For women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB), taking care of your health requires more than an annual physical. You should also visit a women’s health specialist — like an Ob/Gyn, midwife or nurse practitioner — each year to keep healthy. More than just a checkup for your breasts/chest and reproductive organs; well-woman exams can also help you develop rapport with a women’s health specialist.
“Well-women exams are important for a number of reasons. No. 1 is that they help you to establish care with a specialist so that if there is a problem down the road, you have a provider that you know and feel comfortable talking to,” says Ob/Gyn Amanda Elbin, MD.
That comfort level is important, too, especially because many of us may not feel comfortable talking with just anyone about issues “down there.”
The following list contains preventive services that may be done via telehealth (from ACOG.org):
General Health
Alcohol screening and counseling regarding alcohol use
Anxiety Screening and referral*
Counseling regarding aspirin to prevent CVD and CRC
Blood pressure screening (if patient has appropriate resources available such as a blood pressure cuff)
Contraceptive counseling, discussion of methods, and prescribing contraceptives that do not require an in-person visit such as intrauterine devices or implants*
Depression screening and referral
Fall Prevention counseling
Counseling regarding folic acid supplementation
Healthy diet and activity counseling
Interpersonal and domestic violence screening and discussion of available resources*
Obesity screening (if patient has appropriate resources available such as a scale)
Counseling and possible prescribing of medications to reduce breast cancer risk
Risk assessment for BRCA testing
Skin cancer counseling
Pregnancy and postpartum
Breastfeeding services and supplies*
Postpartum contraceptive counseling, discussion of methods, and prescribing contraceptives that do not require an in-person visit such as intrauterine devices or implants
Depression screening and referral
Counseling regarding folic acid supplementation
Interpersonal and domestic violence screening and discussion of available resources*
Preeclampsia prevention with low-dose aspirin
Preeclampsia screening (if patient has appropriate resources available)
Tobacco screening and cessation counseling
*WPSI recommendation. For more information about each recommendation, please see our WPSI Recommendation page.
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