Ch-ch-ch-changes—when it comes to a woman’s health, they are never ending.

Just when we settle into each phase of our lives, a new one rolls around to throw us for a loop.

What can we do? Well, we can start by getting educated on what to expect and how to handle what’s coming our way. After all, forewarned is forearmed, right?

On Thursday, October 20 at 7:00 pm, in conjunction with CentraState Medical Center’s Live. Laugh. Learn.: Ladies Wellness Workshop, Healthy Woman’s own Dr. Susan Pacana dishes on the many splendored changes you’ll go through from adolescence to menopause, including the latest ways to deal with heavy periods, fibroids and endometriosis.

Join her for this not-to-be-missed open and honest seminar.

It’s more girl talk than lecture, so come prepared with questions!

See you at the Star and Barry Tobias Ambulatory Campus 901 West Main Street in Freehold!

For more information, go to www.centrastate.com/livelaughlearn or call us at 732.431.1616.

Usually, it’s not until you’ve had your first visit with a gynecologist that you realize how seeing one is really no big deal. In fact, when you go to a gynecologist who you really trust, it’s like having a super knowledgeable friend who makes it his or her top priority to ensure that you blossom into a healthy woman.

Speaking of trusted and well-liked gynecologists, here, Healthy Woman’s own Dr. Susan Pacana answers the age-old question: “When do I need to bring my daughter to the gynecologist for her first visit?”

My patients with older children always ask about when they should bring their daughters in for their first gynecological check-up. The thought of having to go to the “gyno” often frightens teens and twenty-somethings. However, if approached in the right manner and at the right time, the gynecologist can be, along with the girl’s parents, a trusted source of information about safe sex, contraception, normal periods and sexually transmitted infections (STIs)—and certainly a better source than the Internet or her misinformed girlfriends. 

According to the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology, adolescent girls should have their first visit with an obstetrician-gynecologist between the ages of 13 and 15; subsequent visits should occur at least annually. (Of course, there may be some reasons for parents to bring their daughters in earlier.) Most likely, this initial visit will not include a pelvic exam unless indicated by the patient’s medical history. If your daughter is sexually active by the time of her first visit, the doctor will recommend testing for STIs, but the first Pap smear can wait until she is 21.

Ideally, a young woman should see the gynecologist at a time when there are no pressing issues, so the doctor and patient can get to know each other. This allows the young patient to develop a trusted relationship with her physician, who she then can turn to when there may be an issue with birth control or STIs. An annual visit gives the doctor a chance to monitor the patient’s development and provide screening and care for physical, emotional and behavioral conditions. In turn, these visits can empower adolescent girls to assume more responsibility for their own health, safety and well-being.

At Healthy Woman Ob/Gyn, we enjoy educating our teenage patients about reproductive health and giving them the insight and guidance they need to go from healthy girls to healthy woman.

Visit our website and call to schedule an appointment (732.431.1616) for you or your daughter today!