Maintaining Wellness at Every Stage
Women have long been used to taking care of others — as sisters, daughters, mothers and grandmothers. However, the health professionals with SSM Health want to remind women that it’s important to focus that same love and attention on themselves. Their experts offer care, advice and treatment options that will maintain a woman’s health and quality of life at any age.
It’s important for women to trust their health care providers.
That’s why the dedicated women’s health providers of SSM Health offer a safe space for women to ask questions and receive care that can improve their quality of life.
“If we create an environment where women feel comfortable enough to open up to us, then we are able to identify some concerns that they’ve otherwise kept to themselves,” says Erika Mikulec, M.D., an OB-GYN with SSM Health.
SSM Health offers a comprehensive range of women’s health services for women at every stage in their lives. Dr. Mikulec says an OB-GYN is one of the few providers who is a lifelong caregiver for patients, which helps those patients build trust and comfort with them. “It’s wonderful to be able to take care of women throughout their lives,” Dr. Mikulec says.
Regular visits with your OB-GYN are the best way to stay up to date with changing care guidelines. Dr. Mikulec says the age to start certain screenings, such as mammograms,can be influenced by family history and many other factors, so providers work with patients to individualize care plans. “Once we are able to review a patient’s history, then we can tailor care specifically to them,” she says.
Dr. Mikulec says that aside from regular visits during a pregnancy, women should also make a pre-pregnancy visit to best prepare for conception. This includes making sure immunizations and preventive screenings are up to date. She adds that women experiencing pelvic health issues, like incontinence, should not feel embarrassed to talk with their provider about their symptoms. There are multiple treatment options they can recommend.
Similarly, Dr. Mikulec encourages women to open up about all the symptoms they might have while experiencing menopause. She said there are many low-risk treatment options that can greatly improve their quality of life. To schedule an appointment, visit www.ssmhealth.com/wiwomenshealth.
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