9 Ways Urgent Care Clinics Help Women Stay On Top Of Their Health

May is Women’s Health Month! This is the perfect time to talk about how urgent care clinics can help women prioritize their health.

Between jobs, kids, and everything else, many women struggle with fitting quality healthcare for themselves into their busy schedules. What some women may not realize is how urgent care clinics and telehealth services can help ease this burden by providing a fast and cost-effective way to get routine care and treatment for common conditions.

Urgent care clinics provide a quick and convenient way to access medical care without the burden of waiting weeks (or even months) for an OB-GYN office visit. This can include services like annual pap smears, STD screenings, and contraception refills. With a rise in popularity thanks to the pandemic, telehealth services are also becoming a staple in women’s healthcare—providing quick evaluation and treatments for things like birth control advice and yeast infections.

Here are more helpful ways that urgent care clinics can support women with staying on top of their healthcare needs.

Yeast Infections

Yeast infections are a common fungal infection that many women experience—in fact, around 3 out of every 4 women experience a yeast infection at some point in their life, according to the Mayo Clinic. For some women, yeast infections can be a recurring condition, and seeking treatment can get in the way of daily life. Both urgent care and telehealth services are great options for getting fast treatment for yeast infections. During your visit, you can expect a medical provider to ask you questions about your current symptoms and medical history, then determine whether yeast infection treatment is right for you. Common treatments for yeast infections include anti-fungal medication that is prescribed as either a vaginal cream or as an oral medication, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

Urinary tract infections (also known as UTIs) are also common among women. Often, UTIs come with pain and discomfort that can get in the way of daily activities. Urgent care clinics (and sometimes telehealth services) are a quick and cost-effective approach to getting diagnosed and treated for a UTI. According to the Mayo Clinic, many physicians are able to diagnose and treat UTIs based on symptoms, however, in some cases, a urinalysis is necessary to either confirm a diagnosis, rule out another possible condition, or ensure the proper treatment. If your urinalysis indicates a UTI, your urgent care provider will decide which treatment is appropriate for you—standard treatment for UTIs include oral antibiotics and sometimes medication to decrease bladder discomfort, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Bacterial Vaginosis (BV)

Bacterial vaginosis is another common condition that many women face during their lifetime. It is also a condition that can disrupt daily life with irritating and sometimes painful symptoms. Urgent care clinics are equipped for handling exams of the female anatomy. Urgent care providers can quickly assess your symptoms and test for BV along with other conditions that have similar symptoms. Quick testing ensures you can get fast treatment and back to a symptom-free life as soon as possible. The Cleveland Clinic notes that antibiotics are the standard of care for bacterial vaginosis.

Contraception Refill

Many urgent care clinics are able to provide emergency contraception or prescription contraception. This includes prescriptions for birth control pills, patches, and injections. Reproductive health is important for all women—but for those who are not able to wait for an OB-GYN office visit, urgent care provides a safe and timely alternative to getting birth control.

Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Testing and Treatment

More than 9 million women in the United States are diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection each year, according to the Office of Women’s Health. There are many more women who go undiagnosed because of a lack of symptoms or lack of access to healthcare. However, getting diagnosed and treated as soon as possible is important because many STDs can lead to long-term health complications, including infertility. That is why urgent care clinics in most locations provide testing and treatment for most STDs, including:

• Chlamydia
• Gonorrhea
• Syphilis

Urgent care clinics can also provide counseling and education on safe sex practices, as well as make referrals for specialized care if necessary.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)

Untreated STDs can lead to a deeper infection known as Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), according to the Mayo Clinic. This is a serious infection that can cause pain and infertility if not treated with antibiotics in a timely manner. For many women, time, location, and cost stand in the way of getting to an OB-GYN. For this reason, urgent care is a great option to get PID diagnosed and treated.

Breast Exams

It can be difficult to notice subtle changes during self-breast exams, so getting an annual breast exam is an option many women choose to exercise. Urgent care clinics offer women the ability to get an annual breast exam at a convenient time and place. Urgent care providers can also provide counseling on when you should start mammograms and give referrals to specialized care if needed.

Pap Smears

Cervical cancer is one of the most aggressive cancers, according to the National Institute of Health. However, if caught early, most cervical cancers have a more than 90% survival rate. This underscores the importance of keeping up with annual women’s health exams. The CDC currently recommends healthy women get a pap smear every 3 to 5 years after becoming sexually active (more often if they have risk factors for cervical cancer). Many urgent care centers provide this important part of preventive health.

Routine Health Screenings

Getting regular blood work done is a critical piece for detecting health conditions early. The NIH recommends certain health screenings for women, including:

• Cholesterol screenings
• Blood pressure screenings
• Diabetes screenings
• Complete blood count
• Metabolic screenings
• Thyroid screenings
• Mental health screenings
• Hormone screenings
• STI testing

Urgent care clinics often have laboratory capabilities either in-house or available by courier. Additionally, urgent care clinics can provide counseling and recommendations based on the results of your physical—including additional testing and referrals to specialists.

In today's fast-paced world, urgent care clinics give women a convenient and cost-effective choice for getting important preventive exams and testing completed. Many of these exams and screenings play important roles in lowering the rates of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other serious health conditions.

If you’ve been putting off medical care because of the inconvenience and cost of seeing your OB-GYN or primary care physician, then it’s time to use Solv to find top-rated urgent care clinics near you and schedule your place in line.

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The views expressed by authors and contributors of such content are not endorsed or approved by Solv Health and are intended for informational purposes only. The content is reviewed by Solv Health only to confirm educational value and reader interest. You are encouraged to discuss any questions that you may have about your health with your healthcare provider.

1. Yeast Infection (Vaginal). (May 4, 2023)
   https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/yeast-infection/symptoms-causes/syc-20378999
   
2. Cystitis (UTIs). (May 4, 2023)
   https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cystitis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20371311
   
3. Bacterical Vaginosis. (May 5, 2023)
   https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/3963-bacterial-vaginosis
   
4. STIs. (May 4, 2023)
   https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/sexually-transmitted-infections
   
5. PID. (May 4, 2023)
   https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pelvic-inflammatory-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20352594
   
6. Pap Smear. (May 4, 2023)
   https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/pap-test
   
7. Cervical Cancer Screenings. (May 11, 2023)
   https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/cervical/basic_info/screening.htm
   
8. Health Screenings for Women Ages 18 to 39. (May 11, 2023)
   https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007462.htm