No matter what your age, regular visits to the doctor are particularly important for women. Luckily, your internal medicine physician in Woodbridge, VA, Dr. Deena Al-Khateeb of Ridgeview Internal Medicine offers a variety of women's health services.

How you benefit from women's health care

Although women and men share many healthcare issues, some are unique to women or more common in females. Women's healthcare focuses on these issues and offers treatments, strategies, and solutions that allow to you take charge of your health.

During a women's health visit to the Woodbridge, VA, office, your doctor can:

• Perform an Annual Exam: It's difficult to treat a health problem if you aren't aware you have it. Annual exams offer a simple way to protect your health and ensure that you get the treatment you need for issues that affect your general or reproductive health.
• Provide Screenings: Blood pressure screenings and urine and blood tests are simple tools that provide valuable information regarding your health. Unfortunately, some conditions, like high blood pressure, don't cause any symptoms initially. Although your risk of high blood pressure increases with age, even younger women can develop the condition. Without treatment, high blood pressure increases your risk of heart attack, heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease.
• Monitor Chronic Conditions: Regular visits to the doctor are a must if you have a chronic condition, like diabetes, high blood pressure, migraines, arthritis, or high cholesterol. Since your symptoms can change or worsen over time, it's important to schedule follow-up visits as recommended.
• Treat Female Issues: Your doctor treats a variety of issues that can affect women, including sexually, transmitted diseases, uterine fibroids, urinary incontinence, and breast issues. Are you struggling with hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, and other peri-menopause and menopause symptoms? Your internal medicine doctor can offer lifestyle changes and medications that will improve your comfort.
• Offer Help for Mental Health Issues: Your doctor can also recommend treatments or make referrals if you're struggling with stress, depression, or anxiety.
• Recommend Way to Improve Your Diet: Maintaining a healthy weight not only improves your appearance but also reduces your risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and other conditions. Your doctor can provide nutritional counseling that will help you make smart food choices and recommend weight-loss strategies.

Do you need to see a doctor about women's health issues? Call your Woodbridge, VA, internal medicine physician, Dr. Al-Khateeb of Ridgeview Internal Medicine at (703) 494-4116 to schedule your appointment.