General gynecological check-ups are of great importance in women and must be done annually.
According to the obstetrician-gynecologist Carlos Riera Peralta, the importance of these exams basically lies in the prevention of future serious pathologies, among these, precancerous lesions of the entire lower genital tract, cancer of the cervix, vagina, vulva and breast; in addition, sexually transmitted diseases that can cause sterility such as chlamydia or gonorrhea, etc.
“Controls generally begin with the beginning of sexual intercourse. Virgin patients should have some type of non-invasive gynecological control, such as ultrasound or laboratory tests, at least once every decade, starting at the age of 20, “says the specialist.
For those who have already started their sexual life, the expert’s recommendation is to perform, at least once a year, a general gynecological examination with a Pap smear (PAP), a breast exam, a pelvic or transvaginal ultrasound and, at least once in reproductive life, a follow-up colposcopy. “Mammography and bone densitometry are relegated to after the fourth decade of life, not before,” he says.
What does each of these exams consist of?
Cytology: It is used for the annual screening, it evaluates the cellular changes of the cervix.
Colposcopy: confirms the findings of cytology, it is the fundamental test for the diagnosis of human papillomavirus infection and for precancerous lesions of the cervix.
Pelvic or transvaginal ultrasound: It helps to determine diseases or tumors in the uterine body and the ovaries, in addition, it helps to visualize pelvic inflammations.
Breast ultrasound: It is used to determine the presence of nodules or breast cysts. These exams can be performed every year within the annual gynecological check-up.
Bone densitometry: It is a type of low-dose X-ray that measures calcium and other minerals in the bones. The measurement shows the strength and density of these.
Mammography: it is an X-ray image of the breast. It is used to look for signs of breast cancer in its early stages.
The specialist explains that bone densitometry and mammography are performed from the fourth decade of life, in perimenopause. These evaluations are carried out annually if any pathology is seen or every two or three years if they always come out normal. (I)
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