Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Yearly Gynecological Exam



Salam Everyone!





I would like to focus mainly on the health and wellbeing of women, so the first step to health is getting a yearly check up. The basic components of this exam are:



  • Basic Lab Panel: This checks your cholesterol, blood count, blood sugar, and other extremely important factors that could send out a red flag to your doctor if there is anything off.

  • Pap Smear: While being uncomfortable, and a bit nerve wrenching, the pap smear can be literally a life saver. The main thing this checks for is abnormal cell growth on your cervix. Cervical cancer is known as the silent killer among women because there aren't really any symptoms present until it is advanced. The pap smear will check for the growth of this every year so hopefully if there is anything unfortunate present, it will be caught in time.

  • Pelvic Exam: The pelvic exam checks for lumps, bumps and pain in your pelvic area around your uterus, ovaries, and vagina. He or she will typically ask you if you have any pain or bleeding after sex (so be HONEST, she is a doctor, if she asks it is important to tell the truth).

  • Clinical Breast Exam: Breast cancer is another "silent killer" among women simply because it is not caught in time. One way to keep up on the health of your breasts is to have the doctor examen them once a year, since they know exactly what is to be worried about and what is not.


All of those occur at the doctor's office, however, there are some things that you need to keep track of at home so you can see the doctor sooner if necessary, here are some examples of what you need to keep up on at home:




  • Record your monthy cycle: You need to have a little calendar or journal to write down the first and last day of your monthly period, and make notes on whether or not your bleeding was heavy, moderate, or light. It may also be helpful to note the amount of cramping you have had, the doctor may be able to help with that as well.

  • Do Monthly Self-Breast Exams: This is what makes the clinical breast exam worth your time. Nobody knows your breasts better than you do! This way, if the doc finds something in your yearly you will know if it is new, old, or normal for you. See this link for instructions on how to complete this :http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/testing/types/self_exam/bse_steps.jsp?gclid=CPT0kpGU85kCFRFMagodIwWNQg.*


Well, that was my two cents on the start to basic heathy woman tips. If you have any topics you would like for me to elaborate on or any suggestions for topics you would like to see, just let me know!





Salam,



Zawjat Marouane



*www.breastcancer.org

1 comment:

  1. masha'allah..jazakallar khair for the info..i insha'allah will certainly do those check ups and writing.

    ReplyDelete