In honor of National Women’s Checkup Day, it’s crucial to highlight the significance of regular health checkups and screenings for women’s overall well-being. Dr. Natasha Ramsey, is a board-certified pediatrician and spokesperson for Here We Flo, a Black-owned, female-led sexual wellness and period care brand. Here We Flo, a champion in menstrual health and wellness, not only offers sustainable period products but also aims to destigmatize periods. Their efforts in education and support for menstrual equity are changing the narrative, making periods a topic of compassion and understanding.
BlackDoctor.org spoke with Dr. Ramsey to discuss the importance of annual screenings and checkups for early detection and prevention of various health issues.
“It’s important for women to be aware of these issues so they can identify any potential health problems early and seek treatment. Women are often caregivers, prioritizing the health of others over their own,” Dr. Ramsey shares.
“There are several misconceptions and barriers that can prevent women from prioritizing their health. Women are often juggling demanding jobs and caregiving responsibilities, making it challenging to find time for their own health checkups. Additionally, many women may lack the information needed to understand the importance of regular checkups or to advocate for themselves in medical settings.”
To combat this, Dr. Ramsey walks us through a checklist of screenings:
Adolescence
Adolescence is a time when young women are exploring their sexuality making it an important time to begin screening for sexually transmitted infections.
During adolescence, your doctor may also begin screening you for high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure and discussing your weight or other risk factors that may impact these numbers.
“Blood pressure and cholesterol screenings are usually done at regular check-ups or annual visits,” Dr. Ramsey shares.
Your doctor may also order blood work and begin discussing if you are showing any symptoms of anemia.
“Something that comes up often is anemia…when they start having their menstrual cycle that’s normally [when] people start having issues with anemia as well because not only is your body growing, it needs additional nutrition but then also you’re losing iron and other key vitamins every time you menstruate,” Dr. Ramsey shares.
RELATED: 5 Women’s Health Screenings You Need Right Now!
Adulthood
As we transition into adulthood, there are additional screenings beyond those for high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and anemia that continue to be important.
“In adulthood, there are screenings in addition to high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and anemia that we continue to screen for. Other things that start to come on the list are cancer screenings. In adolescence, we don’t really screen for cancer because most of the time it’s too early to detect something or it might be that someone has some type of abnormality but their body is able to clear it by the time they’re a little bit older,” Dr. Ramsey says.
For cervical cancer, screening should typically begin around age 21. A common mistake is assuming that
