Anna Merry*
An established aspect of women's health care is the idea of an annual gynecologic screening visit to detect disease at an early stage. The schedule of a yearly gynecologic examination including cervical cancer screening and a pelvic examination has long been recognized by women and their medical professionals. Recently, researchers reestablished the intervals for Pap test screening with the addition of human papillomavirus co-testing to identify cervical cancer risk and questioned the relevance of the annual breast and pelvic exams in asymptomatic women. The modernized well woman exam offers women the chance to learn about health, be screened for risks of developing chronic diseases, and discuss health issues like depression and violence.