Gynecologist Clears Up Confusion About Patient Visits

Dr. Sujatha Reddy believes there is at least one aspect of women's health care that needs to be better explained. “For a long time, women knew they had to come to the gynecologist for a pap smear once a year. But as the pap smear has gotten better and more accurate, especially if you add onto it HPV testing, you can actually stretch out how long you can go between pap smears,” said Dr. Reddy, a gynecologist. Just how long depends, but most women can go about three years between pap smears. However, a visit to your OB/GYN or an annual well woman's check-up isn't just about getting a pap smear. “Beyond that, we also will do a height, blood pressure, weight to calculate your body mass index. Often we do a breast exam if you're in that age category and decide what other screening tests you need based on your age and your medical history,” said Dr. Reddy. There's one group of women that Dr. Reddy strongly encourages to make that yearly visit. “Especially if you are a young woman. Very often they don't have a primary care doctor. If they don't come to the gynecologist they just don't go to the doctor and they might miss preventative checks,” she said.