Dear Annette:


I am glad that you finally made appointment for a well-woman exam. This exam reminds me of the yearly tune up for your car. This is the exam where the doctor makes sure everything is working well. The doctor will also make sure you are up to date with your screening tests. Since this exam is scheduled for a certain amount of time, you can get the most out of the time by being prepared.

The first question that you will be asked is for the first day of your last menstrual period or LMP. The doctor’s office should not be the time to try and figure out this date. By having this date ready, you can save about 2 minutes. That is 2 minutes that you can talk with the physician about prevention of certain diseases. If your LMP was over a month ago and you are younger than 55 years old, the first thought is whether you are pregnant. If there is a reason why your period was over a month ago, be prepared to tell the assistant, who would probably be the one asking you the initial questions.


The next question is about the medications that you are taking. This includes the medications prescribed by your physician and the ones that you have decided to take on your own. We need you to be honest. If you are borrowing a friend’s medication (this is truly a “no-no”), please tell us. All over-the- counter medications, those medications that you can get from the drug store without a prescription is important. We also want to know about the natural products. Telling the physician that the pill I take is white in color does not help. A good idea would be to bring in all the medications in a plastic bag or brown paper bag to the office. This will allow us to go through your medications and make sure you are taking them correctly.


The next thing is know your allergies. Some people are allergic to different types of medications or foods. It is important to know what drugs you are allergic and your reactions. Along with your physicians knowing this information, your pharmacist should know. 

If something has changed since the last visit to the doctor, please tell the physician. If you have had surgery or you have been diagnosed with a new illness, please inform the physician. You will be asked the date and what has happened since the surgery or diagnoses. If you are seeing the physician for the first time, you might want to write down all the surgeries you have and the year in which it occurred. You also want to write down all of your medical problems. It is a good idea to make a copy and give to your physicians.


Last but not least, know your family history. The doctor’s office is not a time to think about what type of cancer Aunt Molly had. If cancer runs in the family, we want to know what type of cancer. If someone died of a heart attack, what age did they die? We are interested in your Mother, Father, Brothers, Sisters, Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents. 


If you come prepared to the doctor’s office, you can almost save 10 minutes. Those 10 minutes can be spent discussing ways that you can keep healthy. To summarize you must:

  • Know the last day of your menstrual period
  • Bring a list of medicines you are currently taking
  • Know what allergies you have and your reaction
  • List down your complaints (all of them may not be dealt with in one visit)
  • Understand the reason for your visit to the doctor
  • Understand what the doctor did for you during your visit
  • If you had any tests performed, get a sense of when you will get the results.

I hope this helps you next time when you visit me or any other doctor. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. 


Sincerely,



Ngozi Osuagwu, MD, FACOG, RYT

Ngozi Osuagwu, MD, FACOG, RYT is the author of Letters to My Sisters – Plain Truths and Straightforward Advice From a Gynecologist (Ben Bosah Books, 2006). Visit http://www.letterstomysisters.com for more information about Dr. Ngozi Osuagwu.