Women tend to put the needs of others before their own. Although this is one of the beautiful characteristics of women, it is also quite disturbing. Taking time to care for yourself and having regular preventive gynecological examinations will ensure optimal health at any age. Regular prophylactic gynecological examinations are recommended to maintain a woman’s reproductive and sexual health at normal levels. The preventive examination (screening) is a periodic visit, usually once a year, to a specialist doctor to establish the morphology and functional activity of a given system or organ. The screening test is carried out before the appearance of symptoms on the part of the given system or organ in order to determine the risk of morbidity, prevention and elimination of risk factors that can lead to the occurrence of serious pathological conditions. Women’s health care has deservedly received increasing attention over the past decade. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recently formed an expert panel to review advances in care and make updated recommendations to optimally promote women’s health. These recommendations include two main guidelines: Age of first gynecologist visit. A young woman’s first visit to a gynecologist should be between the ages of 13 and 15. This visit usually does not include a pelvic exam, but focuses on education in areas such as, but not limited to, sexuality, relationship issues, sexually transmitted diseases, growth and development, vaccinations, test/vaccination recommendations, developing good healthy habits. This gives teenage girls a head start on good gynecological health. Frequency of visits. Women should receive at least one preventive care visit annually, beginning in adolescence and continuing throughout life, to ensure access to all recommended preventive health services for women. Perhaps the most well-known reason for visiting a gynecologist is to examine a pap smear. Pap smear is a screening test used to detect precancerous and cancerous cervical cells. In 2012, the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, along with other professional organizations, reviewed and revised guidelines to address cervical cancer screening and Pap smear protocols. Because of updated research on the role that human papillomavirus (HPV) plays in cervical problems, some recommendations have changed significantly—including the frequency of Pap smears. At the most basic level, the new recommendations say that women between the ages of 21-29 should have a Pap smear every 3 years, and women aged 30-65 should have the test every 3-5 years. Although not every woman needs this screening test on an annual basis,however, you should see your gynecologist once a year for other important health checkups. Preventive medicine is the best medicine to help detect potential problems and risk factors for women’s health. Such diseases are: Breast cancer; Bone disease/osteoporosis; Bladder disease; Sexually transmitted diseases. The gynecologist will perform a pelvic exam to see the condition of the uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes, ovaries and bladder to identify any concerns. Patients often need to change their birth control method or change doses. Contraceptive use that is not well controlled can put women at risk of unplanned pregnancy. References: 1. National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2012 state and national summary tables. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ahcd/namcs_summary/2012_namcs_web_tables.pdf. Accessed January 17, 2017. 2. US Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for cervical cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Ann Intern Med. 2012;156(12):880-91, W312. 3. US Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Ann Intern Med. 2014;161(12):902-10.