“Growing up as a teenage girl, talking about sexual health and visits to the OBGYN weren’t discussed as much as they really should have been. It was always a wierd, awkward subject to bring up; even at the PCP’s office. Oftentimes, sexual health is never even discussed due to “shame” and “embarrassment” regarding the topic, which leads young women to stay silent. It is important that this doesn’t happen, and that women are educated enough to speak up and schedule check-ups with their OBGYN, even when there isn’t a problem down there!
As a female going into healthcare, I will advocate for women and specifically for routine Pap and HPV screenings! These combined tests, or co-testing, should be included and remain a part of a women’s typical wellness exam, and discussed just as regularly as any other condition. Screening with the Pap and HPV co-test identified 70% of the cancers missed by HPV alone. Those 70% are your mother, sister, daughter, or friend that could have suffered from cervical cancer; but was saved just because of a simple screening. I think we can all agree that the Pap test screening is an essential part of women’s health that should remain a part of routine wellness checks.”
