September 02, 2025

Importance of Annual Women's Exams in Lexington

Women's health in primary care for an annual exam entails of specific portions, which include information about periods, like the menstrual cycle. We talk about when you started your periods. We talk about how long your periods are, as well as if your periods are irregular or painful, which can have different sources. We think about polycystic ovarian syndrome as a very common one, which is an hormonal imbalance that we see, in women that presents with irregular period, sometimes heavy periods, acne, irregular or abnormal hair growth. Additionally, we talk about bone density in our older population, sixty or older, if they have an increased risk of osteoporosis or osteopenia.

And then, lastly, we talk about contraception, so different types of contraception methods, as well as risk for STDs.

I think that a lot of times, talking about women's health in general, it's something that a lot of people are not comfortable with, and the fact that they trust me and they're open about their sexual history, their periods, just makes me feel like I'm making them feel hurt, like that is part of who they are.

Women’s Health and Primary Care in Lexington, KY Healthtalk Transcript

Franceska Maxwell, MD, Family Medicine
Baptist Health Lexington

Franceska Maxwell, MD:

Women's health and primary care for an annual exam entails specific [topics], which include information about periods — the menstrual cycle. We talk about when you started your periods. We talk about how long your periods are, as well as if your periods are irregular or painful, which can have different sources. We think about polycystic ovarian syndrome as a very common [source], which is a hormonal imbalance we see in women that presents with irregular periods, sometimes heavy periods, acne, and irregular or abnormal hair growth.

Additionally, we talk about bone density with our older population, 60 or older, if they have an increased risk of osteoporosis or osteopenia. Lastly, we talk about contraception — different types of contraception methods — as well as risk for STDs.

I think that a lot of times, talking about women's health, in general, is something a lot of people are not comfortable with. The fact that they trust me and they're open about their sexual history, their periods, [it] makes me feel like I'm making them feel heard — it’s part of who they are.