Women’s Health Month: Your preventive care matters because YOU matter

This article is one of a three-part series focused on Women’s Health Month, Men’s Health Month and MESSA’s preventive care benefits.

It’s time for a little tough love. May is Women’s Health Month, a time when some of you — you know who you are — need to do a little soul searching and be really honest with yourself about whether or not you’re doing everything you should to stay healthy.

When was your last mammogram? Did you have an annual physical last year? Are you behind on your yearly visit to the gynecologist? How much exercise did you get last week?

Yes, you’re very busy. Yes, you have multiple forces pulling at you from different directions during every waking minute of the day. You may have 101 excuses about why you haven’t yet prioritized your own health, despite being Jenny on the Spot when it comes to scheduling hair appointments, oil changes, sports teams, snack days, playdates, etc.

But you need to get real.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that some of the leading causes of death for women include heart disease, cancer, diabetes, flu and pneumonia, and sepsis. Yes, sepsis — the clinical name for blood poisoning by bacteria, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, and the body’s most extreme response to an infection.

Looking at that list, it’s easy to identify conditions that can be effectively managed when they’re diagnosed, but first you have to get yourself to the doctor to get a good once-over once a year or when you’re just not feeling well.

Research from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that during the pandemic, nearly 40% of women reported skipping preventive health services, and that women were more likely than men to forgo a recommended medical test or treatment — 23% vs. 15%.

You need to do better. You can do better.

Please take a moment to hear this about yourself and for yourself: Your preventive care matters because YOU matter to so many people in your life.

Your MESSA health plan provides exceptional benefits for body and mind to support your good health, and to support you. Please make it a point to prioritize your health, no matter what else is going on in your life.