a Midwife's Kaleidoscope

Wellness Care

In addition to providing midwifery services, we do some wellness care services including routine annual exams, pap smears, breast exams, HIV/STI screening, free pregnancy testing, contraceptive/birth control counseling, and fertility awareness. We can also educate you about how to practice self care including doing your own breast and cervial exams, and refer you on for medical care as needed.

 

• Pregnancy Testing

  • We offer pregnancy testing at your home. Urine tests are free of charge, and blood tests are $5 or less depending on your insurance. In either case, we can provide you with documentation of pregnancy for work, insurance or other services upon a positive test. We can also discuss midwifery care options with you if desired.

• STI/HIV Testing

  • One half of the population will have a sexually transmitted infections (STI, STD) by the time they are 25 years old. We encourage routine testing for all sexually active individuals, can help you determine what your risk factors are, and when to get tested. Insurance companies will often cover STI testing, we offer low cost testing options for people paying out of pocket and can refer you to free testing if needed. Under 18?In Arizona you can get STI testing without parental consent.

• Pap Smears

  • Pap smears are screenings to help prevent, detect and treat cervical cancers. Current recommendations are that you get a pap smear every 3 years beginning at age 21, and a pap smear with HPV testing every 5 years once you are 30 years old. Testing is more frequent if you have ever had an abnormal pap, are HPV positive, or have a family history that puts you at higher risk for cervical cancers. We can perform your pap for you and teach you how to do your own cervical exams. 

• Breast Exams

  • Performing monthly self-breast exams and seeing a practitioner for breast exams every three years or so greatly increases the chances of early breast cancer detection. We can perform your breast exams and teach you how to continue them at home on your own. We can also refer you onto medical care or screening as needed.

• Pre-Conception Planning an Fertility 

  • When you are trying to get pregnant, fertility awareness is really important for anyone with a uterus. We are available to discuss different fertility awareness methods, help you plan for your next pregnancy (or avoid it), develop a fertility awareness system that works for you, discuss different ways of getting pregnant and the timing of each method, and answer your questions.