Annual Exam

What to Expect in an Annual Exam

The following list includes sub-services that live under the comprehensive annual Ob-Gyn exam.

• STD screenings: These screenings can include several forms, as each STD has its own test. Your doctor will help you determine what tests you need based on your symptoms. To be screened for STDs, you may have to participate in a urine test, cheek swab, blood test, physical exam, sore check, or a swab of the reproductive organs.
• Clinical breast exams: Breast exams are quick and easy. Your health provider will palpate your breast, checking for any lumps, bumps, thickening, or discharge. You will also be taught how to monitor these things from home.
• Pap smears: Pap smear tests are recommended beginning at age 21 or at the onset of sexual activity. Our doctors also will perform a pelvic exam and breast exam with your yearly appointments. We are happy to offer our patients mammograms, sonograms, and bone density testing, in our comfortable, in-office diagnostic suite.
• Mammography: This exam uses X-ray technology to examine and diagnose internal complications in the breast. The primary goal of a mammogram is the early detection of breast cancer. A baseline mammogram is preferred between the ages of 35 and 40, while yearly mammograms will begin at age 40.
• FOBT: This test is a fecal occult blood test (FOBT), which checks for blood within a stool sample. A FOBT can screen for rectal complications, such as colon cancer or polyps.
• Vaccinations: Yearly flu, as well as tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (TDAP) vaccines.