Wellness Exams: Men vs. Women
Yearly exams are an essential part of your health; they can prevent the onset of serious diseases, help keep track of your well-being, and keep yourself healthy with your healthcare providers. Many disorders and illnesses have been discovered because of wellness exams and allow your doctors to measure your recovery progress. These exams create the foundations of medical research and science for new vaccines and help prevent the onset of a current disease from developing further. However, for many who take part in these exams, the question arises: is there a difference between men and women in how they’re examined? We’re here to say yes, and explain how.
Wellness Exams for Women
There are huge factors in how women function. Hormones, reproductive systems, life spans, and chromosomes impact how a person develops over time. Their family and medical history will also influence how the body develops over time in significant ways. Medical exams will generally consist of an overall body exam for women, checking in on the vital parts, including the lungs, throat, stomach, tendons, heart, etc. Other exams will focus specifically on women’s anatomy, including pap smears and breast cancer screenings, to check on the reproductive system.
When it comes to diseases that affect women, some disorders only affect that gender, while others that affect both genders can exhibit different symptoms. For instance, osteoporosis is a condition more often occurring in women due to the decrease in estrogen after menopause, and the thinner bone framework women have compared to men. These biological differences make women’s health all the more critical, especially considering how our current healthcare system treats women.
Wellness Exams for Men
For men, these differences also account for unique conditions and other aspects of their biological makeup. For instance, the prostate, which helps produce seminal fluid and lengthen the lifespan of sperm, can face disorders later on in life as men’s testosterone levels decrease. Men are also susceptible to heart disease, colon cancers, strokes, high blood pressure, and other conditions more so than women, or affect men differently. Mental health disorders are often left undiagnosed in men due to the social ideals surrounding men, and the reluctance to seek help according to their sense of masculinity.
For tracking medical history, exams such as a prostate exam, testicular cancer exams, colon cancer examinations, high blood pressure, and cholesterol examinations are particularly essential in keeping men’s health optimal. Among these exams, tracking medical history and family history can help keep these diseases in mind and help doctors find better treatment forms.
During a wellness exam, you’ll receive a checkup of your height, weight, blood pressure, and pulse to track vital functions and overall state. Vaccines, medications, and screenings will also be taken into account by your physician for discussing preventative health measures for concerns and issues present. A physician’s role in these cases is to begin the process of diagnosis and help treat conditions that affect everyone’s lives.
If you’re searching for a physician, contact Dr. Trang D Nguyen at Conroe Family Doctor in Conroe, TX, to schedule an appointment today.
