervical cancer, but the chances of getting it increases when a woman:

• Starts having sex before age 18
• Has many sexual partners
• Has or has had human papilloma virus (HPV) -- a sexually transmitted disease known to cause cervical cancer or changes to normal cells
• Has or has had any sexually transmitted disease
• Is over the age of 60
• Smokes

It is generally recommended that you have your first Pap smear when you start having sex or by age 18, whichever comes first. Continue having Pap smears once a year until you’ve had at least 3 normal ones. After that, you can discuss with your doctor the frequency at which you should continue having the test done. Your schedule will depend on your age, risk factors and past history of Pap results.

Cervical cancer is a highly curable disease if caught early. Since the abnormal cells are slow to develop into cancer cells, time is somewhat on your side. However, don’t put off regular testing and be diligent with follow-up should your results be other than normal.

In addition to the Pap smear, your physician will examine you internally for any signs of redness, irritation, swelling, etc. Your doctor will also feel your ovaries for any sign of unusual size, shape or irregularities.

Other Important Issues
Another compelling reason for you to be seen on an annual basis is for breast exams. A woman's lifetime risk for breast cancer in this country is 1 in 9. It has been shown, particularly in women after the age of fifty that self breast examinations, clinical examinations by your health care provider, and mammography when appropriate, can significantly decrease the chances of death from this disease.

If you have regular mammograms in additional to a clinical exams, your chances are good that should you develop cancer, it would be caught at an early stage.

Your annual visit is also an opportunity to explore general aspects of maintenance healthcare and to discuss your risk factors for certain diseases. An updated health history should be taken at each visit to review general health status, including nutritional assessment and physical activity. Naturally, it’s a good time to discuss issues of fertility, contraception, menopause and other age or lifestyle-related concerns. Don’t be embarrassed to ask intimate questions like those pertaining to sexually transmitted diseases or sexual activity, in general.

Your physician is a professional and has probably “heard it all” so she or he should hopefully, have sensitive, thoughtful answers to your personal -- and important -- questions.

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